Protecting Florida's Coastline
By Rep. Cliff Stearns
The high cost of gasoline and natural gas is hurting our wallets; it is also increasing pressure to expand drilling in our nation's coastal waters. Although Florida opposes offshore development, the shield protecting our waters from drilling is weak.
Recently, a House panel voted to remove this shield for Florida and the rest of the nation. This is a wake up call to be proactive in protecting Florida's coasts.
If our state officials and congressional delegation fail to act, Florida will face uncertainty, and a growing possibility of oilrigs going up just a few miles off of our coast. Or, we can develop a permanent solution that ensures that any possible drilling in the future occurs far from Florida's coasts, posing no threat to our tourism industry or environment.
Here are the facts:
(1) In 1990, President Bush first issued a decision withdrawing Florida's coastal waters from drilling (a withdrawal supported by President Clinton and President George W. Bush), but this President and any future President could reverse that decision at any time, putting Florida's waters in play for drilling.
(2) Although there are moratoria approved by Congress preventing the expenditure of federal funds to support development, the prohibition protecting an area just 15 miles off the Alabama-Florida coastal border, near Pensacola, expires in 2007, and the moratorium safeguarding the Eastern Gulf expires in 2012.
(3) Drilling could occur today in portions of the Florida Strait, the area stretching from Ft. Lauderdale through the Keys, outside of the three-mile limit.
During consideration of the recently enacted energy bill, Congressman Bilirakis and I entered into discussions with the Chairman of the Resources Committee, Richard Pombo, who wants to open more of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) to development. Participating in these discussions were Governor Bush and his representatives, and other members of Congress.
The agreement would give Florida the ability to protect permanently its coastal waters from drilling. It would codify the existing moratorium until 2012, after which Florida could extend the ban on new drilling within 125 miles of its coast. In addition, it would extend the current moratorium to areas presently not covered, including the Straits of Florida.
Today, in the Gulf of Mexico, Florida has real control only out to 9 miles from the coast, and only three miles into the Atlantic. Under this agreement, this would increase to at least 125 miles. There are understandable exceptions, such as in Alabama's waters, where that state could approve drilling within 125 miles of Florida. However, instead of potential drilling only 15 miles from of our coast, the agreement would extend our protection against drilling to 100 miles off the coast of Alabama in the so-called "stove pipe."
This agreement was set back recently with the House Resources Committee voting to lift the moratoria on natural gas productions along the OCS, including Florida's waters. However, I am working with others and Chairman Pombo to remove this language and to restore the provisions of the agreement protecting Florida.
Governor Bush has encouraged these efforts to create a 125-mile buffer for Florida, and to allow the states to determine the use of their offshore resources. As the Governor wrote a few days ago, "These provisions increase protection from the risks associated with future offshore oil and gas production."
I share the Governor's concerns with the proposed inventory of offshore resources, which would be a precursor to drilling in Florida waters. This survey would prove a waste of money if we succeed in protecting Florida's coast. In addition, I agree with the Governor on the need to negotiate a lease return for current drilling activities inside the proposed 125-mile buffer.
Ultimately, Florida's elected officials should present a united front on this issue. Hiding behind short-term moratoria is not a solution, and we cannot allow Florida's waters to be opened up to development over our objections.
