U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), a member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, sent a letter Nov. 18 to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar urging an investigation into the safety and extent of Seadrill Limited operations along U.S. coastline. Seadrill was the drilling contractor on the oil rig off the coast of Australia that recently failed, causing one of the worst environmental disasters in Australia's history. According to their website, Seadrill currently has at least one rig in the Gulf of Mexico. In his letter, Menendez raises concerns about the possibility of oil spills, even where the latest drilling technology is employed.
On Nov. 19, the Energy Committee held a hearing on coastline drilling. "We have heard much conjecture by industry that oil drilling accidents cannot happen here in the United States because the technology is too advanced," wrote Menendez. "As a firm that is considered an international leader in drilling, with what is considered one of the 'most modern fleets in the world' - Seadrill has proven that accidents do, in fact, happen.
The following is the full text of the letter, provided by Sen. Menendezs office:
Dear Secretary Salazar:
I am writing to inquire about the domestic offshore energy production activities of the Norwegian-based multinational drilling company called Seadrill Limited ("Seadrill".)
As you are aware, Seadrill is the operator of the Australian oil rig that blew out, spilled millions of gallons of oil for over 10 weeks, and then caught fire before finally being plugged on Nov. 3.
This spill in the Timor Sea was one of Australia's worst environmental disasters in history. We know that Seadrill is operating at least one rig in the Gulf of Mexico and therefore I am requesting a full investigation of Seadrill and its activities in American waters, so that a similar accident is not repeated here at home.
We have heard much conjecture by industry that oil-drilling accidents cannot happen here in the United Sates because the technology is too advanced. As a firm that is considered an international leader in drilling, with what is considered one of the "most modern fleets in the world" - Seadrill has proven that accidents do, in fact, happen.
It remains unclear exactly what caused the accident in the Timor Sea, and pending a comprehensive investigation being conducted by Australian authorities, it is clear that we must do all we can to ensure that this kind of tragedy is not repeated on our coasts.
It is imperative that we understand the extent of Seadrill's operations here in the United States and ensure they are operating as safely as possible. I therefore request a full investigation of this firm and a careful review of Seadrill's compliance with American safety standards.
Thank you and I look forward to continue working with you to protect our oceans and coasts.
Senate President Jeff Atwater (R-Palm Beach) today announced that the staff of the Senate Environmental Preservation and Conservation Committee would be conducting a detailed and comprehensive review of the implications of offshore drilling. Describing offshore drilling as one element of the larger energy discussion facing Florida, the President also released the methodology by which the Florida Senate will manage the process.
"Offshore drilling is a complicated issue with significant ramifications for our State," said President Atwater. "The citizens of Florida deserve a thoughtful and deliberative conversation free of rancor or hyperbole, and the Senate intends to provide a structure for that conversation within our body."
Fact:Oil Spills happen all the time. The most recent one, of course, happened off the coast of Australia, at a rate of 400 barrels of oil per day since Aug. 21. After several failed attempts, the Thai crew has apparently fixed the leak, though not without causing a major fire on the West Atlas jackup rig. Now we keep hearing that we shouldn't worry about what has happened in the Timor Sea because of the new, advanced technologies which will be in place off our coast and because the Timor Sea spill was the result of bumbling third world technology. That simply is not true. The technology in place in the Timor Sea, the West Atlas jackup rig, is the same kind of rig that will be 3 miles off the coast of places like Manatee and Sarasota County, and 10 miles off the coast of Pinellas County, just outside our aquatic preserve. This is a rig that had been called "a star", with a "proven track record" and "the choice of modern-day rig owners".
58,000 gallons, or 1,400 barrels, of oil leaked into the Gulf of Mexico just this summer, 30 miles off the coast of Louisiana. The Coast Guard reported a 16 mile by 3 mile "rainbow-like" oil sheen on the water. The spill came from Shell Oil's underwater pipeline. Now this is important. Just because something is out of sight, just because a rig may be several miles away and in working order, just because it may be the most technologically advanced oil platform ever, does not mean we"re immune to a spill. And in fact, Florida's warm waters might actually facilitate damage caused by an oil spill. Scientists report that cold-water oil spills, like that of the Exxon Valdez, are not nearly as damaging as those which take place in warmer waters, thus making Florida, with its marshlands and sandy beaches, many times more vulnerable than Prince William Sound in Alaska.
Spills happen all the time. If you visited South Padre Island off the coast of Texas this summer, you were probably greeted by giant blobs of oil on the beaches. The AP reported that the blobs were as "big as basketballs". Now, they didn't shut down the hotels, but they did inform tourists that baby oil can be used to wash the skin if contact with crude oil occurred.
Finally, the oil spilled from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 caused considerable damage to offshore platforms. According to the U.S. Department of Interior, 115 platforms were destroyed, there was damage to 52 others, and a near total shut-down of the Gulf's offshore oil and gas production. The resulting oil spills - 741,000 GALLONS, were large enough to be seen from space, according to several reports. More...
Fact:We also keep hearing that thousands of jobs will be created here in Florida. Again, that simply is not true. We don't have the trained workforce in Florida to work on these rigs, and even with training, it will be years before these jobs become available - IF they become available. The crew working off the coast of Australia was Thai, not Australian. There are no guarantees that a crew in the Gulf of Mexico will be made up of Floridians. When it comes to the Timor Sea, we're just beginning to learn of the consequences of this spill. More...
Fact: Beachfront drilling in Florida won't automatically be American oil. It will belong to ExxonMobil, or Shell or BP, or another multinational company that will be just as free to sell the stuff to China or India as they are to sell it to Americans. Speaking of China, it was reported last week that the state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corporation is intending to buy stakes in Norwegian-owned leases in the Gulf of Mexico. China National Offshore Oil Corporation or CNOOC - has recently been accused of such abuses as land seizure to the pollution of rice fields and water systems with oil waste. This is not a scare tactic, it is a fact.
Fact: You've heard the expression "Oil and water don't mix." It's likely that oil and weapons testing wouldn't mix either. A 2005 letter from Sec. of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who's not exactly an environmentalist, to the Chairman of the Committee on Armed Services stated that the area east of the military mission line, primarily Florid's panhandle, drilling structures and the associated development would be "incompatible with military activities such as missile flights, low flying drone aircraft, weapons testing, and training." Are oil profits for a few more important than the advancement of our military goals? This specific issue is one that Senator Bill Nelson and his staff have been most knowledgeable on and I'm certain we will hear more about.
The blazing inferno on the West Atlas rig, which has been spilling oil into the ocean for months, was finally extinguished. Unfortunately, much of the damage has already been done. Read on at the Environmental News Service on how this catastrophe has affected and will continue to affect Australia's northern waters. More importantly though, we need to understand that the Timor Tragedy is an omen for oil drilling in Florida's waters. Drilling proponents have been touting that drilling is safe and much more environmentally friendly now. Indeed, many have been pointing to the new technologies, the very same that the West Atlas rig was composed of, as reasons to drill in Florida. Obviously, the new and safe technologies don't appear to be all that safe. And why haven't Floridians been told about this incident, which almost rivals the Exxon Valdez tanker spill? One article begins to address it. Forward it to your friends and family. Floridians need to know that the propaganda the oil industry is dissemintating is simply fallacious. It makes no sense to advocate drilling in Florida on the grounds that "we now have safe technologies" when those purported safe technologies are spewing millions of gallons of oil into the ocean and lighting up the skies as roaring fireballs. Protect Florida's Beaches!
