Some of the first public discussions in decades about oil and gas exploration off Florida's Atlantic coast opened Wednesday in Jacksonville with a small crowd that saw a lot at stake.
The U.S. Interior Department's Minerals Management Service scheduled two hearings Wednesday about what issues to consider when it studies environmental effects of testing to chart reserves of offshore fuels. As backers of offshore drilling talked up the potential to create jobs and raise tax revenues, people worried about environmental damage warned about damage to endangered species and to clean beaches. Both arguments were leaps beyond the formal reason for Wednesdays hearing, which involved only discussions about how scientists and engineers should identify the areas most likely to be house new power sources.
But the bottom line was really about drilling someday, said both sides in the audience of about 25 people. "I know you're just talking about seismic exploration. To me, it's a slippery slope," said Lesley Royce, a Duval Audubon Society member who warned about wildlife impacts. She and others stressed the importance of Florida coastlines as calving grounds for endangered right whales, warning that noise from acoustic tests could drive sound-sensitive whales away from critical habitat.
She also worried about oil spills and other pollution from any wells that were eventually drilled. "Even though you're not talking about drilling ... I think that's going to follow," Royce said. "We don't want those oil derricks off the coast of Florida."
There's probably a lot to drill for, said David Mica, executive director of the Florida Petroleum Council, a trade group. "Developing these resources could translate into thousands of jobs," he said, calling the Atlantic reserves "essential for our nation's future energy security." Mica said billions of gallons of oil and trillions of cubic feet of natural gas are thought to be buried off the Southeast coast, but that new research is needed to define those reserves.
The hearing Wednesday follows President Barack Obama's decision last month to lift a decades-old moratorium on oil and gas exploration on the South's Atlantic coast, including the northern half of Florida. The meeting was an early "scoping" step in a process of planning for offshore tests.
A study weighing environmental dangers against possible benefits will be written in draft form by next year, and should be finalized in 2012, said Joe Christopher, regional supervisor for the mineral service's leasing office in New Orleans. That will become a basis for decisions about what type of testing to allow, and where, which could lead to drilling in some of those sites years later.
Christopher said the research could also be used by companies considering setting up offshore wind-power facilities, because they will need to understand the ocean floor under their sites. Those wind-power facilities might be a good idea, but drilling is "really what we're talking about," answered Jeff Light of St. Augustine, who said that worries him.
It's been 30 years since much testing was done off the Southeast coast, and newer technology might identify conditions that would have been missed then, said Jim White, who chairs the International Association of Geophysical Contractors, a Texas-based trade group.
Hearings similar to those Wednesday are scheduled in Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia and New Jersey this month.
At 2:24 AM (local time) on 21 April 2010, NOAA was notified of an explosion and fire on a deepwater semisubmersible drilling platform some 50 miles SE of the Mississippi Delta. The incident on the DEEPWATER HORIZON occurred at approximately 11:00 PM on 20 April (a little more than three hours earlier) with more than 120 crew reported aboard. The rig is still on fire, has been evacuated, and USCG Search and Rescue (SAR) operations are continuing. A secondary concern is the estimated 27,800 bbls (over a million gallons) of #2 Fuel Oil or Marine Diesel Fuel reported onboard. The USCG has requested trajectory support.
According to the Minerals Management Serive, since 2001, there have been 69 offshore deaths, 1,349 injuries and 858 fires and explosions in the Gulf. Howeverm the MMS did not break down the cause of the deaths, the severity of the injuries, or the size of the fires and explosions.
For more on the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling rig off the coast of Louisiana, please visit MSNBC.com.
Remember when the oil lobbyists told us that drilling was safe nowadays. Well this is just another instance that shows it is not.
At least 11 people were missing and seven were critically injured after an explosion on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
The explosion happened about 10 p.m. CT (11 p.m. ET) Tuesday on a rig named the Deepwater Horizon. It was about 52 miles southeast of Venice, Louisiana, said Coast Guard Senior Chief Petty Officer Mike O'Berry.
At the time of the explosion, 126 were on board the rig, O'Berry said. Read more at CNN.com.
THIS WEDNESDAY: Public hearing in Jacksonville on federal proposal to allow seismic exploration in federal waters off Northeast Florida as a precursor to oil and gas drilling.
The federal Minerals Management Service (MMS) will hold two scoping meetings in Jacksonville THIS WEDNESDAY, requesting input on the natural resources and other issues MMS should consider before allowing seismic exploration for oil and gas drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) from New Jersey south to approximately Vero Beach.
The Obama Administration's proposal earlier this month to allow drilling in a larger area of the eastern Gulf, as well as allow seismic exploration for oil and gas off Florida's Atlantic Coast, was met with dismay by Florida Audubon.
Comments received at this meeting will help MMS develop a programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) which would dictate the limitations and mitigation on all future seismic surveys, sidescan-sonar surveys, electromagnetic surveys, geological and geochemical sampling and remote sensing related to siting of offshore oil and gas operations, renewable energy projects and sand deposit research off Northeast Florida's coast. As a result of this PEIS, future applications will not have to undergo individual review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) if they meet the conditions/mitigation dictated by the PEIS.
SIX of SEVEN current corporate applications posted on MMS' website express significant interest in exploring Northeast Florida's offshore areas for oil and gas. Of great concern to Audubon and others in the conservation community, the waters off Georgia and Northeast Florida are the calving grounds of highly endangered North Atlantic Right Whales. Right Whales, as well as other cetaceans, could be susceptible to harm from seismic exploration.
