Landrieu: Drilling moratorium causes economic harm

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Despite the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu is reiterating her call to end the Obama administration's moratorium on deepwater drilling, saying it will cause economic hardship in the region.

Speaking Thursday on ABC's "Good Morning America," Landrieu said the moratorium was issued without much economic analysis and said the deepwater rigs in the Gulf "employ, directly, hundreds of people and indirectly thousands."

Landrieu said the rigs' safety must be ensured but they should then be allowed to get back to work.

Her comments come as efforts continue to cap a blown out well that began spewing oil into the Gulf after an April explosion on a rig that killed 11 workers.