They are expected to press for more offshore drilling permits to be granted
Sen. David Vitter, R-La., plans to join Rep. Jeff Landry, R-New Iberia, for a meeting Tuesday in New Orleans with top Obama administration oil and gas regulators. Landry recently made a surprise visit to the New Orleans office of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement and expressed annoyance that no would meet with him.
View full sizeRep. Jeff Landry, R-New Iberia, holds a sign during a speech by President Barack Obama to a joint session of Congress on Sept. 8. A later scheduled meeting with BOEMRE officials and Landry was canceled after he likened the agency's leadership to the CIA and Gestapo.
But Interior Secretary Ken Salazar intervened, and a meeting was worked out. Both Vitter and Landry are expected to meet with the news media after the session, in which they will likely press their argument that regulators should be granting more off-shore drilling permits nearly 18 months after the BP spill disaster.
Bruce Alpert can be reached at balpert@timespicayune.com or 202.450.1406. Jonathan Tilove can be reached at jtilove@timespicayune.com or 202.450.1404.