TAKE ACTION
Attend one of Wednesday's meetings in Jacksonville to express your concerns about this proposal. Raise concerns that our waters are not compatible with oil and gas exploration, and this programmatic is too broad. It spans diverse offshore areas from New Jersey all the way to Florida's central Atlantic coast. Flag significant resources and issues that the Service must consider-like Florida's critical calving grounds for endangered North Atlantic Right Whales-and identify possible alternatives to the proposed action. Most importantly, express your support for national action to curb greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change and creating clean, job-creating renewable energy, rather than furthering our dependence on fossil fuels.
Written comments may also be submitted by email to GGEIS@mms.gov by May 17.
After releasing the House's proposed committee bill to open Florida's nearshore waters to oil drilling yesterday, Speaker-elect Dean Cannon (R-Winter Park) today announced the bill would be set aside this year for lack of appetite in the Senate. This afternoon Cannon's Select Policy Council on Strategic and Economic Planning discussed the summary of its discussions this year, as well as a report commissioned from the Willis Group on the potential risks and benefits of this proposal. At the meeting's end, the committee voted to transmit the committee's report to the Senate. Cannon pledged to revisit the proposal to open Florida's nearshore waters to drilling in a future Session when both chambers welcome the proposal...which could be as soon as next year. Thanks to all of you who wrote to the members of this committee yesterday to voice your opposition to nearshore drilling and your support for clean, job-creating renewable energy.
As Louisiana struggles to clean up a large offshore oil rig pipeline spill 1, Progress Florida executive director Mark Ferrulo today released the following statement in anticipation of incoming Speaker Dean Cannon's (R-Winter Park) expected introduction next week of legislation that would allow oil drilling on Florida's coast:
"Introducing a bill to allow oil drilling in our near shore waters in the midst of Louisiana's ongoing oil spill clean-up is a twisted bit of irony that should be lost on no one, least of all Dean Cannon and other legislators charged with protecting Florida's economy and environment.
"Although some elected officials have bought into Big Oil's claim that little or no risk is associated with offshore oil drilling, we need only look to Louisiana, where right now crews are attempting to clean up an 18,000 gallon crude oil spill that has ravaged nearly one fifth of an entire national wildlife refuge.
"As this latest Gulf oil spill tragically illustrates, it's not a matter of if, but when, such a spill will happen along Florida's coast if Dean Cannon gets his way.
Watch this Bay News 9 interview with Sierra Club's Phil Compton as he discusses the would-be harmful impacts of potential oil drilling activity in Florida's waters.
From CNN: Several environmentalists expressed disappointment and dismay Wednesday over President Obama's decision to open key Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico waters to oil and gas drilling. "I'm extremely disappointed," said David Rauschkolb, a Florida restaurant owner who organized anti-drilling rallies last month at several Gulf Coast beaches. "Florida's legacy is clean water, clean beaches, sunshine and tourism. Every oil rig is a threat to tourism and coastal well-being. ... All it takes is one spill."
One leading critic of offshore drilling, New Jersey Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg, vowed to fight Obama's plan. Drilling off the mid-Atlantic coast will endanger many of his home state's beaches and coastal economies, Lautenberg said. "An oil spill could create severe damage to coastal areas up to 500 miles from the location of the spill," he warned.
But Florida Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson -- generally an opponent of offshore drilling near his state -- said Obama's plan was a step in the right direction compared to other proposals under consideration. The president's plan would prevent drilling within 125 miles of the Florida coastline; an alternative proposal being pushed in the Florida legislature would allow drilling within 3 miles of the coast. "I've talked many times to [Interior Department] Secretary [Ken] Salazar and told him if they drilled too close to Florida's beaches they'd be risking the state's economy and the environment," Nelson said. "I believe this plan shows they heeded that concern."
Wesley Warren, a director at the Washington-based Natural Resources Defense Council, told CNN there are both positive and negative aspects to the president's plan. "We disagree with the proposals for the outer continental shelf [in the Atlantic] that open the door for development," he said. But, he quickly added, he's pleased that the White House has withdrawn from consideration environmentally sensitive areas on the West Coast -- including Alaska's Bristol Bay. Warren said he's not surprised by the president's move, recalling that "as a candidate he said he would consider greater development." Warren recommended, however, that the White House shift its focus. "We would urge [the administration to] direct attention to real clean-energy solutions, including finalizing clean-fuel standards and developing renewable energy sources." Because the president's proposal would open Atlantic coastal waters to drilling, Warren believes the plan "should be subjected to more extensive study of the environmental and economic risks."
A climate change group founded by former Vice President Al Gore in 2006 was sharply critical of the president's plan. It "continues our reliance on dirty fossil fuels, we cannot simply drill our way to energy security," said Maggie Fox, president of the Alliance for Climate Protection. But another environmental organization said Obama's plan could boost support for passage of a climate change bill in Congress. "Now it's time for supporters of new drilling ... to step forward and support comprehensive legislation -- including a limit on carbon pollution," said Steve Cochran, climate campaign director for the Environmental Defense Fund.
Rauschkolb, a self-described beach lover who has surfed for 33 years, said he's certain the president's pronouncement won't be the last word. "It doesn't make sense," he said. Rauschkolb told CNN he's working with fellow environmentalists to mount a June protest in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
The below photos and captions are courtesy of Lorraine Margeson, a passionate anti-drilling advocate, are from last night's event in St. Petersburg where Newt Gingrich was speaking on "American Solutions". Over 300 anti-drilling protesters lined the streets across from the Vinoy, and Rep. C.W. Bill Young stood with the protestors against offshore drilling.
Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch and Suncoast Sierra Club member Cathy Harrelson at yesterday's anti-drilling event prior to Newt Gingrich's talk in St. Pete.........thanks for coming, Commissioner Welch!!!
This young lady used pancake syrup to simulate what a bird caught in an oil spill might look like. Very creative; glad it wasn't 90 degrees, though!
It was a great crowd, mannerly and passionate. I heard nary a word regarding anything against the decorum of these protesters (my friends) as I was inside listening to Mr. Gingrich.
All laws obeyed; no person harassed. I like free speech when it is respectful, don't you?
Well, there is certainly a lot of work to do, but I am proud to be associated with these folks on the street this evening. This is how to advocate with respect for all. ~ Lorraine
Last year, we wrote about the mapping of an under-appreciated natural treasure: a 380,000-acre sea grass bed - the second-largest in the nation - off the coast of Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties.
About 270,000 acres of this underwater savanna are classified as dense, according to the Southwest Florida Water Management District scientists who studied it. And all the good things sea grass does, dense sea grass does exceptionally well. Such as: holds the sea bottom in place like lawns hold the soil in our yards; absorbs carbon dioxide and releases dissolved oxygen; provides food and habitat for poster-worthy plant eaters such as manatees and green sea turtles, as well as for countless smaller creatures that are fodder for tarpon, grouper and other commercially valuable predators.
That's just a summary. When naturalists start listing the benefits of sea grass, you get the impression that, without it, we'd no longer have the gulf. We'd have a less-saline Dead Sea. And, on the coast, a dead economy.
It's hard to imagine that any responsible citizen could object to adding this expanse of sea grass to a long list of aquatic preserves in the state. But powerful state lawmakers could, and did. Watch how this played out last week and you understand why calling the legislative process "broken" has become about as controversial as calling concrete "hard."
On Friday, Rep. Ron Schultz, R-Homosassa, was finally able to get a hearing for his bill creating the preserve before the Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Committee.
Drilling in Florida waters "doesn't make any economic sense," Schultz said. "It does, however make all kinds of sense if you want to make it impossible to continue the ban on drilling in federal waters in the eastern gulf." Continue reading the article at TampaBay.com.
Eric Draper, Executive Director of Audubon of Florida, responded to plans previewed today by the Obama administration that would open Florida's waters to offshore oil drilling.
"Allowing oil drilling off of Florida sends the wrong signal to the world about America's commitment to real and lasting energy independence," Draper said. "This is a sad day for Florida when we put our clean beaches at risk for dirty and dangerous oil drilling. The right road to independence from foreign oil is a cap on greenhouse gases, cleaner cars, renewable energy conservation."
There are some in the Florida Legislature who have become mysteriously and rabidly attached to selling Florida's future to drilling interests in our nearshore waters.The iconic enemy of our coastal environment and coastal tourism is the oil rig, with its polluting drilling operations and threats of larger spills. This enemy could now could appear 3-10 miles off our coastlines. This issue has become so front and center that a grassroots effort to combat it was conceived late last year and executed on February 13th. Hands Across the Sand was a simple, grassroots event that pulled 10,000+ citizens and politicos of diverse economic, political and business backgrounds out to the beaches on a cold, windy day.
So now what? Coastal drilling bills have been filed in the House and Senate of the Florida Legislature for the 2010 session. Whether or not these bills come forward through the maze of largely mid-Florida, conservative-led committees remains to be seen, but it is something we will all be following in the days ahead. Though this is often debated, we believe the non-coastal leadership in the legislature is determined to push this through this year. Read more at Creative Loafing.
Last year, when some in our Legislature wanted to throw open Florida's waters to oil drilling right away, the president of our state Senate slowed it down. Instead, Jeff Atwater asked for a study. The report he asked for is complete and will be presented Monday in Orlando and Tallahassee. The report was prepared by the Collins Center for Public Policy.
If Florida does open its waters, the report notes, the almost certain political consequence will be that Congress opens the eastern Gulf of Mexico as well. "It would be hard to maintain congressional support for a ban on oil and gas activity from 10 to 125 miles from the Florida coastline," the report says, "when the state is allowing it inside of 10 miles." The report does not say flat-out whether Florida should allow drilling. But it contains information that both sides of the debate can use:
· Estimated reserves in Florida waters and the eastern Gulf of Mexico are only a fraction of those in the central and western gulf.
· These reserves would boost U.S. production by 1 to 2 percent, with "no discernible effect on petroleum prices at the retail level" and little contribution toward the nation's "energy independence." Florida-only reserves account for less than one week's worth of U.S. consumption.
· Best-case estimates are that gulf oil production would generate an average of $90 million to $180 million a year to the state and create 2,000 to 5,000 jobs. There would be additional revenue from state-only waters, but perhaps not as much as in other gulf states, which range from $50 million to $200 million annually.
Expect some sparks as the House Select Policy Council on Strategic and Economic Planning hears results of a report by the Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida on oil drilling in state waters. The commission's report, a draft of which was released earlier this month, says the discovery of oil and natural gas near the state's Gulf coast would have a negligible effect on gas prices or supply. Committee chairman Rep. Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, last year sponsored legislation to open up state waters to drilling. Today, Monday the 15th, 3:15 p.m., 212 Knott Building, The Capitol. Watch the committee meeting live online.
Last week, Choctawhatchee Audubon Society passed a resolution opposing the opening of Florida's waters to oil drilling. Choctawhatchee joins the ranks of a massive crowd of Florida communities, governments, businesses, and organizations opposed to allowing oil drilling to occur in our state's waters. Good work Choctawhatchee Audubon!
