Cuba has contracted with China

[f5fstop]

The US has opened up bidding in one of those areas in the Gulf; however, FL is fighting it. It will be interesting to see how Brother Jeb influences Brother George on this matter.

Florida Congressional delegation joins fight against offshore oil drilling
April 26, 2001

By Jennifer Sergent
Naples Daily News

Florida lawmakers are using legislation to fight the Bush administration's intention to offer oil-drilling leases in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. They are offering bills to put a stop to it. At issue is a proposed lease in an area known as 181 that is shaped like the state of Idaho, with a skinny portion running down from Pensacola into a wider block about 213 miles west of Tampa.

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Tallahassee, calls the area "a camel's nose under the tent" that would lead to more pervasive drilling closer to Florida's shores ? both on the gulf and Atlantic coasts.

Nelson, Sen. Bob Graham, D-Miami Lakes, and two Florida House members are introducing bills this week to create a permanent ban on drilling anywhere in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, the Straits of Florida, or off the Atlantic Coast.

The bill would also authorize about $90 million to buy back all existing drilling leases in the eastern gulf.

"There are 16 million Floridians who don't want waves of oil lapping up on our beaches," Nelson said.

The controversy began when the Interior Department announced its intention to open Area 181 to drilling in January. The area had been on a list of proposed leases since 1997, approved by then-Gov. Lawton Chiles and former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt. There is an existing ban on drilling, but it only goes out 100 miles from Florida's coastline and does not include Area 181.

Gov. Jeb Bush wrote to Interior Secretary Gale Norton after the January announcement, asking her to remove Area 181 from the department's list of proposed lease sales.

Norton responded April 9, saying the area would remain on the list and go through the normal environmental impact review process. A final decision on the sale won't be made until October.

Norton's letter spurred Florida's congressional delegation into crafting a bill to prevent the department from ever reaching that decision.

Along with Graham and Nelson's Senate bill, Reps. Joe Scarborough, R-Pensacola, and Jim Davis, D-Tampa, introduced an identical version in the House.

"Florida's economy is so dependent on our coastline. The whole state depends on the clean environment in Florida," Scarborough said.

Jeb Bush praised the legislation Wednesday, saying in a statement that "it is heartening to see the Florida delegation rallying around the protection of Florida's beaches. I support their efforts demonstrating consensus in our opposition to any offshore oil drilling."

He also said he was optimistic after receiving a second letter from Norton on Tuesday regarding the Florida Straits. Norton told Jeb Bush that his brother's administration would not include the area south of the Keys in any proposal to sell oil-drilling leases.

"While I am appreciative of the administration's commitment to working with us, I am also hopeful that they will agree to oppose any offshore oil drilling in Lease Sale 181," the Bush statement said.

Interior officials said Wednesday they are proceeding with the proposed sale in Area 181. But they emphasized that no decision will be made until October, after a public comment period and an environmental impact study is completed.

While Florida's lawmakers are unified in fighting oil drilling anywhere near their state, some members acknowledged that the battle to convince other congressmen of their goal will be difficult at a time when parts of the country are experiencing an energy crisis.

If the bill were to be voted on now, it probably would not pass, Graham said. But ultimately, he added, "for all the reasons that we've cited, we're optimistic we can achieve these objectives."

Rep. Porter Goss, R-Sanibel, introduced an alternate bill that would put a stop to any drilling activity for five years, while a blue-ribbon scientific panel studies the environmental merits of drilling in the eastern gulf.

He's introduced the bill nearly every year for 10 years, without success. But he thinks it might be a better alternative to the newest bill, which calls for a permanent moratorium.

"My bill is a little more realistic," he said. "It's going to be hard to defend Florida unless we have the scientific basis for doing it."

There are also national security concerns with a permanent ban on drilling around Florida, Goss said.

"My problem is that, sooner or later, somebody is going to come along and say Florida simply cannot sit there and not even allow exploration," he said.

"When the price of gas goes to $10 a gallon, do you think that we will be able to withstand the screams of protest?"