| Under the House’s proposal, underwater natural gas drilling could occur 1 mi. from Florida's beaches. Oil drilling requiring above-water rigs could be as little as 3 mi. from shore. © Thiago Fonseca |
If we don't act quickly, we may soon see oil rigs three miles from our beaches. The Florida Legislature is considering legislation proposed by Texas oil companies that would open Florida's coastal waters to oil drilling. On Monday, the House of Representatives voted to approve the drilling. Now the oil industry is lobbying the Senate to pass this bad bill. We need your help and the help of every Floridian to protect our coastal economy and ecology. Send a letter to your Senator urging him or her to oppose any attempts to open Florida's near-shore waters to oil drilling. (Unfortunately, our easy email function only lets an advocate use the system once. If you have already sent a letter via our online advocacy function, you can always contact your Senator directly, via phone or email. If you have already contacted your Senator, the most important thing you could do now is to tell as many of your friends and other conservation-minded individuals as possible about this issue.)
The House drilling proposal is just too high a price to pay in terms of environmental and economic risks. As a result of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, the US Coast Guard reported that more than 9 million gallons (214,286 barrels) of oil were released (and this does not include the 5,000 so-called minor spills recorded). For comparison, the Exxon-Valdez spill was 240,000 barrels. Spills don't just occur during storms. The US Coast Guard documented 1300 spills from rigs, 1300 spills from pipelines and 2400 spills from storage tanks in 2008 alone.
We have better solutions. The Florida Senate has an opportunity pass a renewable energy policy, called the Renewable Portfolio Standard, which would increase the state’s clean energy and decrease our dependence on oil and gas, the principle drivers of global warming. Rather than prolong our dependence on petroleum, the Senate should block attempts to damage Florida’s beaches, its coastal communities, and its almost $562 billion tourist economy.
Please make sure to contact your Senator and to tell as many friends and family members as you can.
