Gulf Back Open For Drilling Business

Alabama's coastline is dotted with natural gas rigs. Oil rigs occupy gulf waters to the west.

"We're a little apprehensive about new drilling out there," says Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft.

18 months after the Deepwater Horizon disaster gushed oil into the Gulf of Mexico, energy companies are once again making plans to drill. "It is vitally important to many of our coastal economies. So given the fact that we know what can happen and what has happened and the magnitude of those events there should be in my opinion a way to minimize the risk of drilling," says Craft.

That hasn't happened according to Casi Callaway with Mobile Baykeeper. "The primary regulation that hasn't been changed yet is, we don't know if they know how to inspect and monitor the deep well rigs."

Without changes to the way deepwater rigs are inspected and monitored Callaway says another disaster is likely. "We have got to have good safeguards that insure that we're ready and carefully studying and carefully reviewing every single permit that comes through and not give these things out like candy."

The Gulf of Mexico is a major energy producer for the entire country. But when it comes to a disaster it's the coastal communities that pay the price. "We take that risk," says Craft. "All that I ask is that negligent companies are fined and those fines be redirected to the coastal areas that were damaged."

Ironically as bids were being opened for the sale of oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico, remnants from BP's oil disaster were still being removed from Baldwin County beaches.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management estimates todays sale could result in the production of as many as 423 million barrels of oil and up to 2 point 7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.