New Jersey Republican Gubernatorial Candidate proclaims that the development of offshore drilling is not worth the environmental risks involved. In New Jersey!! If drilling is too environmentally damaging to Jersey, then surely the injuriousness of it should be amplified for Florida, a state whose economy is derived on its beaches and coastal regions.
Advocates for drilling have been touting claims that 3 billion barrels lie beneath Florida's coastal waters. They also assert that Florida stands to gain $2.25 billion a year in royalties.
Take the $2.25 billion a year in royalties. The figure is based on the assumption that Florida waters could yield 150 million barrels of oil per year, for 20 years. That would be more than the state waters of oil giants such as Alaska, Texas, Louisiana and California combined produced in their peak year of 1995 when the four states' coastal rigs pumped 140 million barrels of oil. And it would be 38 percent more oil production than the combined 101 million barrels produced by all offshore state operations in the United States in the past 12 months.
Proponents continue to assert the myth that drilling today is safe and mishap-free even as a massive oil spill in the Timor Sea expands to cover a 3,720-square-mile are.
Yet another oil well has sprung a leak in the Timor Sea. The new gas leak, reported late last week, is in the same general region as one off the coast of Australia that has been hemorrhaging oil, gas and condensate for more than 10 weeks now and has produced a slick covering a 3,720-square-mile area. Meanwhile, just this past Friday, an oil tanker with a suspected mechanical failure dumped between 400 to 800 gallons of oil into San Francisco Bay, creating an oil slick three miles long.
Incredibly, supporters of lifting a ban on drilling in near-shore waters off the Gulf Coast of Florida continue to insist the industry is safe and poses no threat to the environment or to Florida's tourism-dependent beach communities, prompting 30 communities and organizations to date to pass resolutions in opposition. "The claims of safety are meant to blow smoke and sow confusion. Typical advertising," said David Cullen of Sierra Club Florida. "You don't have to look as far away as Australia to see the ill-effects of drilling on our environment and communities around the Gulf of Mexico."
According to just one of the many public sources reporting oil spills, hurricanes, transportation mishaps, human errors and old fashioned well blowouts since 1993 have flushed a total of at least 7.4 million gallons of gas and oil into the Gulf of Mexico and the rivers that feed it over the past 16 years to devastating effect. [Oil spill incidents in the NOAA southeast region may be found at here.]
"This is not a one time gamble," noted Cullen. "They'll be out there drilling for years. And the more they drill, the more certain it is that there will be a spill that affects Florida. Mathematically, the risks eventually catch up with us."
The truth is that the industry is not safe and even small spills can have a disastrous effect on beach communities and environments, said Tony Sasso, a former member of the Florida House of Representatives and a current member of the Florida Surfrider Foundation. "Either these oil lobbyists have thrown the truth under the bus or they are getting their information from another planet," said Sasso. "The actual facts are clear, abundant and available from the Coast Guard, National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service, and the Environmental Protection Agency. "It is a proven fact that oil drilling, production and transport, including pipelines, is a polluting and accident-infested business. These facts and figures don't lie."
Each week another business, Florida community or organization is coming forward to speak out or to adopt resolutions in support of preserving Florida's coasts, he noted. To date, more than 29 organizations have passed resolutions to protect
Florida's Gulf waters and/or to oppose lifting the ban on oil drilling. You can view this growing list here on this site.
An oil well at the centre of a massive spill in the Timor Sea off the north-west coast of Australia is on fire. The company which runs the well, PTTEP Australasia, said the fire broke out as it made another attempt to plug a leak deep underwater at the West Atlas rig. Engineers have been struggling for more than 10 weeks to stop the leak which is spewing out natural gas and oil at an estimated 400 barrels a day.
Remember folks that this is the same safe and clean technology that the oil industry wants to install along Florida's beaches.
I didn't realize that those of us who oppose oil rigs off Florida beaches were a bunch of Godless voodoo worshippers until I watched the WFSU-Gannett oil driling debate last night. Slick Oil lobbyist David Rancourt, who makes a fat living paving the way for polluters, was all about God, faith, hope, moon missions, and our miltary men and women last night. He promised that the unknown oil companies he gets his giant paycheck from are proud, God-fearing, American taxpayers. (Seriously, that's how he described them.)
Anybody standing the the way of the oil companies' profits, on the other hand, is a whiny naysayer who can't get with the program. Slick Oil's apologists tried to neutralize opponent's common-sense questions about, um, wrecking our coasts, by promising over and over that they won't harm a single grain of sand on our pretty beaches, honest! They like margaritas and grouper, too!
Rancourt and his fellow Slick Oil spinners didn't seem to know what to do about David McLain of Apalachicola Bay and River Keeper, who did a fantastic job debating against drilling. McLain is a retired Army Colonel and former West Point instructor who founded an oil spill-response company to help oil companies clean up their messes. He got them flustered when he challenged Slick Oil's promises that their operations would be as clean as a Windexed window. McLain said he wished everyone could have joined him in his Tyvec suit as he tried to sop up oil out of a wetland. "It's dirty!" he bellowed. McLain also let everyone know a sobering fact: He said oil-spill cleanup crews always have what they call a "sacrificial beach" because they have to direct the spilled oil somewhere. McLain said, sensibly, that he hoped Florida wouldn't become the sacrificial beach.
Some of the more ridiculous moments featured chirpy Senator Mike Haridopolos: he claimed that there hasn't been an oil spill since he was born in 1970. Say what? And then he went on some campaign-speak rant about high electricity bills that he must have perfected Tuesday night at the Lion's Club, leaving the impression that giving oil companies the right to plunder our public resources would make the Public Service Commission immediately mail out utility consumer rebates. Sign me up, sucka! Ah, so much spin I'm dizzy. And the ride's just begun.
New Report Finds Benefits of Clean Beaches and Ocean Outweigh Value from Expanded Offshore Drilling
Florida's coast has wonderful beaches, parks, marshes, remarkable underwater ecosystems and amazing wildlife, all of which would be threatened by offshore oil drilling. According to "Oceans Under the Gun: Living Seas or Drilling Seas?", a new report released by Environment America and the Sierra Club, clean beaches and oceans support a vibrant coastal tourism and fishing economy that generates almost $200 billion per year (nationally), using very conservative estimates that don't include economic multipliers.
"Our research makes it clear that clean beaches and oceans are worth more than drilling for the last drops of oil. It's time to protect our coasts from more spilling and drilling," said Michael Gravitz, Oceans Advocate for Environment America. "Our clean beaches and oceans are the fragile foundation of coastal business and jobs from tourism, commercial fishing and recreational fishing conservatively valued at nearly $200 billion per year," he added.
