Congress passes bipartisan bill to ban drilling in Florida Gulf
Congress passes bipartisan bill to ban drilling in Florida Gulf
The USA Today Network reported that The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill, known as the Protecting and Securing Florida’s Coastline Act that will permanently ban offshore drilling off of Florida’s Gulf Coast.
The bill, co-sponsored by nine Republican and nine Democrat congressmen, would make permanent the moratorium put in place after the 2010 BP oil spill. The final vote tally was 248-180. The moratorium is currently set to expire in 2022.
The current moratorium was enacted by Republican President George W. Bush, with the bipartisan support of both United States senators from Florida, Mel Martinez and Bill Nelson, said bill sponsor, U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney of Venice.
“Deepwater Horizon may be the most infamous disaster that spewed oil into our Gulf, however there are many occurrences of leaks still happening, such as the Taylor Energy spill, which has dumped over one million gallons of oil over 14 years,’’ Rep. Rooney said.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, who represents the western Florida Panhandle, said is incomprehensible that a drilling moratorium would not be imposed in an area where experimental missiles are tested and launched.
“Our military has no better location to carry out these exercises and there is no compelling reason to place drilling interests ahead of military necessities,’’ Rep. Rooney added.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in 2017 to begin the five year process to open drilling back up in the Gulf of Mexico.
In January 2018, Trump administration officials said that the waters off Florida’s Gulf coast would be excluded from the plan, but no definitive policy was ever issued, according to the USA Today Network story penned by Jim Little.
“The November 2018 ballot contained a ban on offshore drilling, Amendment 9, which won with more than 68 percent voting in favor of the measure,’’ Rep. Rooney said. “This widespread support should indicate to the entire Florida delegation, and members of both parties and both chambers, that voters overwhelmingly support making the current moratorium permanent.’’
Rooney’s bill now goes to the Senate, where Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio is sponsoring a similar bill. Rubio’s bill would only extend the ban until 2027.
“Hopefully, Florida Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott can lead this legislation to a successful Senate vote and President Trump will fulfill his commitment to protect Florida’s environment and make HR 205 law,’’ Rep. Rooney said. “The 21 million Floridians are depending on them. We must act now to safeguard the Eas