I have never in my life seen anything like the way everyone is falling in line and supporting and endorsing drilling up close to the coastline of Florida. It is like the memories of the hurricanes that rip up the Gulf of Mexico, that come in from the Atlantic or wander up the coast of Florida....have all been forgotten.
And now a tourism group actually comes out and endorses the offshore drilling as close as 30 miles from the coastline. I wonder if profits are coming for this state...the way everyone is supporting it now.
Florida Tourism Group Endorses Offshore Oil DrillingA Florida tourism group has endorsed an idea that politicians and environmentalists have been trying to prevent for decades: the exploration and production of oil and natural gas in the waters off Florida's Gulf Coast. State tourism officials long have opposed drilling off Florida's shores, but the Florida Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus now says drilling will help preserve the state's No. 1 industry.
"Changes in global energy markets have affected the price and supply of oil and natural gas and subsequently may have a future impact on Florida's tourism industry," the association said in a three-page position statement.
The association said it would support offshore drilling and production, but the operations must be at least 30 miles from the coastline. Florida's $65 billion-a-year tourism industry employs nearly 1 million people.
The association said a long-term energy policy that promotes conservation, efficiency, renewable fuels and increased oil and gas production "is essential to maintain a healthy, vital Florida tourism industry."
It was not hard to get our Democrats to pretty much fall in line as well. And the people of Florida according to most polls support the idea. Of course the media blitz on the local news didn't hurt. Some of our most respected anchors pushed the idea of drilling offshore as needed and vital to our survival.
House approves offshore drilling bill but skeptical Republicans raise objectionsThe fate of the legislation, which Republican members contended would produce little new domestic oil, remains uncertain. The politically sensitive issue of offshore drilling may only be resolved as part of a budget bill that Congress must approve before it adjourns at month's end.
The measure, which was approved 236-189, would allow states to authorize drilling 50 to 100 miles from their coasts. The federal government would be allowed to approve drilling 100 to 200 miles from shore.
Nevertheless, the Democratic plan failed to placate most Republicans, who argued that it would not open up areas closer to the coasts with potential to provide more oil and gas. And they want to lift bans on drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Republicans also said the proposal did not offer states incentives to approve new drilling off their coasts because it did not allow them to share the oil royalties with the federal government.
House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio said the plan "won't do a damn thing about American energy.
More about that bill...it apparently gives Florida no choice as the decision is already made.
Here is the Senate Gang of 10 idea which is now the Gang of 20. This is the plan Obama went along with.
"The measure now goes to the Senate, where a bipartisan group of 20 lawmakers has been working on a compromise that would lift a drilling ban in the eastern Gulf near Florida, and allow Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia to approve offshore drilling."
This bill will give Florida no choice...drilling will be done right up to 50 miles off shore.
More on Florida's lack of choice:
The proposal would end most of the ban on drilling. It would allow a 50-mile buffer on the East Coast, as well as Florida's Gulf Coast. Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia and South Carolina would be permitted to start oil and natural gas exploration outside the buffer.
....."The Gang of 10 proposal would encourage states to allow drilling off their shores by sharing some of the federal offshore royalty revenues with the states. But unlike the other four states, Florida would not get a choice on whether to allow drilling off its coasts. When asked why not, Chambliss said, "It's only a logical extension of what's happening in the Gulf right now. Plus, that area has been identified as an area where resources are available right now." In the paths of hurricanes And now it may be as close as 30 miles, as the tourism group is recommending. Only one side is sending a message, the media is willing to comply with that message....and the other side does not speak out with an opposing message. It was just that simple to get the long opposed idea of drilling close to the shoreline to be quite acceptable in the minds of the people.
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