PURRE rallies its members against offshore drilling
There is a bill moving through the Florida House of Representatives that
would change the current moratorium on oil and gas drilling in Florida’s
coastal waters. PURRE Water Coalition has contacted its members to ask them to tell their elected representatives how they feel about the possibility of having oil rigs within sight of Sanibel and Captiva beaches not to mention what an oil spill would do to Gulf waters.
While proponents of the last-minute bill, slated for votes in the House
and Senate this week, claim that offshore drilling technology has become
much better and safer in recent years, the Minerals Management Service
reported 124 oil spills caused by hurricanes in 2005.
“This is of critical importance to our membership and the residents of southwest Florida,” said PURRE Public Policy director Dan Wexler. “While many believe this bill won’t make it due to the short time remaining in this session, there is strong support out there and enough time to push this through. It is hard to believe how anyone could think this is a good idea; nonetheless it is moving.”
It is moving with a huge push from a group of mostly unidentified oil and
gas companies, according to reports, and at least 20 prominent lobbyists
running an expensive public relations campaign including television and
newspaper advertising.
Representative Paige Kreegel, who represents the northern part of Lee
County, said he expects the bill to come up for a vote “in the 11th hour.”
Rep. Kreegel chairs the House Energy Committee and will likely have a
role in the final passage and appears to support opening up the eastern
Gulf of Mexico to oil drilling. Last week the House of Representatives in
Tallahassee debated this measure and the House Policy Council voted along
party lines to lift a legislative ban on drilling in Florida state waters
(from the shore line to 10 miles out) and allow the governor and his
cabinet to approve leases for oil drilling as close as three miles
offshore.
“PURRE believes this is bad policy and bad politics,” Wexler said.
According to reports, this measure came as a surprise to the environmental
community. It was also reported that backers of the bill were prepared for
the House Policy Council vote last Tuesday with talking points and
background materials that opponents did not see in advance.
Supporters of the measure cited a Mason-Dixon poll showing that 59% of
respondents supported drilling off Florida’s coast. However, that poll was
done last year when gas was about $4 a gallon. It also indicated that the
approval was contingent upon the drilling being safe and largely out of
sight.
“Three miles offshore would not be out of sight, and what guarantee do we
have that it will be safe? This appears to be a last-minute push of bad
policy with misinformation and we cannot allow this to happen,” Wexler
said.
Florida law now restricts oil exploration and drilling in state waters
which begin three miles offshore and end at 10 miles. This proposal would
lift the moratorium. Companies that would seek a lease would have to put
up a $1 million non-refundable deposit to seek state approval.
Gov. Crist, while campaigning with Senator John McCain last fall,
supported offshore drilling as long as it was a safe distance away from
Florida’s coastline. Last week Gov. Crist said he’s entertaining the plan
because he’s “open minded” and “intrigued” by the potential to extract oil
“in a way that is safe, in a way this is clean and in a way that generates
a lot of revenue for the state of Florida.” This appears to be a change
for him.
Senator Bill Nelson issued a statement following last week’s vote opposing
the bill saying, “I can’t believe some Florida lawmakers might actually be
serious about allowing oil drilling within 10 miles offshore.”
“PURRE thinks it would be a good idea to let the folks in Tallahassee know
how its members feel about this proposal,” Wexler said. “Many voices
opposing close-in oil exploration will have an impact. We’ve asked our
members to contact the governor, lieutenant governor and select members of the House and Senate. We’ve asked for our representatives’ and senators’ commitment to oppose any efforts to allow this to happen.”