Davis
Blasts
Gulf
Boundary Change
Dept. of Interior rule could
threaten FL’s shores.
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WASHINGTON, DC – Today, in a letter
to U.S. Department of Interior Secretary, Gale Norton,
Congressman
Jim Davis, joined by Florida Congressional members, strongly opposed the
Department’s new rule on drilling projects in the Eastern Gulf of
Mexico.
This month, the Department
announced a change in state water boundaries in the Gulf of Mexico
for certain energy related programs. As
a result, the Department will now consult Louisiana
and
Alabama
officials regarding drilling projects in millions of acres of waters which
once were considered solely under the jurisdiction of
Florida. The new boundaries come as
close as 16 miles off of Florida’s coasts. For example, Sale
Area 181, which Davis and his Florida
colleagues fought to protect just a few years ago, is now divided between Florida, Alabama
and Louisiana.
“The Department of
Interior’s new rule is a double whammy for Florida,” said Congressman
Jim Davis. “The rule gives drilling
friendly officials in Louisiana and Alabama undue influence in decisions
about projects off our shores; and then, when a project that threatens our
coasts is approved, the rule strips Floridians of any financial returns
from drilling operations.”
In the letter to Secretary
Norton, Davis and his colleagues expressed their outrage over the
Department’s decision to institute this rule change without any debate
or consultation with Congress or the states impacted.
Click here to read the letter.
