Miss. gov. says 'coast is clear' of oil

WASHINGTON, June 6 (UPI) -- Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said Sunday the notion the gulf coast has been closed to tourism due to the BP oil-rig disaster is premature.

The truth is, we have had virtually no oil," Barbour said on "Fox News Sunday."

"If you were on the Mississippi coast any time in the last 48 days you didn't see any oil at all."

Barbour said media coverage of the spreading Gulf of Mexico oil spill has been a drag on Mississippi's vital tourism industry as the summer vacation season swings into high gear.

"The coast is clear," said Barbour. "Come on down."

Barbour said random tar balls on the gulf beaches were a natural phenomenon caused by oil seeping from cracks in the seafloor and could be easily picked up.

He also urged the federal government not to shut down offshore oil production in the region because it would cost the region valuable jobs and possibly force oil companies to turn their attention to other areas of the world.