WHEREAS, the Choctawhatchee Audubon Society is a conservation-based organization dedicated to the preservation of the natural environment for the benefit of wildlife and mankind and represents over 400 members from Okaloosa, Walton and Santa Rosa counties, Florida; and
WHEREAS, our beaches, nearshore Gulf of Mexico waters and adjacent estuaries are noted as world-class attractions for their scenic and natural beauty, and are critical to our region's tourism and fishing industries; and
WHEREAS, a quality natural environment is essential to the survival of our region's marine and estuarine wildlife. Especially at risk are shorebirds that include the imperiled Snowy Plover, Piping Plover, Black Skimmer and Least Tern; sea turtles including the Green, Kemp's Ridley, Hawksbill and Loggerhead; and mammals including the Choctawhatchee Beach Mouse plus species that sustain our commercial and recreational fisheries; and
WHEREAS, the area with the potential for the greatest risk of environmental damage from oil extraction, due to the prevailing sea breezes and Gulf Loop countercurrent, is the eastern part of the Gulf of Mexico, off the Florida Panhandle; and
WHEREAS, environmental specialists contend the major risk from drilling platforms is the wastewater they routinely discharge which contains drilling fluids and heavy metals including mercury; and
WHEREAS, according to Oil Industry data, an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico can dump up to 90,000 tons of drilling fluid and metal cuttings over its lifetime. These contaminants accumulate in the marine food web and may contaminate local beaches and have a negative effect on the environment and the tourism industry; and
WHEREAS, it is our belief that despite technological advances in oil drilling technology, there is no positive assurance that catastrophic damage to our coastline, beaches, plant and fish life could be avoided during normal operating conditions or during storm situations; and
WHEREAS, lifting the moratorium on mineral leasing in the Gulf of Mexico poses an intolerable threat to the beaches, natural environment, economy of Florida, and national security:
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of the Choctawhatchee Audubon Society that we urgently request that all elected officials at the County, State and Federal levels oppose legislative attempts to allow offshore oil drilling expansion past the areas already approved for pre-leasing, leasing and oil production activities and to take immediate steps to encourage and assist in the development of alternative sources of energy.
In testimony before a House committee Friday, officials from Naval Support Activity Panama City and the Bay Defense Alliance laid out the potential impact of oil drilling in state waters, which extend 10 miles offshore. "I think the activity at NSA comes right up to the beach. At some point in time, they actually have things on the beach," said Leon Walter, a Bay Defense Alliance board member.
Flin DeBerry said that drilling east of the military mission line, an imaginary line extending south from Eglin Air Force Base into the Gulf of Mexico, is a big concern. "I hope I have been able to convey to you that that area east of the military mission line is a very important area to the military," said Walters, who indicated drilling in that area could "crowd" military missions. DeBerry also stressed the military's economic impact on the area. "It's a lot of jobs, half of which are scientists, engineers and well-paid managers, which is good for the community," DeBerry said. He said that the military provides about 3,300 jobs in Northwest Florida.
Progress Florida unveiled the "Resolved Against Drilling" map, a powerful illustration and visual reminder to lawmakers of the overwhelming opposition to legislation (SB 2622) that would end Florida's ban on oil drilling in state waters.
The map shows that at least 55 cities, counties, chambers of commerce, and local agencies around the state have passed resolutions (you can view the list of resolutions here) opposing Speaker-Designate Dean Cannon's (R-Winter Park) and Senate-President Designate Mike Haridopolos's (R-Melbourne) effort to sell Florida's world famous coastline to Texas oilmen. From Key West to Pensacola, few other issues to be tackled this legislative session have met with such unified opposition from local communities.
"This map demonstrates in clear terms that Floridians aren't buying the misleading claims and empty economic promises Big Oil is selling our state," said Mark Ferrulo, Executive Director of Progress Florida.
Help Pass Clean Energy Jobs Legislation This Session
Jump-Start Florida's Economy and Stop the Threat of Risky Offshore Drilling
Did you know that Florida could generate nearly 20 percent of current electricity sales from already available renewable energy technology? This session, the Florida State Legislature will decide Florida's energy future. Will our elected officials choose to unleash a clean energy economy in our state that will bring much needed jobs and opportunity or will they decide to sell off our coasts to the oil industry?
Renewable energy in Florida is poised to expand the state's economic base and create good jobs while reducing global warming pollution. Last year, the Florida Public Service Commission delivered a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) rule to the Legislature for ratification that adopted Governor Crist's goal of 20% renewable energy by 2020. It's an exciting time for those who value environmental and consumer protection as well as economic growth.
The good news is that Florida has immense renewable energy resources that can exceed Governor Crist's goal of 20% renewable energy by 2020. The bad news is that the opportunity for renewable energy stands to be undermined by oil industry lobbyists and that want to open up Florida's shores - 10 miles to the shore - to drilling.
Estimated reserves in Florida waters would provide the United States with less than a week's worth of oil and have no discernible effect on prices at the pump or U.S. reliance on foreign oil, says a report released Friday as part of a state Senate review of whether a ban on offshore drilling should be lifted. The report is the latest indication that the push to open Florida waters as near as three miles from the state's beaches may be waning, at least for this year. Another is that all 12 lobbyists for Florida Energy Associates, a group of independent petroleum explorers known as "wildcatters," that's been pushing for lifting the ban have withdrawn, according to the Legislature's lobbyist registry. That and the report were welcome news for such drilling opponents as Eric Draper, policy director for Audubon of Florida. Draper said the report "will help us to make the case that drilling is the wrong idea for Florida" and the loss of lobbying power on the other side offers hope that drilling won't be an issue this session. "Take out the special interests and this is going nowhere," Draper said.
