Miami Herald: Supporters of drilling eye area off Florida's Gulf coast
Lesley Clark
Miami Herald
Jul 28, 2009
WASHINGTON -- Two senators from oil-producing states have introduced legislation that would bring oil drilling to within 45 miles of Florida's Gulf coast.
The bill sponsored by Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Mary Landrieu, D-Louisiana, would effectively void a 2006 law crafted by Florida's congressional delegation, which put a massive swath of federal waters close to the state off-limits until at least 2022.
The sponsors said Monday the legislation would benefit states by giving them a cut -- 37.5 percent -- of the revenue from offshore oil and gas exploration off their coasts.
But Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, who has already threatened to filibuster a similar Senate measure that also aims to open up the eastern Gulf, decried the bill as a giveaway to the oil industry.
``This isn't even thinly veiled,'' Nelson said. ``It's an oil industry bailout plan. And it's Alaska and Louisiana's senators' plan to boost their own revenues in tough economic times. But even in the toughest of times, there are some things states shouldn't sell out, like Florida's economy and environment.''
COVETED AREA
Nelson's office said the proposal mirrors an amendment in a Senate energy bill that would permit oil-drillng rigs within 45 miles off Florida's coast. The provision, authored by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., also opens up the Panhandle's Destin Dome, a geological formation off the state's Gulf coast that energy companies have long eyed.
The industry believes the area contains 2 trillion cubic feet of natural gas -- enough to heat 2 million homes for 15 years.
The 2006 compromise legislation set a no-drilling zone at 125 miles off the Panhandle and 235 miles off Tampa and coastal communities to the southwest.
But Landrieu and Murkowski argue that federal data estimates the Outer Continental Shelf holds considerable reserves of oil and natural gas.
``At a time when we are struggling to create jobs and produce affordable energy, ignoring the immense natural resources just off our shores is inexcusable,'' Murkowski said.
PRESSURE MOUNTING
The bill comes as environmentalists and most of Florida's congressional delegation are already looking to fend off the Dorgan provision, which does not include revenue-sharing for the states.
Pressure has increased to allow drilling off Florida, driven in part by rising fuel prices. The Florida House in May approved a proposal that would have allowed oil and gas exploration within three miles of the coast.
It died in the state Senate, but a leasing provision that gives states money could embolden legislators to reconsider the bill.
Jackie Savitz, senior director of the environmental group Oceana's climate and energy campaign, said the organization fears Dorgan's provision could become part of the Senate climate change bill that is expected to be debated when Congress returns from its August break.
Oceana is asking its members to write and call their senators to block the Dorgan provision, arguing that exploring for natural gas and oil could imperil Florida beaches and runs counter to efforts to address climate change.