WH: Oil Spill Could Stop Offshore Drilling

The massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico could impact President Obama's plans to consider new offshore drilling sites, administration officials said today.

The White House announced today that it is sending three cabinet members to oversee the effort to control and clean up the spill, which is much worse than first thought. Liberal activists are pointing to the disaster as a reason for the president to reconsider his decision to open up the southern Atlantic coastline and some other areas to offshore drilling.

Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Carol Browner emphasized today that no plans for new drilling have been established yet and that the president's decision was simply "the beginning of a process" to consider new plans over the next five years.