The report was prepared by the Collins Center for Public Policy, a Florida think tank, in conjunction with the state's Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida. Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, has asked the commission to submit information for the chamber's examination of the issue. The 40-page report is full of data gathered from government and private sources but makes no recommendations. Government assessments suggest oil and gas reserves in state waters east of Apalachicola in the Panhandle are "modest," the report says. The area west of Apalachicola has a separate geologic structure "that may contain natural gas fields at significant depths in the subsurface." Most of the total reserves east of Apalachicola also are gas. The oil estimated in state waters would boost U.S. supplies by less than 100 million barrels, or a small fraction of 1 percent. "To put that in context, the total estimated amount of oil reserves in Florida would satisfy the U.S. demand for oil (approximately 20 million barrels a day) for less than a week," the report says.
Hands Across The Sand is devoted to protecting our coastline and waterways from the devastating environmental effects of oil exploration and support industries. On February 13th, 2010 citizens gathered all over the state of Florida to show their support in keeping Florida's beaches clean and coastlines free from offshore oil drilling. We congregated at the St. Augustine pier.
Hands Across the Sand Was A Huge Success: Human Chain Creates Line Around State to Protect Florida's Beaches
Thousands of people at scores of locations throughout Florida showed up to hold hands and form a human chain to protect Florida's beaches. Images of people standing in bright, cold weather showed that communities from the Keys to the Panhandle are united in opposition to proposals to open Florida's nearshore waters to drilling.
In the meantime the House continues its stubborn slog toward crafting legislation that grants leases to Texas wildcatters to explore and drill for oil in Florida's nearshore waters. Last week Speaker Designate Dean Cannon held a committee hearing where the Coast Guard testified on cleaning up oil spills and a compelling presentation conveyed the threat leasing and pipelines may pose to future sand management of Florida's eroding beaches.
Here are a few videos from Saturday's statewide gathering:
Today the Florida Coastal and Ocean Coalition, a group of organizations working together to conserve, protect and restore Florida's coastal and marine environment, released a factsheet that explores the impacts of offshore drilling on Florida's coast. The factsheet shows that drilling off Florida's coasts will not only endanger the environment Floridians treasure, but also cause significant economic losses to the state at a time when it is trying to recover from other economic impacts.
"Catastrophic oil spills, such as the recent Australian spill, remind us of the serious environmental consequences even state of the art technology can create" stated Lindsey Pickel, FCOC Coordinator.
"It doesn't make economic sense to threaten Florida's valuable ocean and coastal economies that depend on clean water, beautiful beaches and abundant fish and wildlife with the pollution and industrialization that accompanies offshore drilling" said Sarah Chasis, Director of NRDC's Ocean Initiative and a member of the Coalition's Steering Committee. It makes more sense to invest in clean energy strategies that will create more jobs, spur new business and safeguard Florida's great assets-its coasts and oceans."
The facts present clear evidence that Florida's coastal and ocean economies provide far greater resources and revenues than projected drilling revenues. Ericka D'Avanzo, Florida Regional Manager of Surfrider Foundation stated, "The proposed oil royalties pale in comparison to the potential damage caused by new coastal infrastructure to support drilling operations, the costs of drilling-related accidents, and, most importantly, Florida's coastal recreation and marine economies which generated over $550 billion in 2006-- almost 300 times more than the driller's projected annual revenue."
"The oil industry's track record across the Gulf of Mexico should be reason enough for Floridians to oppose drilling right off our coast" said Joe Murphy, Florida Program Coordinator, Gulf Restoration Network. "Spills, pollution, industrialization, and tar balls are all part of the deal, and it would be a bad deal for Florida. Our coastlines support a fishing industry and tourism industry that is the envy of the nation, and that is too valuable to place in the hands of the oil industry."
The Florida Coastal and Ocean Coalition's Factsheet discusses issues such as oil drilling byproducts, oil spills, ocean currents, Florida's coastal and ocean economies, and the myth that drilling off Florida's coasts will lower gas prices. "Florida's coastal water quality is critical to the economic lifeblood of Florida's long term survival, and any economic recovery in Florida will be driven by the quality, and continued protection of our coastal water resources. People don't visit, start new sustainable businesses, or buy homes around polluted beaches and estuaries", stated George Jones, Executive Director, Indian Riverkeeper.
Florida's world renowned beaches support coastal economies and also provide critical habitat for threatened and endangered species "These beaches host 90% of all the marine turtle nesting in the United States", said Gary Appleson, Policy Director of the Caribbean Conservation Corporation, the world's oldest marine turtle conservation organization. "These beaches are already under threat from inappropriate shoreline development and coastal erosion. As Florida works to reduce these threats it should not be adding new ones posed by oil drilling."
"Any spills from peninsular Florida could rapidly move to the coral reefs and mangrove forests of the Florida Keys and southeast Florida via the Loop Current, (a major ocean current in the Gulf of Mexico) creating a major ecological and economic disaster for our state", said Paul Johnson, Programs and Policy Director for REEF RELIEF, based out of Key West, Florida. "What is needed is a comprehensive national energy policy in concert with marine spatial planning of existing ocean activities and resources, before Florida moves forward with any consideration of offshore oil and gas".
· Florida beach towns plan anti-oil drilling protest MiamiHerald.com - Beachside communities and environmentalists have planned a statewide protest against offshore oil-drilling for Saturday. "Hands Across the Sand" calls for ...
· 'Hands Across The Sand' to protest drilling Cape Coral Daily Breeze - Bob Petcher, Jeff Lysiak - Charlie Crist and state legislators to oppose any legislation that would allow oil drilling as close as three to 10 miles off the Florida coastland, ...
