Florida Newspapers Are Weighing in Strongly Against New Drilling
Nov 5, 2009
Newspaper editorial boards from Pensacola to Miami are weighing in against allowing new drilling near Florida's coasts. They decry the danger to Florida's vital tourism industry and environment, as well as the shortsightedness and ineffectiveness of new drilling as an energy strategy
Nov 3, 2009 Pensacola News Journal: Ten weeks, and counting
Pensacola News Journal editorial board: "There was more bad news for proponents of offshore drilling near the Florida coast this weekend. We can only hope it isn't the kind of bad news Gulf Coast residents will face someday. The bad news: The drilling rig that has been leaking an estimated 400 barrels of oil, natural gas and byproducts a day into the Timor Sea near Australia since an Aug. 21 blowout erupted in flames Sunday, delaying efforts to plug the leak." More
Oct 29, 2009 Orlando Sentinel: Caveat Emptor on Drilling
Orlando Sentinel editorial board: "Wondrous claims about lifting Florida's offshore ban don't hold water." More
Oct 23, 2009 TC Palm Newspapers: Oil Industry Greases Votes At Florida Legislature
TC Palm editorial board: "The oil industry's money machine is pumping money into the state Legislature in an effort to open drilling within three miles of Florida’s coast....In addition to the cash contributions, Florida Energy Associates is deploying 30 lobbyists to work the halls and watering holes in Tallahassee....The problem with all this is the environmental and economic threat that offshore drilling poses to Florida. Anyone who’s visited Gulf Coast communities in Texas and Louisiana can attest to the oily aroma and tarballs that come with such operations. In a worst-case scenario — which do happen — oil spills kill wildlife and pollute beaches. That could be an absolute killer to Florida’s $65-billion-a-year tourism industry, which dwarfs whatever revenues the state might gain from drilling. More
Jun 15, 2009 Miami Herald: Drilling Disaster
Miami Herald editorial board: "Drill, baby, drill may work as a political bumper sticker but it's not the answer to the nation's energy independence. Drilling could prove to be a Florida disaster -- if offshore oil and gas rigs are allowed to move so close to the eastern Gulf of Mexico that beachgoers in the Panhandle could see them. All it takes is one spill from a tanker to wreck a coastline for years." More
Jun 12, 2009 S. Fla. Sun-Sentinel: Oil Drilling a Lose-Lose Situation for Florida
South Florida Sun-Sentinel editorial board: "The drill-baby-drill crowd still wants to drill in the Gulf. Their latest effort, however, not only raises the stakes for a state that relies on a coastal environment for its basic economic health, but it also robs Florida of any chance for remuneration, the primary selling point that gained traction in reducing resistance from the state's political leadership and its long-standing opposition to offshore drilling." More
Jun 11, 2009 St. Petersburg Times: Again, With Feeling: No New Drilling
St. Petersburg Times: "There is a rhythm to summer that has become as predictable in Washington as it is predatory and senseless: Schools let out, vacation season begins, gas prices rise and opportunists in Congress - encouraged by Big Oil - cite the pain at the pump to push for expanding offshore drilling, jeopardizing Florida's priceless coastline." More
Jun 11, 2009 Pensacola News Journal: Drilling in the Gulf Will Threaten Florida Coastlines
Pensacola News Journal editorial board: "Instead of advocating for expedient and environmentally harmful ways to meet the nation's oil demands, we need a comprehensive and sustainable energy plan that includes energy conservation. Florida's economic and environmental health depends on keeping oil and gas drilling away from its coastlines." More
Jun 13, 2009 Orlando Sentinel: Fight the Rising Tide
Orlando Sentinel editorial board: The Senate's proposal is "a threat to Florida's environment and economy" and "its remaining opponents, led by Sen. Bill Nelson, musn't let" it pass. More