(Washington, DC) Congresswoman Corrine Brown will offer an amendment to H.R. 1231, a bill to “reverse President Obama’s offshore moratorium act.” The Congresswoman’s amendment would instead make the current moratorium on drilling in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico permanent. The moratorium was originally made law as part of the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 (GOMESA) (P.L. 109-432).
The amendment would not have any effect on the budget as scored by the Congressional Budget Office. However, it would have a significant impact on the economy of Florida, given that the state’s tourism industry will be protected from future oil spills, with their devastating capacity to destroy our beautiful beaches and coastal areas. Certainly, Florida’s coastline is a treasure not just for Floridians, but all Americans and people throughout the world. For years, the Florida delegation has worked together to protect our coastline and natural resources, and as long as there are rigs in the area, the potential for devastation to Florida’s beaches persists.
If an accident were to occur, causing oil to wash ashore onto Florida's beaches, both the environmental and economic damage would be devastating to the state. And in the aftermath of the catastrophe off of Louisiana’s Gulf Coast last year, we saw a glimpse of the potential that an oil spill could have on Florida’s economy. That said, before any new areas are opened and Florida's pristine beaches are put at risk, I would like to see drilling in the areas that are already opened and increased funding for research for new technologies.
I strongly believe that any drilling off of Florida’s Gulf Coast would be extremely detrimental to the state’s economy and ecosystem. As was clearly demonstrated by the oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico just last year, wherein 11 workers died and an estimated 5 million barrels of crude oil poured into the Gulf of Mexico, the risks of drilling for oil off of Florida’s shores brings about extraordinary risk to our state. In an already depressed economy, and with unemployment in the state of Florida still hovering above 11%, the last thing we need to do is endanger nearly one million tourism related jobs and the $60 billion tourism industry in the Sunshine State."
Congresswoman Corrine Brown to Offer Amendment to Block Future Drilling from Florida’s Shores
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