In surprise switch, Trump Administration drops plan for oil and gas drilling off Florida

[highplainsdem]

Source: Palm Beach Post

Five days after the Trump Administration announced plans to open almost all coastal areas of the United States to new oil and gas exploration, the Interior Secretary announced that the feds will take possible drilling “off the table” along the coastline of Florida, after facing opposition from the Governor of Florida, a key ally of the President.

“I am removing Florida from consideration for any new oil and gas platforms,” Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said, after a short meeting with Gov. Rick Scott at the airport in Tallahassee.

Scott had spoken out strongly against the drilling plan last week, which envisioned the possibility of drilling along the entire coast, from Fernandina Beach in the northeast, south to Key West, and all along the Gulf Coast to Pensacola.

It wasn’t just the Republican Governor of Florida who opposed the drilling plan, as members of both parties in the state’s Congressional delegation had expressed their opposition to the plan – as they now welcomed the Trump Administration’s change of heart.

-snip-

Read more: http://jamiedupree.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2018/01/09/in-surprise-switch-trump-administration-drops-plan-for-oil-and-gas-drilling-off-florida/

[GP6971]

1. Gee...I wonder why

he's not protecting Florida...he's only protecting Mar A Lago

[mpcamb]

16. Phew! Those imperiled golf courses are safe now!

[unblock]

2. hey, didn't michael moore just announce plans to drill just offshore from mar-a-lago?

hmmmmmm....

[Wellstone ruled]

10. Yup,that was the kicker.

[JDC]

3. Blue costal states however will not be spared

[C_U_L8R]

4. Oh that's such bullshit

All coasts are sacred... not just swing state ones.

[Freethinker65]

5. Blue coastal states should demand to know the reasoning for the switch

They should sue for the information and sue to protect their coastlines

[bronxiteforever]

6. Call it Drillgate punish people based on politics just like Bridgegate

[lordsummerisle]

7. Once again they beat The Onion to it... n/t

[Bernardo de La Paz]

8. It's all vindictive and mediated by corrupt considerations. . . . nt

[lunasun]

9. oh OK but just FL

[packman]

11. It's a shell game for Gov. Scott

The creep Gov. Scott is eyeing a Senate seat and is trying to endear himself to Floridians by now embracing environmental issues. Trump wants him to be a Senator and is advocating for him. In their little game, Scott is now declaring how he pushed for Trump to declare Florida waters off-limits. Scott has done this flim-flam thing before. He was for Medicare expansion when he ran for his second term and won a lot of oldster votes. Of course, once he got into office he changed his tune. Don't believe anything dealing with clean water, clean air or just general improvement in living conditions for Florida coming out of Scott or Trump's mouth.


https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/rick-scott-offshore-oil-drilling-senate_us_5a54fb3ae4b0efe47ebd665a

[Gothmog]

12. Governor Scott has stoke with trump

[marybourg]

13. This will be tied up in courts for so long

we won't remember what coal was by the time it's over.

[sinkingfeeling]

14. Gee, wonder why.

[Cold War Spook]

15. And the oil spills

will only impact blue states because the oil spills will not want to wash ashore at red states?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

17. Another link, for those who can get around the paywall at TWSJ.:

But first:

Read my full statement on taking #Florida off the table for offshore oil and gas. Local voice matters.

Link to tweet

Retweeted by Timothy Puko: https://twitter.com/TimPuko

Trump reversal: Drilling won’t be allowed off Florida coast after all. https://www.wsj.com/articles/trumps-offshore-drilling-plan-faces-choppy-political-waters-1515515503 … via @TimPuko

Link to tweet

POLITICS

Trump Administration Says New Drilling Won’t Be Allowed Off Florida Coast

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke says he made decision after meeting with Republican Gov. Rick Scott

By Timothy Puko
Updated Jan. 9, 2018 11:11 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON—The Trump administration told Florida’s governor it won’t consider new oil and gas drilling off the state’s coast, backtracking on plans to expand offshore drilling all around the U.S. and bowing to pressure from fellow Republicans in the state.

The move is a crack in a five-year drilling plan the Interior Department announced just last week, one already under fire from political leaders in both parties from most coastal states.

{Snip. Subscription required.}

So: some states are more equal than others. Let's see how long that lasts.

[lagomorph777]

18. In his desperate push to punish and poison blue states, does Pres Turd realize...

...that oil floats?

[Paladin]

19. Don't hold your breath, waiting for California to get similar treatment.

trump revenge politics, as usual.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

20. After years of denying climate change, Rick Scott needs to pretend to be an environmentalist...

....if he wants to run for US Senate.

Of course, he'll be running against Nelson, who's long opposed off-shore drilling.

So the Madman gifted him this one.