"Our oceans are truly 'under the gun', threatened by Big Oil and their allies who want to expand offshore drilling," Athan Manuel, Sierra Club Lands Director, proclaims.
Australian oil rig blowout creates environmental catastrophe Defenders of Wildlife urges Congress to oppose U.S. offshore drilling
The impacts of the nine-week West Timor oil rig blowout are creating an environmental catastrophe for wildlife and ocean ecosystems, Defenders of Wildlife said today. In August, the West Atlas/Montara offshore drilling rig, widely touted as a "safe, modern" operation, suffered what the rig's operators termed a "loss of well control." Despite three attempts to stop the resulting massive oil spill, oil continues to leak into the surrounding ocean.
"A global-scale environmental catastrophe so large that it is visible from space is unfolding in one of earth's last marine wilderness areas," said Richard Charter, government relations consultant with Defenders of Wildlife, "It is time for the dithering, excuses, and failed response efforts to end and for the international community to get the full story on how and why this spill has been allowed to continue for so long. This persistent mess is too big and too damaging to hide any longer."
Estimates of the volume of oil spilled since the August 21 Australian blowout have now expanded as much as five-fold, to more than 9.7 million gallons, while the oil slick has covered several thousand square miles of ocean waters. Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate is now discussing allowing essentially the same kind of "environmentally-responsible" offshore drilling to go forward off the coasts of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida's Gulf Coast and Panhandle beaches.
"If anything like the Australian blowout ever takes place off of the Southeast U.S. beaches or in Florida waters, the economic and environmental consequences will last for decades," Charter emphasized.
Worldwide, conservation interests have become increasingly concerned as satellite images have shown that the mega-spill has spread from Australia's whale and sea-turtle rich Kimberley Coast into distant Indonesian waters as well. Three prior attempts to stop the flow of oil have failed, and a fourth attempt this week had to be postponed due to equipment failure.
The Sarasota County Council of Neighborhood Assns. (CONA) urges you to vote NO on oil drilling within Florida State waters in the Gulf of Mexico. CONA represents 71 homeowner and condo associations throughout Sarasota County which covers over 35,000 families.
By now I'm sure you have heard all the gory details of the RISKS to our coastal economy, coastal environment and recreational lifestyle. The HAZARDS far outweigh the potential rewards of a few (real) dollars of oil revenues from the 3 to 9 mile area off the coast that the state could claim.
Based on what we hear from our CONA members, neighbors and friends, an overwhelming majority of Floridians who are somewhat informed OPPOSE drilling within 9 miles of the coast. CONA has urged our State Senators (Detert and Bennett) to vote AGAINST this death knell for our $65 billion COASTAL tourism industry (which is our ONLY industry in Sarasota County)!
Thank you for your careful consideration of the BIG PICTURE (the greatest good for Florida) and not getting lost in the less significant details or caught up in the impossible "promises" of revenues for so many state projects! Even the oil lobbyists have not promised $65 billion to replace the COASTAL tourism industry!
Sincerely,
Ann Kaplan, CONA President
If you feel strongly opposed to oil drilling and would hate to see Florida slide down a slippery slope of oil, then write Senate President Atwater at atwater.jeff.web@flsenate.gov and your own legislators.
Citizens across the state got a chance Wednesday to question a panel of supporters and opponents of a proposal to open Florida's waters to oil and natural gas exploration. A forum streamed live on the internet and radio and some TV stations (and archived to the left) tackled the issue of opening state waters to oil drilling.
All in all, we had a good showing. Our panelists were successful in refuting many of the drilling proponents' claims. Specifically, drilling will not be the economic windfall that is being touted as and that, in fact, it may be Florida's bane. As pointed out, Florida's tourist economy $65 billion strong and employs one million people throughout the state. This speaks nothing of Florida's $562 billion coastal economy. So when drillers tout dubious statistics of $2 billion and 20,000 jobs, you have to ask, "Why risk what we already have?" Why risk so much for so little, especially when you haven't even proven what little benefit there is? It's simply a scam to enrich a few a the cost of Florida's population and environment at large. Nothing more.
Upon looking further into last weekend's oil spill in Louisiana, I came across this video from last year. It seems appropriate enough to post as a reminder that we do not want increased oil and gas ship traffic due to drilling activity off our coasts.
Over the weekend at Audubon's annual Assembly, Eric Draper of Audubon of Florida, Joe Murphy of Gulf Restoration Network, and Shannon Miller of Defenders of Wildlife presented during an oil drilling workshop. It was a successful event, motivating participants and highlighting the importance of Protecting Florida's Beaches against proposed oil drilling. View Eric Draper's presentation (7mb). Also, worth more than millions of words, view Shannon Miller's presentation (right click, save as - it's 50mb!!) of oil spill clean-up efforts and the effects on birds.
560 gallons would be deemed a small spill by industry standards. But such a small spill can have large and damaging ramifications. In June of 2005, 560 gallons of light crude spilled into a national wildlife refuge south of Gulfport, Louisiana. The end effect: over 400 brown pelicans were killed. This spill occured during the evacuation of Breton Sound Platform 51 due to Tropical Storm Arlene. This alone should make you question drillers' claims that not a drop of oil has spilled as a result of hurricanes. For more information on this "incident" (that's how the industry terms them - www.incidentnews.gov), read Environmental News Service's Small Oil Spill Causes Big Trouble for Louisiana Pelicans and visit Save Our Wetlands.
These days, I want to believe anybody who talks about bringing Florida some jobs. Lord knows, we need jobs. But it is wishful thinking to believe the dubious promises from Florida Energy Associates, a shadowy group that wants to drill off our beaches. They won't tell which oil companies they represent. But they are hiring, all right: so far, they've put 30 lobbyists and a small army of public relations spinners on their payroll. Let's call them Slick Oil.
Dealing with these mystery people is like hiring a wedding planner before you even meet your blind date. We have no idea whether they are capable of providing jobs for Floridians or if they will import workers instead. We don't know if they are foreign governments or American companies. We don't know if they are financially stable. Let's take a commonsense look at their wild economic claims:
Jobs: The Slick Oil lobbyists distributed a handout at the Capitol claiming they will provide 20,000 direct jobs. Who knows? There's no way to check that. But let's compare it to something we know for sure: Florida's tourism industry - which depends on clean beaches that aren't covered with ugly industrial construction and sticky tar balls - provides a million jobs, 50 times more than Slick Oil is promising.
The driller lobbyists are talking about blue-collar jobs, and admit they will import higher-paid managers and specialists from elsewhere. These oil jobs are years away, and they aren't stable. Florida's largest oil producer is the Jay Field in Santa Rosa County. The 70 workers there were out of a job most of this year after the owner, Colorado's Quantum Resources, shut down in January, citing low oil prices.
State Revenue: Driller lobbyists are promising something that doesn't exist - a stable economy based on oil drilling. The $2 billion-a-year annual state revenue they promise in their handouts depends on unknown petroleum reserves (companies have been drilling dry holes off Florida for 50 years), volatile world markets and unpredictable world politics. How much money Florida might make or lose from drilling is anyone's guess. Some Tallahassee politicians are scrambling to accommodate Slick Oil. So far, the oil lobbyists have dropped at least a quarter-million in campaign cash to lubricate the discussion. (And that's just the money they report.)
