Protect Florida's Beaches stands against the onslaught of harmful and needless oil drilling in our state's waters. http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Fri, 09 Apr 2010 13:34:20 -0500 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. http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#la_spill Fri, 09 Apr 2010 11:42:28 -0500 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. http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#compton Fri, 09 Apr 2010 11:42:28 -0500 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." http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#obama_plan Thurs, 01 Apr 2010 11:42:28 -0500 Further Opening the OCS to Oil Drilling Is Not the Best Option http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#cnn_video Thurs, 01 Apr 2010 11:42:28 -0500 Video from last night's protest/Newt Gingrich speech. http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#gingrich_vinoy1 Thurs, 01 Apr 2010 11:42:28 -0500 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. http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#gingrich_vinoy Thurs, 01 Apr 2010 11:42:28 -0500 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. http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#seagrass Wed, 31 March 2010 11:42:28 -0500 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. http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#statement_on_obama_plan Wed, 31 March 2010 11:42:28 -0500 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. http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#loafing Tues, 16 March 2010 11:42:28 -0500 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. http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#collins Mon, 15 March 2010 14:54:28 -0500 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. http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#oil_talk Mon, 15 March 2010 14:50:28 -0500 Last week, Choctawhatchee Audubon Society passed a resolution opposing the opening of Florida's waters to oil drilling. http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#choctawhatchee Fri, 12 March 2010 12:12:28 -0500 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. http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#military views Mon, 08 March 2010 15:06:28 -0500 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. http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#map Mon, 08 March 2010 14:55:28 -0500 Help Pass Clean Energy Jobs Legislation This Session; Jump-Start Florida's Economy and Stop the Threat of Risky Offshore Drilling http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#advocates Mon, 08 March 2010 14:42:28 -0500 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. http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#neg Fri, 05 March 2010 15:53:28 -0500 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. http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#hands_staug Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:41:28 -0500 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. http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#hands_success Thurs, 18 Feb 2010 10:17:28 -0500 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. http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#fcoc Thurs, 11 Feb 2010 14:17:28 -0500 Hands Across the Sand Is Taking Off in the News; read up on how Hands is taking shape for this Saturday http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#hands_news Thurs, 11 Feb 2010 11:57:28 -0500 Hands Across the Sand organizers want people to hit the beach at 1:00 p.m. on February 13th and hold hands, in order to show their opposition to oil drilling off Florida's coast. http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#hands_connect Wed, 10 Feb 2010 09:42:28 -0500 Read the Beach Scene's cover story, A Dark Cloud Lingers, by Sarah Gerard http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#beach_scene Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:07:28 -0500 Hands Across the Sand Video Interview http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#hands_video Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:42:28 -0500 Listen to the audio story by Trimmel Gomes at Florida Public Radio http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#gub Fri, 29 Jan 2010 10:00:28 -0500 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." http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#mccollum Fri, 29 Jan 2010 9:53:28 -0500 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 http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#hands_fb Thurs, 28 Jan 2010 11:38:28 -0500 Save the Date: Hands Across the Sand Happens on February 13th, 2010 http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#hands_sand Thurs, 28 Jan 2010 11:06:28 -0500 And they say they want to do for Florida what oil and gas has done for Texas! http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#sciam Thurs, 28 Jan 2010 11:00:28 -0500 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. http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#evcol Thurs, 28 Jan 2010 10:52:28 -0500 If the technology is so safe, how come simple human error and/or negligence can trump it? http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#montara Thurs, 21 Jan 2010 11:12:28 -0500 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. http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#symposium Thurs, 21 Jan 2010 10:37:28 -0500 Col. Bruce McClintock, Commander of Eglin Air Force Base, testifies in Committee that nearshore oil drilling would negatively affect the military' mission. http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#eglin Fri, 15 Jan 2010 3:05:28 -0500 The oil and gas industry wants to make Florida more like Texas and Louisiana (refer to map). http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#make-the-same Wed, 6 Jan 2010 12:05:28 -0500 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. http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#88.5 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:30:28 -0500 The Florida Panhandle is a Frommer's top 2010 destination. If drilling comes, our reputation goes. http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#frommer 14DE5BCB-7818-4C89-9BAE-1FA22F4E17CD Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:30:28 -0500 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, this practice damages ocean ecosystems and destroys local fisheries. http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#seismic 08F7DD69-B909-4E53-8615-62CA9F9D4A13 Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:47:25 -0500 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. http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#falsehoods 9250A3A6-759E-4A14-B8BC-3A7371DAE916 Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:27:32 -0500 When pressed, pro-drilling groups acknowledge that most of the subsea systems they promote are not viable in Florida's coastal waters. http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#faulty DA44E1C6-2A48-43ED-842F-16C0A6D2E081 Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:28:47 -0500 http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#oilandwater CEDC7DEE-4B74-44CC-9CD1-11CB511B0187 Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:32:47 -0500 http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#focus 83C800E0-180A-4963-9327-0E86833BB038 Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:33:16 -0500 http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog.html#worse 986C7C0C-1469-400B-8759-25E2A36D36B1 Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:34:20 -0500