The Gulf of Mexico, back in the early 1990s, they called it the dead sea. That's not true anymore. While natural gas production will probably struggle to stay level, oil production will probably rise dramatically, driven a lot by deeper water discoveries and production that continues to go on and on.

Last year continued to be a strong year for deep-water activity in the Gulf of Mexico. There is intense interest in oil and gas potential in the deep water.

They have every incentive to get things restarted.

It is likely that additional damage will be reported as underwater damage assessments are completed. These have been delayed because of overwhelmed support resources, such as diving equipment, support vessels, and remotely operated vehicles.