History shows us that other "pots of gold" at the Florida Legislature haven't been used as promised. Florida Lottery money was supposed to boost education funding, but politicians played a shell game with it. Legislators borrowed from the Lawton Chiles' tobacco settlement trust fund - money that was earmarked for children's health care - and they still haven't paid it back.
This debate comes down to one choice: trading existing, clean industry jobs our $562 billion-a-year coastal economy, for dirty jobs that may not materialize. Somebody might get rich off this scheme, and I'm going to bet it won't be Florida taxpayers.
Hauserman, a former reporter for the Stuart News, is a writer and activist in Tallahassee
As noted before, there will be an open-to-the-public, oil drilling forum this Wednesday, October 28th, at 7pm on the Florida State University campus. If the industry's claims seem oily, come help shed some light on the issue. Oil drilling can be kept out of Florida's waters if we, as a state, speak loud enough so that our Representatives and Senators know our wants.
Bob Rackleff, Leon County Commissioner, is on the ball:
As quoted in today's Tallahassee Democrat, Rep. Matt Hudson, demonstrates that he doesn't know what he's talking about.
"I'm the only guy in the state of Florida with active drilling now in his district. We've been doing it responsibly for 66 years in the middle of the Everglades and if you can drill in the most sensitive lands on the planet responsibly, for the balance of the environment, then we can do it anywhere."
Had he bothered to check, Hudson would know that oil production in the Sunniland Trend has a record of numerous spills and accidents, most notably by the Sunniland Pipeline, which transported the produced crude oil across the Big Cypress and Everglades to Port Everglades until about a dozen years ago. He could have found most of the records a short drive from home, at the Florida DEP district office in Fort Myers.
The Sunniland Pipeline was an atrociously maintained pipeline that passed all regulatory inspections. There is aerial videotape footage that shows long stretches of the pipeline floating in water, shutoff valves under several feet of water, unsafe right-of-way encroachment and numerous other safety violations.
In its inglorious history, Sunniland Pipeline spilled a total of 159,696 gallons of crude oil in the Everglades and Big Cypress Swamp, most of them in Collier County, Hudson's own. In a 1997 search of FDEP, Coast Guard, and National Park Service records, there were 54 reported spills on file in the years 1974-1997. Fourteen of those spills were over 1,000 gallons. One in 1989 spilled 37,800 gallons in Collier County. And though spills have declined in the more recent years, it was due to declining production levels, veritable trickles compared to former levels.
The final word came from the the Barron Collier Companies, which owns oil production there. It stopped using the Sunniland Pipeline in the late 1990s because it was so unreliable and its management declined to make requested safety improvements. The company now trucks its produced crude to Port Everglades.
The argument for off-shore drilling has always been underlined with the amount of revenue it will bring to the state. And since our state is expected to be in the hole with a $2.6 billion deficit this year, its hard to argue that on face value. But this argument is riddled with gross assumptions that are made, not only by the people that are working directly to make this happen, but also by the general public. Nowhere in the current legislation that is being proposed does it include any revenue sharing like they do in Alaska. Granted, it will give a quick shot in the arm to our state by what I like to call a "signing bonus", but the money in general, is years off and at it's best, vague on the overall affect it will have on the state as a long term solution for our economic woes. Compare that to the immediate loss of the billions of dollars that will be leaving the state because of this issue and you will be hard-pressed to call off-shore drilling a "solution".
The Coast Guard and other agencies were working Saturday to clean up an oil spill in a marsh near Port Sulphur High School. The Coast Guard station in Venice received a call Friday morning reporting an oil spill about three blocks from the school. A pollution investigation team from New Orleans found about 200 gallons of crude oil stretching along 3,000 feet of shoreline. High tides had caused the oil to come up through a hole in an abandoned wellhead, the Coast Guard said.
Thank goodness we don't allow oil drilling in Florida's waters, or this story could have appeared in a Florida paper and that oil could have spilled near a Florida high school. Let's make sure to keep the status quo. Oppose offshore drilling in Florida's waters.
In the near future The Citizens of Florida will have an opportunity to show their opposition to near shore oil drilling as close as 3 to 10 miles off our coast. This movement will be made of people of all walks of life and will cross political affiliations. This movement is not about politics; it is about protection of our shoreline, our tourism, our valuable properties and our way of life. Let us share our knowledge, energies and passion for protecting our waterways and beaches from the devastating effects of oil drilling.
"One by one, the arguments used by the oil drilling proponent's are falling apart" said Eric Draper, deputy director of Florida Audubon, which has joined with a dozen statewide groups fighting the drilling proposal under the name Protect Florida's Beaches. "The claims about lowering prices at the pump are just as bogus as the claims about how much money drilling will bring to the state and the number of jobs. Even House committee members acknowledged the claims of jobs and revenues are speculative."
"To date, county and city officials in Sarasota, Bay, Walton, Pinellas, Wakulla and Manatee counties, among others, have passed resolutions opposed to drilling," noted Joe Murphy of the Gulf Restoration Network, an organization that also belongs to the Florida Coastal and Ocean Coalition.
"We are seeing a groundswell of incredibly strong opposition to drilling beginning to take shape among a diverse groups of businesses and government and conservation groups around the state," he said.
After three failed attempts to cap the well, the West Atlas oil rig is still pumping crude oil into Australia's waters. It has been two months since the initial blowout. A fourth, and not a very hopeful attempt, will be made this Friday.
Though this oil spill is half a world away, its meaning should be felt close at home. Currently, there are dilling proposals aimed at opening Florida's economy and environment to the very same dangers Australia is contending with. The only difference is that our rigs would be much closer to the coastline, within ten miles. In that scenario, an oil spill would have a much more severe impact due to the proximity with the beaches.
Read more about Australia's drilling woes here and here.
A forum on offshore drilling will be held at Florida State University on October 28th at 7:00PM. Here is an opportunity to ask the "experts" some tough questions. Why are our legislators willing to risk Florida's economic future for a group of anonymous Texas oilmen? How can current technology be considered safe when a modern rig has been leaking oil for the last seven weeks in the Timor Sea? Is it smart to put rigs off the Florida coast when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused at least 154 petroleum spills totaling over 17,076 barrels? How will the routine discharge of mercury impact our fishing industry and our health? Floridians deserve answers. Our jobs, our health, our beaches, and our future will be determined by the outcome of the oil drilling debate. Be sure to attend this forum on October 28th and let your voice be heard!
Florida's Great Northwest, representing 16 counties in Florida's Panhandle, adopted a resolution opposing offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico because of the damage such activities would pose to the military's mission and the harm it could play to the nation nation's security. Read the adopted resolution and/or view other adopted resolutions.
The New York times reported last week that one of China's state-run oil companies, CNOOC, has been talking with Norwegian oil firms to purchase oil leases from Norway's StatoilHydro in the Gulf of Mexico. Energy analysts see this as China dipping its toes into American waters to gauge the political winds. Four years ago China unsuccessfully bid on the oil company UNOCAL, due to American hesitation to relinquish control of American oil reserves to a Chinese company. As China's fervor for oil continues to grow, Chinese oil companies are searching and seeking for more sources and inputs.
