ENVIRONMENT — AFTER BP OIL SPILL, SUPPORT FOR OFFSHORE DRILLING HAS ‘FALLEN DRAMATICALLY’: After the Obama administration announced in March that it would “approve new oil and gas drilling off U.S. coasts for the first time in decades,” a Rasmussen Reports poll found that 72 percent of U.S. voters believed that offshore oil drilling should be allowed — the highest level of support for drilling that Rasmussen had found in nearly three years of surveying. But now, two weeks after the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Rasmussen has found that support for offshore drilling has “fallen dramatically.” Its telephone survey found that support has dropped 14 points; today, “58% of voters believe offshore oil drilling should be allowed.” Rasmussen notes that while most still support drilling, “69% are at least somewhat concerned that offshore drilling may cause environmental problems. That’s up from 49% in March.” The Rasmussen poll also found that 43 percent of voters rate President Obama’s response to the major oil leak as good or excellent while just 26 percent view the President’s response as poor. Only 29 percent “say the response of BP and Transocean has been good or excellent, while 28 percent rate it as poor.” The BP spill claimed its first ecological victim Thursday, as oil has hit the Chandeleur Islands off Louisiana’s coast. The islands encompass the Breton National Wildlife Refuge and are considered ecological “treasures.”