CLEARWATER BEACH, Fla – Politicians, business owners and environmental activists are finding common ground in opposition to an offshore drilling proposal.
On Friday, city and state leaders, business owners and environmental activists came together on Clearwater Beach to urge Floridians to voice their opposition to a proposal from the U.S. Department of the Interior.
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What we know:
In November, the U.S. Department of the Interior released the Secretary’s Draft Proposed Program for the 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program. The proposal would expand offshore drilling across large parts of the Eastern Gulf and other areas around the nation’s coast.
It would include as many as 34 potential offshore lease sales across the different expanded regions.
“For the first time, this proposal includes a new drilling zone in the Eastern Gulf, located dangerously close to Florida’s coast,” Tampa Bay Beaches Chambers of Commerce CEO Charlie Justice said. “It’s a significant expansion about the size of the state of South Carolina.”
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This proposal would expand offshore drilling opportunities close to Florida’s Gulf Coast.
What they’re saying:
“For Florida, this is a terrible idea,” St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch said.
Political and community leaders across the Tampa Bay area say this proposal could jeopardize Florida’s coastline.
“If we have oil drilling out here, my livelihood is over,” Capt. Dustin Pack, with Fly Tide Charters, said. “A lot of these businesses, most of these businesses, one spill can wipe all this out in one day.”
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On Friday, city and state leaders applauded the amount of money that Florida has invested in its tourism industry and environment.
“Tourism is a $134 billion industry in the State of Florida,” Rep. Linda Chaney said. “The state has invested, year after year, $80 million to promote tourism.”
They say Florida’s economy can’t afford the risk of an oil spill. Leaders say the BP oil spill had a devastating impact on the state’s tourism industry.
“When we saw a spill years ago, never touched our coast, we still saw the dramatic drop in tourism,” Justice said. “And every one of those can potentially be a job.”
The other side:
The argument in support of offshore drilling has been that it can create jobs. U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has previously emphasized the value of oil and natural gas production.
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“And when we can have enough energy for ourselves and then sell energy to our friends and allies, they don’t have to buy it from our adversaries,” he said last year during a news conference in Alaska. “That makes the world a more peaceful place.”
What’s next:
Leaders and community members around the Tampa Bay area are encouraging people to voice their opposition to the Trump administration’s offshore drilling proposal.
“There is a Protect Florida Coastal Act in Congress that would put these protections in permanently,” Justice said. “We would love to see them pass that.”
Justice says they hope to see legislation passed to protect against offshore drilling, as a more permanent measure.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13’s Kylie Jones.
