Gulf mishap

The fire that broke out on an oil and gas platform in the Gulf of Mexico Thursday has renewed debate over the safety of offshore oil operations.

Yet the accident on a shallow-water platform operated by Mariner Energy Inc. resulted in no major injuries or spilled oil. Thirteen crew members had to be rescued, but the fire, which began in the morning, was extinguished by Thursday evening.

Fires and explosions do occur occasionally on offshore platforms in the Gulf, without loss of life or spilled oil. They do not always spark widespread concerns. But this incident followed the Deepwater Horizon incident that killed 11 workers and caused the largest marine oil spill in U.S. history.

There was no drilling involved in this operation and it was not in deep water. Patrick Cassidy of Mariner Energy said: "There was no blowout, no explosion, no injuries, no spill."

Yet environmental groups contended that the fire reinforced the wisdom of the drilling moratorium now in force. It seemed to affirm the Obama administration's point that more study is needed to understand the causes of accidents at offshore facilities.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal disagrees. The Republican governor told the Wall Street Journal that he welcomes federal safety monitoring of drilling, but not an outright ban on drilling and production.

The administration has gone to court to maintain until Nov. 30 a moratorium on new drilling in waters deeper than 500 feet.

People in the oil industry, many in the Gulf region, have lost jobs due to the administration's efforts. America needs the oil and cannot afford to shut down operations en masse. Federal oversight can be maintained without continued imposition of the moratorium.