Now the question must be asked, in light of the current oil drilling debate in Florida and the drilling proponents' unwillingness to disclose the identity of their backers, does China have any role in the push to open Florida's waters and the Eastern Gulf of Mexico up to drilling? Until transparency enters the debate, it is a likely possibility. And let's assume for a moment that Chinese companies are not behind the drive to darken Florida's waters, could Florida's "supposed" oil reserves be controlled by foreign powers such as China? The answer to that question is a resounding 'yes.'As the New York Times article mentions, the Norwegian oil company StatoilHydro alone owns 451 leases in the Gulf. If you were to tabulate all leases in the Gulf, it's very likely that a majority are owned by foreign powers and foreign companies. If this is the current reality, then how could opening Florida's small reserves lead to American oil independence? Don't believe the lies that the drillers are selling. Drilling in Florida's waters will not miraculously give Florida or America oil independence....just like it won't reduce gas prices anytime soon.
The debate over offshore drilling in Florida is about to enter a new and more intense phase, beginning this week when a House panel conducts the first hearing before the spring session. On Wednesday, October 21st, the Select Policy Council on Strategic and Economic Planning will spend half a day focusing on the fundamental question: Should Florida even consider the idea? Whether or not the idea is considered, offshore drilling in Florida's waters should not be realized. Oil drilling would harm both our environment and our economy, which are completely and inextricably linked. If you can be in Tallahassee this Wednesday, then you should attend the workshop and speak out against the threat of oil drilling, or at the very least show up and support Florida's environment and economy.
On Tuesday, Florida oil drilling opponents called on Gov. Charlie Crist to include more coastal protections to his criteria for allowing offshore drilling. Nine conservation groups sent a letter to Crist asking him to also consider adding "financial accountability" and the "effects on existing coastal activities" to his principles on whether to allow drilling. That could align the governor with legislation to study the issue proposed last week by two Democratic senators. "The risks posed by nearshore oil drilling, exploration, transportation and storage need to be carefully considered," the environmental groups wrote in their letter to Crist. "We are calling on you to help make sure this discussion is deliberative." Crist spokesman Sterling Ivey said the letter is being reviewed by the Governor's Office.
"As we speak, there's a pretty serious well off the Australian coast that blew up that they haven't been able to get under control yet. There's a 180-km oil slick off the coast of western Australia. So accidents are still happening, and the thing that would concern me the most is when you're only 3 miles offshore, that doesn't give you a lot of leeway in terms of mitigating the damage," the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Alex Sink, said last weekend.
"I have to be at least open-minded and be willing to listen to these arguments we keep hearing -- 'It's 100 percent safe now, we don't have spills any more, there's no risk' -- that's the noise that's going around Tallahassee and obviously that's coming from the proponents, and I'm very skeptical. I'd like to hear that from some independent scientific authorities that are not hired by the proponents.
"My strong bias is not to be supportive. And furthermore -- just like so many things in the history of Florida -- It kind of reminds me of the lottery. This is not going to be the answer in Florida for the next get-rich-quick-scheme. It's just not. I think what we ought to be doing is investing our time and our talent and our focus on the tremendous opportunities we have for renewable energies. Why can't we make Florida the No. 1 solar power state? We could do that and it would create many more jobs, better paying jobs, manufacturing industries, export industries. We ought to be looking toward the future as opposed to the past."
The Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy, (FARE), does not support the decision made by Florida Solar Energy Industry Association (FlaSeia) to couple their industry's future with revenues from the oil and gas exploration industry. FARE considers FlaSeia's decision as not supportive of renewable energy, nor in the long term benefit of our State. Their industry wants and needs the opportunity to stand on its own two feet. FARE has called on FlaSeia to reverse their decision.
An association of solar energy businesses in Florida stunned environmentalists last month by declaring its support for offshore oil drilling. Turns out, some of the trade group's members were just as surprised -- and outraged, since no one consulted or even warned them about it. For several weeks, the oil industry has touted the Florida Solar Energy Industries Association's embrace of drilling as proof that their proposal is not anti-environment. But at least one member of the solar group has left as a result, one of its board members has resigned and other members are complaining that the drilling stance runs afoul of their core beliefs about renewable energy.
The fireworks began when Bruce Kershner, the solar group's executive director, wrote a letter to state House Speaker-designate Dean Cannon about using potential revenues derived from offshore oil drilling to support solar energy. Kershner proposed dedicating money that Florida would receive from drilling leases and royalties to fund rebates for people who install solar energy systems at their homes and businesses. The rebate program is so popular that it has a backlog of applicants, but it is running out of money and is scheduled to sunset next year. Kershner suggested several other green energy initiatives that drilling revenues could support as well.
The federal government's top ocean scientists are urging the Interior Department to drastically reduce plans to open the coast to offshore oil and gas drilling, citing threats to marine life and potentially devastating effects of oil spills in Arctic waters. The recommendations by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are informal and not binding. But if adopted, they would restrict development in some of the nation's most resource-rich untapped offshore areas and mark a significant departure from the pro-drilling policies of the George W. Bush administration. They also give added — and official — weight to environmentalists' concerns.
In a letter sent to Interior officials last month, NOAA recommended excluding large tracts of the Alaska coast, the Atlantic seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico from Interior's draft offshore drilling plan for 2010 to 2015.
It's time legislative leaders stopped pretending they're committed to airing a proposal that would lift the drilling ban off Florida's coast. Past time, really, now that the spouse of a lobbyist for the oil industry has been named to head a Senate committee that will help determine whether oil rigs appear five miles off the Gulf's beaches.
The proposal couldn't be more controversial. Supporters promise drilling's safe and dangle its revenues as a cure for what ails Florida's economy. But a major spill could cripple it, spills are still happening — the rig that blew off the coast of Australia in August released oil spanning more than 5,800 square miles — and tankers, storage facilities and pipelines lining Florida's coast could threaten its wildlife, beaches and bays.
At minimum, it needs an honest airing. Floridians need proof — and not from the oil industry — that making Florida's coastline resemble Louisiana's won't do it more harm than good. Continue reading.
From Julie Hauserman: Times may be lean for us ordinary Floridians, but fat cash is flowing in Tallahassee these days. Mystery oil drillers are spreading big bucks around, greasing the Legislature to allow dirty oil rigs to threaten our perfectly nice, white beaches.
It's really something to watch. The drilling group's official name is Florida Energy Associates, but we ought to call them Slick Oil, because we have no idea who they are. Slick Oil has hired Florida spinners and lobbyists and fixers of all sorts, and they are waving around stuffed wallets and buying up many people who should know better than to sacrifice our world-class beaches for corporate greed. Everywhere Slick Oil goes, it leaves behind steaming piles of dubious claims. We'll get money! And jobs! And cheap gas! And a pony!
