Landrieu to White House: Lift drilling moratorium ASAP

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) implored the Obama administration Sunday to lift the offshore drilling moratorium, saying it was excessive and hurting Gulf Coast residents.

Landrieu said a pause in operations, imposed in the wake of the BP oil spill, was necessary but that the moratorium needed to be lifted.

"A six-month moratorium has put a blanket of fear and anxiety and it must be lifted as soon as possible," Landrieu said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

The senator said she was not fighting for "big oil," but for small businesses affected by the ban.

"We need to get back to work to build this region, and we intend to do so," she said.