· Oppose offshore drilling with strong show of hands Tampa Tribune - Cathy Harrelson - "We want to let our state leaders know that we don't want them to open Florida's waters to offshore oil drilling. We're going to wear black to symbolize an ...
· Offshore oil drilling foes to protest on beaches Tampabay.com - Craig Pittman - Organizers are asking opponents of drilling to dress in black - the color of an oil spill - and gather at their designated beach at 1 pm They want them to ...
· Massive Protest To Pack South Florida Beaches CBS 4 - "Hands across the sand" is planning a massive statewide gathering to protest expanded offshore drilling in Florida's waters. Organizers say that the protest ...
· Offshore drilling opponents plan beach lineup Daytona Beach News-Journal - Dinah Voyles Pulver - Volunteers are expected to line up along the coast Saturday in Florida to protest proposals for oil drilling in the state's offshore ...
· Tiffany Jackson: Join the fight for Florida's coasts TCPalm - Everyone is urged to come out and "draw a line" in the sand against the devastating effects that oil drilling would have on our beaches, tourism and our way ...
· The good times roll this weekend for Mardi Gras Gulf Breeze News - Have a negative opinion on the oil drilling to be conducted in the Gulf of Mexico? Come and support the others who seek to drive out the drilling at 12 p m. ...
Even on a cool day, the Dahl family from North Dakota enjoys looking for shells and walking along St. Pete Beach. "People who live here may take it for granted, but we find this is pretty breathtaking," says Ardys Dahl.
And keeping Florida's beaches attractive to both tourists and wildlife is the aim of a statewide demonstration planned for this Saturday. It's called Hands Across the Sand. Organizers want people to hit the beach at 1:00 p.m. and hold hands, in order to show their opposition to oil drilling off Florida's coast.
"We're out to protect our coasts," says Cathy Harrelson, who is helping to organize the demonstrations in Pinellas. She fears an oil spill could harm both the environment and the state's economy. "This is why we're here," says Harrelson while looking over the water at St. Pete Beach. "This is why we visit here. This is why we have a $65 billion a year tourist industry."
While the move to lift Florida's oil drilling ban has recently lost some momentum in Tallahassee, just like the waves, this controversial issue is expected to come back time and time again. "If we don't think this is coming back next year, we're kidding ourselves," says Rep. Rick Kriseman, D-St. Petersburg. "Everything we do now, lays the groundwork not only to defeat it this year, but to beat it back the following year." Those pushing for oil exploration say Florida will benefit from millions in royalty dollars. But those gathering on Saturday consider clean water and sand priceless.
From the News Service of Florida - Attorney General Bill McCollum distanced himself Wednesday from House Republican efforts to lift Florida's 20-year ban on offshore oil drilling, saying it's "a risk I'm not willing to take." McCollum, who polls show is the frontrunner in this year's governor's race, said the plan to allow oil- and gas-exploration within Florida territorial waters as close as three miles to shore "is very close."
Supporters of the plan, spearheaded by Florida Energy Associates, a group whose principles are described only as independent oil producers, say the state could earn $2 billion annually in leases and fees from expanded drilling. McCollum, though, said that during his two decades in Congress he had learned enough about Gulf of Mexico oil-drilling to question the volume of oil that could be extracted from state waters, which extend 10 miles offshore. "I've always been a skeptic of that."
He said damage to the state's $50 billion tourist industry would prove severe in the event of an oil-spill or other drilling-related accident. "Yeah, we need to have more revenue," McCollum said. "But that's not going to tempt me if it's not safe."
Hands Across the Sand is an organization devoted to protecting our coastlines and waterways from the devastating environmental effects of oil exploration and support industries. Its mission is to:
1. To raise awareness about pending Florida legislation to drill for oil within 3 to 10 miles of our coast.
2. To organize a statewide, coastal movement to protest this legislation. This protest will bring thousands of Florida citizens to our beaches and will draw metaphorical and physical lines in the sand; human lines in the sand against near shore oil drilling in our waters. This event will be held on Saturday February 13, 2010.
3. To convince our Legislators and Governor to drop any and all Legislation that would allow this folly.
Save the Date: Hands Across the Sand Happens on February 13th, 2010
Thousands of Floridians from all walks of life will gather on beaches from Pensacola to Key West and Miami to Jacksonville Feb. 13, 2010, in a statewide coastal protest against legislative proposals to open Florida's waters to offshore oil drilling.
The event will also take place in Tallahassee at the old capitol building as a symbolic "beach."
Anyone can join in to be part of Hands Across the Sand, which is the brainchild of Dave Rauschkolb, who owns Bud & Alley's restaurant in the North Florida community of Seaside.
"This is a simple, nonpartisan way for Floridians to join hands in an effort to protect our state's most important asset - our waterways and beaches," Rauschkolb said. "Our goal is to convince legislators and Gov. Charlie Crist to drop the folly of offshore oil drilling. All it takes is one accident - one oil spill - and it is just not worth the risk to our environment and our coastal tourism industry."
All you have to do: Go to their local beach at 1 pm Eastern Standard Time, for an hour, rain or shine. At 1:30 pm, hold hands creating human lines in the sand protesting oil drilling in Florida's waters. It is as simple as that. To find out what's being organized in your area, visit Hands Across the Sand.