With all the check-writing and back-slapping, the politicos don't seem to care that we do't know whether these oil companies are American or foreign, we don't know their safety records, we don't know their financial stability, and we don't have any idea if they'd provide any local jobs. All we know for sure is that they apparently have cash to burn while the rest of us are broke. Continue reading.
The Florida House Democratic Caucus hosted a discussion on concerning proposals to lift the ban on offshore oil drilling in state waters. Presenters included Frank Matthews of the Hopping Green & Sams law firm and others representing Florida Energy Associates; Eric Draper of the Florida Audubon Society; and various other experts on the subject.
Republican Senate President Jeff Atwater, who wants to be Florida's next chief financial officer, ignored a blatant conflict of interest and named a new energy committee chairman whose wife is a lobbyist for the secretive group pushing offshore drilling. That taints the integrity of the Senate's deliberations on drilling.
Atwater tapped Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami, one of the Legislature's most politically savvy operators, to oversee the Committee on Communications, Energy and Public Utilities. Diaz de la Portilla's wife, Claudia, has been representing Florida Energy Associates, a shadowy group of Texas oilmen who are trying to usurp two decades of smart, bipartisan Florida policy banning offshore drilling.
As Floridians, we can not trust assertions that oil drilling in our waters is safe nor economically beneficial (well, it would be for the oilmen and their politicians and lobbyists).
A discussion among Florida House Democrats on oil drilling yesterdat featured some sharp exchanges between a leading environmental opponent and an attorney representing drilling supporters. House Republicans last April overwhelmingly supported HB 1219, which would have allowed drilling within three miles of the Gulf Coast. Democrats led the opposition in the 70-43 vote. But the bill was never heard in the Senate because of concerns that the drilling measure arose too late in the session. Last month, Gov. Charlie Crist said he would like the Legislature to take up drilling in a special session if one is held to address a Seminole Tribe gaming agreement.
Yesterday, the Florida House Democratic Caucus invited Audubon of Florida's Eric Draper to square off against attorney Frank Matthews, who represents Florida Energy Associates. While they disagreed on much, Matthews seemed to concede to Draper on a few issues. Draper said drilling supporters are using "very speculative numbers" about the revenue the state could earn from oil and gas production and that drilling is "dirty, dangerous and ugly." "Is the real story that this is just a Ponzi scheme, another speculation that we as taxpayers in the long run are going to have to buy our way out of, like the Coastal Petroleum lease?" Draper said. The Cabinet agreed in 2005 to spend $12.5 million to purchase a lease from Coastal Petroleum for Gulf of Mexico drilling rights issued in the 1950s and to settle company's lawsuit against the Florida when the state refused to grant drilling permits.
Matthews, an attorney with Hopping Green & Sams in Tallahassee, fired back that Draper "Eric's sensationalism is what we've heard on the stump and that's what you heard today." Matthews said the state today would place more restrictions on a lease than it did for Coastal Petroleum. "The fact of the matter is Florida should just open its mind to considering -- to considering -- leasing," Matthews said. "That is all the request would be from our folks: Repeal the ban so you can consider what are the standards, what are the terms and conditions you would consider in the leasing of state waters?"
Otherwise, Matthews seemed to concede to some arguments made by Draper: 1) That oil exploration wouldn't provide any state revenue for years -- at least two, according to Matthews; 2) that drilling won't make Florida energy independent because petroleum is an international commodity; and 3) it's unclear how much oil may be present in Florida's Gulf Coast waters up to 10 miles out.
This is Port Arthur, Texas, a visual reminder of the oil industry's footprint on the landscape. The oil industry is now knocking at Florida's door. And like the rules that govern vampires, the oil industry can only enter if the Florida Legislature gives them permission to. Write your legislators and ensure that they DON'T.
On Aug. 21st, the West Atlas drill rig began spewing 400 barrels of oil a day into the Timor Sea. One month on, the statistics paint a picture of a major ecological disaster in the making for Australia's marine environment:
* 1200 tonnes of oil have already polluted the ocean, making this the third largest oil spill in Australia's history and the single largest from an oil platform. The leak is still unplugged and will take another month to cap. This is a disaster that risks blowing out further in terms of its scale and impact on the marine environment.
* The slick is covering thousands of square kilometres of ocean, with estimates from satellite imagery indicating the slick has spread to cover 15,000 km2 of sea. Research by WWF has estimated that 30,000 sea snakes may live in the area affected by the slick.
* 70,000 litres of dispersant have been sprayed on the sea. Dispersants can give a false sense of security. Often they are just moving the toxic problem from the surface to elsewhere in the water column. The ocean north west of Australia is globally important for its marine wildlife. The spill has occurred right in the middle of a marine 'superhighway' for whales, turtles and seabirds and is close to unspoilt reefs and coral atolls.
Oil and wildlife just don't mix. The incoming reports of numbers of dead and oiled sea birds and sea snakes are just the tip of the iceberg. For every animal recovered dead, tens to hundreds of animals die unseen. The unfolding crisis for wildlife needs urgent attention. Take action. Sign the petition. Write your legislators. Pass a resolution. Write letters to the editor. Spread the word. Join the Cause.
Lee County commissioners don't want drilling offshore within 25 miles of the county's beaches. Commissioners unanimously voted to oppose any effort to allow exploratory drilling, specifically opposing a bill in the Florida Legislature that would allow it. "This is a no-brainer for us," Chairman Ray Judah said. The vote was unanimous.
Rep. Kriseman Outlines the Case Against Drilling in the Gulf September 25, 2009
Rep. Rick Kriseman gave a speech to the Agency on Bay Management (a part of the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council) regarding a proposal by members of the Florida Legislature to allow oil drilling in state waters, less than 10 miles off the Gulf Coast.
"To drill for oil or natural gas in state waters, just a few miles off the shores of America's best beaches, has been called 'the biggest decision in our state's history,'" Kriseman says. "For both security and environmental reasons, we must begin to put an end to our addiction to oil and fossil fuels. I am determined to see Florida become a global leader in the production and use of clean, renewable energy, and not reliant on what New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman has called the '19th-century technology' of fossil fuels."
Oil has been flowing from the West Atlas platform for three weeks. Safety authorities have been using chemicals to try to break up the spill but warn it could be at least two more weeks before the leak is plugged. Up to 400 barrels of oil per day have been pouring into the Timor Sea to Australia's north. An emergency rig has arrived from Singapore to repair the damage and aircraft and boats have been dousing the slick with dispersants. Read more.
All the while, oil drilling proponents are pushing for it here in Florida. If there was ever an example of this being a bad idea, it's the case of the West Atlas rig.
....Additionally, there have been some recent news reports regarding expanding a special session to include offshore drilling. As you all are aware, this issue involves a series of complex conversations with a variety of interests and impacts throughout our State. There are policy decisions to be considered that are not well served by undue haste. If, or when, the Senate takes up this issue it will be in a manner that allows for sufficient time to debate the facts and the merits of such policy. The citizens of Florida deserve a thoughtful and deliberative process that establishes a factual baseline for our conversations.
Thank you for your hard work on behalf of the people of Florida.
