At one point, not that long ago, there was a hotly contested debate reflecting a basic difference of opinion about drilling off the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of Florida. Yes, it was politically and ideologically driven, but there were partisans with points. Drilling ever closer to Florida was either an obvious energy option given volatile foreign-oil scenarios and domestic jobs implications or it was an unnecessary and unacceptable environmental risk. Reasonable people–not just the usual strident suspects–could disagree.
In fact, back in March President Barack Obama, hardly a “drill, baby, drill” true believer, proposed opening up another 25 million acres in the gulf and shrinking the buffer around the Tampa Bay area to 125 miles.
And then, courtesy of BP and the Deepwater Horizon spill, came 172 million gallons of oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico and on to the Louisiana coast and Panhandle beaches. The impact on sea grasses and fisheries won’t be known for some time. The impact on fisherman and the hospitality industry is substantial. The impact on Florida’s brand name has been obvious — from beach-resort cancellations to diminished Gulf shrimp and oyster sales.
So it should come as no surprise that post-Deepwater Horizon, the president has reversed himself and the current ban on drilling along the Atlantic Coast and the Gulf moratorium off Florida will be maintained. This keeps drilling 234 miles from Tampa Bay and 125 miles south of the Panhandle for another dozen years. This is no time for pragmatic politics or coastal compromise we can believe in. This is about common sense and protecting Florida.
It’s about economic reality and environmental stewardship. They are complementary.
Keith Overton, chief operating officer of the TradeWinds Island Resorts on St. Pete Beach addressed the former. “Why risk a $65-billion industry for $700 million a year in new revenue?” asked Overton. “It doesn’t make sense.”
Tampa lawyer Steve Yerrid, Florida’s special counsel on oil matters, spoke to the latter. “For us, it would be a death blow if we had an environmental disaster on the west coast of Florida. We got a glimpse into the nightmare. I don’t think we have to live the whole thing.”
But try making that argument–that drilling is inherently too risky for a state synonymous with beaches and tourists and reliant on an uncompromised ecosystem–to Florida’s Gov.-elect, Rick Scott, or incoming Sen. Marc Rubio. Unconscionably, but not uncharacteristically, they still miss the merit in Obama’s ban, most notably in the east Gulf. They would rather reference their knee-jerk, GOPster talking points. They both oppose Obama’s off-shore-drilling reversal–primarily in the name of job creation and de-regulation. It’s as if Deepwater Horizon had never happened.
Would that the last election had never happened.
Speaking of, re-elected Rep. Kathy Castor is wasting no time making the case for a trend-busting Democrat incumbent. She has introduced legislation that would help insure that the lion’s share of money paid out by BP in fines and penalties would go where it belongs–to Gulf Coast states to address the still incalculable oil-related damage to the environment and economy. And, yes, she could use a Senate sponsor.