Good news for the Mississippi coast

Back in June, we told you about a dumb Bush Administration plan for a pilot oil and gas drilling program in protected areas of the Mississippi Coast along the Gulf islands (Going where they shouldn't go, 6/1).

Good news today for the 3,000 people who protested drilling on Sunday when Republican U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi said he would file a bill to stop any drilling until the full environmental impact was studied. According to the Associated Press:

Cochran, R-Miss., said he's responding to thousands of south Mississippians who've expressed concerns about how drilling would affect natural resources and tourism.

"Before we get too far down the road on this issue, we should understand what the probable consequences will be for the environment,'' Cochran said. ...

Cochran unveiled his plan Wednesday in a breakfast speech to coast business leaders. He said he has asked his staff do research so he can file a bill.

On Sunday, an estimated 3,000 people rallied against proposals to drill for natural gas within sight of Mississippi's coastal islands and beaches, saying the process could harm natural vistas and put a dent in tourism.

Adds one of our friends from the Mississippi coast:

Here is what thrills me about this event. In one of the Reddest States in the Nation, with Haley Barbour, a former energy lobbyist as Governor, in the midst of record energy prices, and after passage of the most pro-hydrocarbon energy bill in recent memory, local people got this thing turned around in the right direction.

Each of the most powerful Republicans in the state backed off their stance: Barbour by suspending activity until an environmental and economic analysis was completed, [Sen. Trent] Lott by doing behind the scenes work to see what limits could be imposed, and Cochran by leaping over the shoulders of the other two and seeking a moratorium and buyout.