Senator Martinez Warns Against the Mistake of Oil Drilling in Florida September 9, 2009
Sen. Mel Martinez warns Republicans in the Florida Legislature against a push to open up offshore oil drilling. He says to do it as close as oil proponents are pushing for would be a real threat to Florida.
Floridians Will Start Assuming the Worst September 9, 2009 Florida GOP gives Hugo Chavez drilling rights off Florida Coast. Maybe. We have no way to know because oil lobbyists aren't saying who is behind the push, so we'll just assume the worst until they do. All we hear is talk of needing to be independent of foreign oil, but who is to say we won't be giving our oil away to foreign companies? Read on.
Senator Nelson Promises To Block Oil Drilling in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico September 9, 2009
Senator Plans To Export Louisiana's Coastal Destruction to Florida September 9, 2009 While Louisiana struggles to restore coastal wetlands ravaged in large part by decades of oil and gas drilling, its senior senator is leading the effort to lift the ban on drilling off Florida's Panhandle.
"This isn't even thinly veiled," Florida Senator Nelson said. "It's an oil industry bailout plan. And it's Alaska and Louisiana's senators plan to boost their own revenues in tough economic times. But even in the toughest of times, there are some things states shouldn't sell out, like Florida's economy and environment." Continue reading at the Institute for Southern Studies.
Gulf Loop Current Poses Danger to East Coast in Spill Scenario September 9, 2009
Feel Like Chuckling? How About Crying? September 9, 2009
More Oil Drilling Will Get Us Nowhere September 8, 2009 Retired Vice Admiral Dennis McGinn says, "More oil drilling will get us nowhere. We consume 25 percent of the world's oil production yet have less than 3 percent of the world's supply, including what's under pristine federal land in Alaska and what can likely be extracted a few miles off Florida's currently lovely coastline. We cannot drill our way to a sustainable prosperity and security." From the St. Petersburg Times.
Slow the Rush to Drill Near Florida's Beaches September 8, 2009 Gov. Charlie Crist recently set off speculation about adding oil drilling to the agenda for the upcoming special session of the Legislature. It was an unfortunate change of position, but not surprising for this governor who is campaigning for the U.S. Senate and appears to be leaving his own high-minded climate and energy agenda undone. A special session of the Legislature is the worst possible venue for consideration of an issue as complicated as reversing the decades-old ban on drilling Florida's near-shore waters. Legislation to allow leasing in Florida's waters would require dozens of legal changes and the creation of new complex environmental rules to protect Florida's coastline from leaks. In a regular session, such a problematic bill would go through at least five major committees and be subject to numerous public hearings over a period of months. Yet not a single hearing has been scheduled on the proposal to undo the drilling ban. That is probably why Senate leaders quickly declined Crist's ill-considered suggestion. All information on the drilling proposal, and indeed the draft bill, has come from a group fronting for what is believed to be a group of Texas oilmen but may well be a foreign enterprise for all we know. And that group's information, along with the first bill, has proven to be speculative or faulty. Why reward these operators with a special session greased to do their bidding?
10 Reasons Not to Drill in Florida September 8, 2009
Manasota-88, with over a 30-year history in advocating for Florida's environment, just released a document highlighting the top ten reasons not to drill in Florida's waters. Manasota-88 covers risks to Florida's economy, national security and environmental health, discusses the likelihood of oil spills and damage from hurricanes, and talks about the real economics of oil exports, oil leases, and the effects, or lack thereof, that would be seen at the gas pump.
Oil Spills Are Things of the Present September 8, 2009
One of the arguments made by those who favor offshore drilling for oil near Florida's coastline is that modern drilling equipment is so advanced, safe and effective that oil spills from rigs are virtually a thing of the past, so there's no real risk to Florida's beaches. Oops. A drilling company today is fighting a spreading oil slick in the Timor Sea near Australia. The rig responsible for the leak is reported to be one of the most modern in the world. Officials said it could take four weeks to drill the new well and cap off the old one, meaning the oil spill could span two months before it can be plugged. More than a week after the accident happened officials were vague about the exact cause, saying a blowout occured about 11,500 feet below the ocean floor, which helps explain why it will take so long to drill to the problem area.
Meanwhile, in July an oil pipeline off Louisiana leaked 1,500 barrels of oil into the Gulf, creating a slick that covered 90 square miles, according to U.S. Coast Guard records. No doubt today's drilling and production rigs are more advanced than in the past. But it still takes only a single spill to spread disaster across Florida's beaches.
Do You Want Mercury With That? September 3, 2009 Mercury contamination at some oil and gas rigs in the Gulf of Mexico appears to be so severe that the rigs could qualify for the National Priorities List, a roll call of the nation's most hazardous contaminated sites. Placement on the National Priorities List - which would ultimately depend on approval by federal agencies - can eventually lead to a federal "Superfund" clean-up effort, like those at Love Canal in New York and at Cold Creek Swamp and the Olin Basin in south Alabama. Read more about it and think twice about ordering that grouper sandwich.
You Can't Hide An Oil Rig September 3, 2009
The proposed bill to allow oil drilling in Florida waters would keep the rigs at least 5 miles from shore, but that is well within sight from land. Depending on the height of a platform, it would be visible for perhaps 12-16 miles, as illustrated in this table. Don't be fooled by claims that you would be unable to see the rigs out in the water. As the numbers in that table suggest, if you were five feet tall and were standing with your toes touching the water, then you would only be able to see three miles out. Except people are usually taller than five feet, beaches have an incline that adds elevation (especially when considering dunes and boardwalks), and the rigs won't be flat against the water. They are in fact quite tall. When you factor these other variables into the equation, rigs would be visible quite a ways out. Anybody care to calculate how far tenants in condiminums can see? The only way to truly hide an oil rig is to prevent its installation in your waters.
Think, Baby, Think! September 3, 2009 SkyTruth and CSTARS (University of Miami) have just published satellite radar imagery of the Timor Sea drilling spill off Australia, showing oil slicks covering a very large area. This is visual evidence to correspond with recent observations that the spill is worse than initially reported. NASA has also released satellite imagery that corroborates their radar image.
Governor Crist Says Oil Drilling Could Arise in Special Session September 3, 2009
Gov. Crist, when speaking on topics to be included in the special legislative session, said energy would possibly come up. When asked to qualify, he said possibly oil drilling as well. Read more.
Senate President Jeff Atwater (R-Palm Beach) 
Fact: Oil Spills happen all the time. The most recent one, of course, happened off the coast of Australia, at a rate of 400 barrels of oil per day since Aug. 21. After several failed attempts, the Thai crew has apparently fixed the leak, though not without causing a major fire on the West Atlas jackup rig. Now we keep hearing that we shouldn't worry about what has happened in the Timor Sea because of the new, advanced technologies which will be in place off our coast and because the Timor Sea spill was the result of bumbling third world technology. That simply is not true. The technology in place in the Timor Sea, the West Atlas jackup rig, is the same kind of rig that will be 3 miles off the coast of places like Manatee and Sarasota County, and 10 miles off the coast of Pinellas County, just outside our aquatic preserve. This is a rig that had been called "a star", with a "proven track record" and "the choice of modern-day rig owners".
