La. Leaders Want Meeting On Gulf Drilling

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Political leaders in south Louisiana are asking President Barack Obama to meet with them to discuss how local economies have been hurt by the slowdown in offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

Six parish presidents and two mayors sent a letter Tuesday to Obama asking him to meet with them.

The local leaders told Obama they were "greatly concerned" about how drilling in the Gulf has been affected by the Gulf oil spill. The Louisiana officials said speeding up the permitting process for new drilling permits is important to their economies.

The officials said they could come to Washington to meet with the president or meet with him in Louisiana as the first anniversary of the April 20, Deepwater Horizon explosion approaches.