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WASHINGTON, D.C.-Congressman Allen Boyd (D-North Florida) tonight voted in favor of the Deep Ocean Energy Resources (DOER) Act (HR 4761) due to the added provision that would prohibit oil and natural gas leases in any area east of the Military Mission Line, over 200 miles west of the gulf coast. Congressman Boyd and Congressman Jeff Miller (R-FL) worked to add this amendment to the DOER Act, which passed in the House by a vote of 232 to 187. The DOER Act also guarantees protection after the presidential moratorium lifts in 2012, regardless of who is in office.
Earlier this week, Congressman Boyd expressed concerns with the DOER Act because it did not protect our military testing ranges. However, the amendment, pushed by Congressmen Boyd and Miller, forbids drilling in any areas east of the Military Mission Line, an area in the Gulf of Mexico that the Air Force and Navy use as a test range for weapons. This region extends from the Florida panhandle to the southern Florida coast in waters that are over 200 miles west of the coast.
"While this bill may not be the ideal for all Floridians, it does provide protections in the gulf that we have never had before," said Congressman Boyd. "Offshore drilling close to our shores would be devastating to our beaches and the larger environment and counterproductive to our national security efforts. With the added language to protect our waters east of the Military Mission Line, I believe this legislation is good news for the people of Florida and as good as we're going to get in this political climate."
Congressman Michael Bilirakis (R-FL) also offered an amendment to the DOER Act that would increase protection from 100 to 125 miles off the coast. Congressman Boyd supported the Bilirakis amendment and voted for it on the House floor. Unfortunately, the amendment failed by a vote of 65 to 353.
The Senate now must take up offshore drilling legislation and work with the House on a compromise bill.
"I thought long and hard about today's vote, and it was not an easy decision for me," Boyd stated. "I decided to vote for the DOER Act because it's important that we move this process forward, but the offshore drilling debate is far from over. I will withhold my final judgment until after the Senate takes up the legislation and a compromise is reached in conference. Until then, nothing is set in stone."
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