WHEREAS the Everglades ecosystem, spanning from the Kissimmee River Valley to Florida Bay, is a significant national resource and international treasure,
WHEREAS restoration of the Everglades has commenced to return the abundance of wildlife once found in the Everglades, to recover thousands of acres of marshes and estuarine habitat, and to benefit Florida Parks, National Parks and ecosystem-based economies,
WHEREAS numerous efforts to allow near-shore oil drilling off of Florida's coasts have surfaced,
WHEREAS, Florida's economy depends on its multi-billion dollar tourism industry which resulted in more that 82 million visitors coming to Florida in 2008, during which period tourism generated over $4.0 billion in taxable sales, including eco-tourism and recreation in the Everglades,
WHEREAS near-shore oil drilling could have devastating impacts on the Everglades ecosystem that are in direct contrast to goals of Everglades restoration efforts, including the restoration and protection of estuarine, beach and near-shore habitat. Some potential impacts include damage to wildlife and the ecosystem from oil spills, water quality degradation resulting from drilling platforms' wastewater discharges, and the release of contaminants such as drilling fluid and metal cuttings which harm wildlife and natural resources.
Therefore be it resolved,
The Everglades Coalition, with 53 organizations dedicated to protecting and restoring the Everglades ecosystem, hereby opposes attempts to expand oil drilling off of Florida's coasts.
We hereby strongly encourage all elected officials at the local, State and Federal levels to oppose legislative attempts to expand oil drilling in Florida, by allowing near-shore drilling, or eliminating moratoria prohibiting off shore drilling, and urge such officials to take immediate steps to encourage and assist in the development of renewable and sustainable sources of energy.
Remember that horrible oil drilling catastrophe on the West Atlas rig off of the coast of Australia last Fall? You know, the one that poured hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil into ocean waters before being capped. The one that utilized the "safe" technology being advertised by drilling proponents here in Florida. Of course, the advertisements and endorsements all came before the rig began spewing oil. Once the accident happened drilling advocates quickly and quietly dropped any such comparisons. It turns out, or is at least being reported as such, that the accident was a result of human error and not a technological breakdown.
Oh okay. But the question begs to be asked. If the technology is so safe, how come simple human error and/or negligence can trump it?
The Florida Symposium on Offshore Energy, Part II: "The Inshore Challenges of Offshore Energy Prospects" will be held Monday, Feb. 1, 2010, Turnbull Conference Center, on the Florida State campus.
The symposium is the second in a series scheduled to take place at Florida State. An earlier event, the Florida Symposium on Offshore Energy, Part I: Oil and Gas, was held last November. It examined several related issues, including the potential effects of oil and gas activity on the marine environment; the revenues that the state of Florida might expect as a result of offshore oil leasing; and the legal and policy challenges that the state could face as a result of new oil and gas activity in the Gulf of Mexico. Watch a video of the first symposium.
"Florida Senate President Jeff Atwater has recognized the need for a detailed and comprehensive review of the implications of offshore drilling so that lawmakers will be fully informed of the potential risks and rewards of such an endeavor," IESES director David Cartes said in explaining why his institute has organized the Florida Symposium on Offshore Energy series.
Lance Phillips, an oilman associated with Florida Energy Associates, said last year, "We really do want to do for Florida what oil and gas has done for Texas." Really?
WMNF 88.5 FM interviewed Susan Glickman of Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and Joe Murphy of Gulf Restoration Network on the oil drilling proposals in Florida.
"There's a move by a group in Tallahassee to get the legislature to allow oil and gas drilling in state waters, 3-10 miles off Florida's coast. An economist hired by Florida Energy Associates- a major backer of expanded drilling rights- predicted last year that the state could reap $2.3 Billion dollars a year in direct revenue from oil and gas drilling. Environmentalists are concerned because they are being out-spent in Tallahassee and they say there are reasons to believe that expanded drilling will have a detrimental affect on Florida's environment."
Listen to the in-depth interview.
As Frommer's writes: Like the Rodney Dangerfield of the American Southeast, Florida's panhandle never gets the respect it deserves. Dubbed the "Redneck Riviera" by dismissive northerners, northwest Florida, in fact, contains some of the most diverse recreation choices along Florida's drastically under-appreciated Gulf coast, and some of the best options for visitors seeking an affordable family vacation. From Destin to the west, where you can hire a fishing or sailing charter, to the smattering of National Seashores as you move east, there's really something for everyone. Seaside's planned community is so "perfect" it was the setting for the The Truman Show, yet you'll also find old-school Florida towns with funky shops, tiny hotels, pristine beaches, and the perfect cottage to rent.
"Stunning beaches, nature trails ... great restaurants, and a cozy, yet quirky, sense of community." -- Lesley Abravanel, author Frommer's Florida. You can view the other 2010 top destinations.
From an NRDC fact sheet on oil exploration of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS): To map the ocean floor, the oil and gas industry typically relies on airguns, which are towed behind boats in long arrays, firing shots of compressed air into the water about every ten seconds. The intense pulses that they produce travel down through the water column, penetrate the seafloor, and rebound to the surface where they can be analyzed.
Unfortunately, the airguns used by industry generate serious environmental problems over large biological scales. A large seismic array can produce peak pressures of sound that are higher than those of virtually any other man-made source save explosives and although airguns are vertically oriented within the water column, horizontal propagation is so significant as to make airguns, even under present use, one of the leading contributors to ambient ocean noise even thousands of miles from any given survey. Dr. Christopher Clark, the director of Cornell's Bioacoustics Research Program, has called these surveys, which can take weeks or in some cases months to complete, the most intrusive form of man-made undersea noise short of naval warfare.
