Call on Your Legislators to Vote No on Oil Drilling and Yes for Clean Cars

With an amendment filed late last night, House Speaker-designee Dean Cannon (R-Winter Park) added language to HB 1219 in this morning’s House Policy Council that would pave the way for oil and natural gas drilling within sight of Florida’s beaches.

Don't let Florida's sunsets be blotted out by oil drilling rigs. © Arby Reed

Despite united objections from the conservation community, including Audubon, The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, Sierra Club, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and more, the Council passed the amendment and the bill, which will now head to the House floor. Ironically, committee members cited the need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil as their motive for supporting the proposal. Meanwhile, the House has not supported policies that would truly create energy independence, including Governor Charlie Crist’s proposals for a Renewable Portfolio Standard to expand renewable energy generation and Clean Car Rules this session.

Audubon rigorously opposes this destructive proposal because it would impact Florida coastal ecosystems and our pristine beaches, put marine and coastal wildlife at risk, and delay the serious measures needed to reduce global warming and its impacts on the state and our quality of life.

In the absence of legislation to adopt a vehicle emissions standard in Florida, residents don’t have their choice of clean cars to purchase in the state.  Vehicles with improved emissions standards and better fuel efficiency are only sold in states, such as California, New York, and 10 others, that have adopted clean car rules. In Florida—a state where transportation accounts for more than one-third of greenhouse gas emissions—automakers are fighting to prevent the passage of clean car laws citing the high cost to manufacture them. Legislators also seem intent to listen only to purveyors of petroleum rather than protect Florida’s tourism economy and give Floridians a choice for a cleaner, greener future.

Read the Miami Herald’s coverage of this amendment from Monday night.

We need your help to vigorously oppose oil drilling off our coasts and instead, adopt positive, job creating rules, such as the vehicle emissions standards currently before the Legislature.