New Report Finds Benefits of Clean Beaches and Ocean Outweigh Value from Expanded Offshore Drilling
Over the weekend at Audubon's annual Assembly, Eric Draper of Audubon of Florida, Joe Murphy of Gulf Restoration Network, and Shannon Miller of Defenders of Wildlife presented during an oil drilling workshop. It was a successful event, motivating participants and highlighting the importance of Protecting Florida's Beaches against proposed oil drilling. 
560 gallons would be deemed a small spill by industry standards. But such a small spill can have large and damaging ramifications. In June of 2005, 560 gallons of light crude spilled into a national wildlife refuge south of Gulfport, Louisiana. The end effect: over 400 brown pelicans were killed. This spill occured during the evacuation of Breton Sound Platform 51 due to Tropical Storm Arlene. This alone should make you question drillers' claims that not a drop of oil has spilled as a result of hurricanes. For more information on this "incident" (that's how the industry terms them - 
These days, I want to believe anybody who talks about bringing Florida some jobs. Lord knows, we need jobs. But it is wishful thinking to believe the dubious promises from Florida Energy Associates, a shadowy group that wants to drill off our beaches. They won't tell which oil companies they represent. But they are hiring, all right: so far, they've put 30 lobbyists and a small army of public relations spinners on their payroll. Let's call them Slick Oil.
"I'm the only guy in the state of Florida with active drilling now in his district. We've been doing it responsibly for 66 years in the middle of the Everglades and if you can drill in the most sensitive lands on the planet responsibly, for the balance of the environment, then we can do it anywhere."
The Coast Guard and other agencies were working Saturday to clean up an oil spill in a marsh near Port Sulphur High School. The Coast Guard station in Venice received a call Friday morning reporting an oil spill about three blocks from the school. A pollution investigation team from New Orleans found about 200 gallons of crude oil stretching along 3,000 feet of shoreline. High tides had caused the oil to come up through a hole in an abandoned wellhead, the Coast Guard said.
In the near future The Citizens of Florida will have an opportunity to show their opposition to near shore oil drilling as close as 3 to 10 miles off our coast. This movement will be made of people of all walks of life and will cross political affiliations. This movement is not about politics; it is about protection of our shoreline, our tourism, our valuable properties and our way of life. Let us share our knowledge, energies and passion for protecting our waterways and beaches from the devastating effects of oil drilling.
After three failed attempts to cap the well, the West Atlas oil rig is still pumping crude oil into Australia's waters. It has been two months since the initial blowout. A fourth, and not a very hopeful attempt, will be made this Friday.
A forum on offshore drilling will be held at Florida State University on October 28th at 7:00PM. Here is an opportunity to ask the "experts" some tough questions. Why are our legislators willing to risk Florida's economic future for a group of anonymous Texas oilmen? How can current technology be considered safe when a modern rig has been leaking oil for the last seven weeks in the Timor Sea? Is it smart to put rigs off the Florida coast when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused at least 154 petroleum spills totaling over 17,076 barrels? How will the routine discharge of mercury impact our fishing industry and our health? Floridians deserve answers. Our jobs, our health, our beaches, and our future will be determined by the outcome of the oil drilling debate. Be sure to attend this forum on October 28th and let your voice be heard!
Florida's Great Northwest, representing 16 counties in Florida's Panhandle, adopted a resolution opposing offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico because of the damage such activities would pose to the military's mission and the harm it could play to the nation nation's security. 
The New York times 
The debate over offshore drilling in Florida is about to enter a new and more intense phase, beginning this week when a House panel conducts the first hearing before the spring session. On Wednesday, October 21st, the 
An association of solar energy businesses in Florida stunned environmentalists last month by declaring its support for offshore oil drilling. Turns out, some of the trade group's members were just as surprised -- and outraged, since no one consulted or even warned them about it. For several weeks, the oil industry has touted the Florida Solar Energy Industries Association's embrace of drilling as proof that their proposal is not anti-environment. But at least one member of the solar group has left as a result, one of its board members has resigned and other members are complaining that the drilling stance runs afoul of their core beliefs about renewable energy.
The federal government's top ocean scientists are urging the Interior Department to drastically reduce plans to open the coast to offshore oil and gas drilling, citing threats to marine life and potentially devastating effects of oil spills in Arctic waters. The recommendations by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are informal and not binding. But if adopted, they would restrict development in some of the nation's most resource-rich untapped offshore areas and mark a significant departure from the pro-drilling policies of the George W. Bush administration. They also give added — and official — weight to environmentalists' concerns.
A discussion among Florida House Democrats on oil drilling yesterdat featured some sharp exchanges between a leading environmental opponent and an attorney representing drilling supporters. House Republicans last April overwhelmingly supported HB 1219, which would have allowed drilling within three miles of the Gulf Coast. Democrats led the opposition in the 70-43 vote. But the bill was never heard in the Senate because of concerns that the drilling measure arose too late in the session. Last month, Gov. Charlie Crist said he would like the Legislature to take up drilling in a special session if one is held to address a Seminole Tribe gaming agreement.
While Louisiana struggles to restore coastal wetlands ravaged in large part by decades of oil and gas drilling, its senior senator is leading the effort to lift the ban on drilling off Florida's Panhandle.
Retired Vice Admiral Dennis McGinn says, "More oil drilling will get us nowhere. We consume 25 percent of the world's oil production yet have less than 3 percent of the world's supply, including what's under pristine federal land in Alaska and what can likely be extracted a few miles off Florida's currently lovely coastline. We cannot drill our way to a sustainable prosperity and security." From the 
Gov. Charlie Crist recently set off speculation about adding oil drilling to the agenda for the upcoming special session of the Legislature. It was an unfortunate change of position, but not surprising for this governor who is campaigning for the U.S. Senate and appears to be leaving his own high-minded climate and energy agenda undone. A special session of the Legislature is the worst possible venue for consideration of an issue as complicated as reversing the decades-old ban on drilling Florida's near-shore waters. Legislation to allow leasing in Florida's waters would require dozens of legal changes and the creation of new complex environmental rules to protect Florida's coastline from leaks. In a regular session, such a problematic bill would go through at least five major committees and be subject to numerous public hearings over a period of months. Yet not a single hearing has been scheduled on the proposal to undo the drilling ban. That is probably why Senate leaders quickly declined Crist's ill-considered suggestion. All information on the drilling proposal, and indeed the draft bill, has come from a group fronting for what is believed to be a group of Texas oilmen but may well be a foreign enterprise for all we know. And that group's information, along with the first bill, has proven to be speculative or faulty. Why reward these operators with a special session greased to do their bidding?
Mercury contamination at some oil and gas rigs in the Gulf of Mexico appears to be so severe that the rigs could qualify for the National Priorities List, a roll call of the nation's most hazardous contaminated sites. Placement on the National Priorities List - which would ultimately depend on approval by federal agencies - can eventually lead to a federal "Superfund" clean-up effort, like those at Love Canal in New York and at Cold Creek Swamp and the Olin Basin in south Alabama. 