It is well established that the high-intensity pulses produced by airguns can cause a range of impacts on marine mammals, fish, and other marine life, including broad habitat displacement, disruption of vital behaviors essential to foraging and breeding, loss of biological diversity, and strandings and mortalities
Airgun surveys also have important consequences for the health of fisheries. For example, airguns have been shown to dramatically depress catch rates of various commercial species over thousands of square kilometers, leading fishermen in some parts of the world to seek industry compensation for their losses. In fact, this is occurring in Norway at the present time.
Unfortunately, the environmental analyses conducted to date by the Minerals Management Service make no attempt to account for the impacts of airgun surveys on foraging rates and other essential behaviors in any marine mammal species, let alone
endangered ones. Nor do they attempt to calculate the social cost to fishing communities from the wide-scale effects that seismic surveys have on catch rates in commercial fisheries. Finally, the mitigation measures typically prescribed by the Service are completely inadequate to redress the environmental harms that the science has identified, and cannot remotely be relied upon.
From Mark Ferrulo, Executive Director of Progress Florida: Sunday's Sarasota Herald-Tribune article by Jeremy Wallace drives a dagger into the heart of one of the main arguments put forth by pro-drilling forces - that drilling would have a minimal visual footprint and would not be visible from shore. Consider the claims made by the drillers:
"...oil and gas exploration would be virtually invisible from the shore. New subsea-extraction technology allows for underwater production without the need for unsightly permanent oil rigs visible from our shores." - EnergyFLA.com FAQ
However, the American Petroleum Institute concedes in the Herald-Tribune article that so-called "subsea" platforms are intended for water depths over 5,000 feet. Florida's state-owned waters are no more than 100 feet deep:
"The only way subsea systems would be viable off Florida's coast is if large traditional drilling platforms were built nearby or the state allowed refineries and miles of pipelines to shore. History shows that is not likely to happen. A new oil refinery has not been built in the United States since the 1970s." - Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Nov. 29, 2009
Even the spokesmen for Florida Energy Associates quoted in this article admit that the subsea drilling technology, that they are so quick to laud in their massive PR and lobbying campaign, is not viable in Florida waters.
State Rep. Doug Holder, R-Sarasota, is quoted as saying the use of subsea platforms was "all we heard about" before he voted in favor of a bill to lift the drilling ban last session.
With such an important and divisive debate underway, it is critical that the public - and our public officials - consider the pro-drillers' latest exposed falsehoods regarding the use of subsea drilling technology. Moreover, on the heels of reports debunking their outrageous economic claims, it is time to question why we should believe anything this anonymous group of Texas oilmen has to say.
The oil industry makes its case for drilling within a few miles of Florida's coast by trumpeting a new kind of drilling that is "virtually invisible" on the coast. The promise of subsea systems swayed some legislators to support opening Florida's waters to drilling. But a Herald-Tribune examination found that the promises made by drilling proponents are largely empty:
- One of the subsea systems being touted is almost exclusively used in water that is thousands of feet deeper than Florida's coastal waters.
- Even the American Petroleum Institute concedes that subsea systems are intended for water more than 5,000 feet deep. Florida's coastline, within the 10 miles the state controls, runs no deeper than 100 feet.
- Another system being promoted, a floating drilling system that uses large vessels tied to subsea drilling wells instead of fixed drilling platforms, has never been used anywhere in the Gulf of Mexico.
- The only way subsea systems would be viable off Florida's coast is if large traditional drilling platforms were built nearby or the state allowed refineries and miles of pipelines to shore. History shows that is not likely to happen. A new oil refinery has not been built in the United States since the 1970s.
Absent such changes, drilling off Florida's coast would likely be done with traditional fixed drilling platforms rising hundreds of feet above the water. These platforms, which dot the Louisiana and Texas coastlines, have for years symbolized Florida's opposition to drilling. Yet pro-drilling groups tell legislators that drilling off Florida's coast would be different than elsewhere in the Gulf and that subsea systems would be used if the state rescinded its drilling ban.
"That's all we heard about," said State Rep. Doug Holder, R-Sarasota, who voted for a bill in May that would have allowed the governor and cabinet to permit drilling from 3 to 10 miles from shore. "If they can't be used, then what are we talking about?" Even oil industry officials scoff at the notion of a virtually invisible rig. Denise McCourt, industry relations director for the American Petroleum Institute, said recovering oil from the ocean requires traditional fixed platforms or a pipeline infrastructure like the one around Louisiana and Texas, where drilling has been going on since the 1940s. "There's no such thing as an invisible rig," McCourt said.
When pressed, pro-drilling groups acknowledge that most of the subsea systems they promote are not viable in Florida's coastal waters. Continue reading the full article at the Herald-Tribune.
From the 
From NOAA's 
As Louisiana struggles to clean up a large offshore oil rig pipeline spill 1, Progress Florida executive director Mark Ferrulo today released the following statement in anticipation of incoming Speaker Dean Cannon's (R-Winter Park) expected introduction next week of legislation that would allow oil drilling on Florida's coast:
From 
As Frommer's writes: Like the Rodney Dangerfield of the American Southeast, Florida's panhandle never gets the respect it deserves. Dubbed the "Redneck Riviera" by dismissive northerners, northwest Florida, in fact, contains some of the most diverse recreation choices along Florida's drastically under-appreciated Gulf coast, and some of the best options for visitors seeking an affordable family vacation. From Destin to the west, where you can hire a fishing or sailing charter, to the smattering of National Seashores as you move east, there's really something for everyone. Seaside's planned community is so "perfect" it was the setting for the The Truman Show, yet you'll also find old-school Florida towns with funky shops, tiny hotels, pristine beaches, and the perfect cottage to rent.
From an NRDC 
Faulty promises in bid to drill off Florida? 
