http://www.nwfdailynews.com/articles/nelson-48847–.html
April 11, 2012 9:12 PM
TOM McLAUGHLIN / Daily News
View a slideshow of Nelson’s visit. ยป
FORT WALTON BEACH – U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson told local leaders Wednesday that he holds a special place in his heart for them for standing with him in 2009 to oppose opening Florida waters to offshore drilling “when forces were aligned and hellbent to start.”
“You understood then something that nobody else on the Gulf Coast understood,” he told a packed house at Staff restaurant. “That for our economic sustainability, our livelihoods, we rely on the Gulf of Mexico. And I wanted to come here before passage of the Restore Act and publicly thank you.”
Two years removed from 2010’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill, most people along the Gulf Coast have concluded that offshore drilling isn’t worth the risk or the impact to local military missions, Nelson said.
And he assured the crowd that recently passed U.S. House legislation to open the Eastern Gulf to oil exploration is “not going to pass the Senate.”
Speaking at the event hosted by the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce, Nelson detailed recent Senate efforts to secure passage of the Restore Act.
Nelson said he and a bi-partisan coalition of Gulf Coast senators cobbled together legislation attractive enough to pass the Senate by a 76-22 vote.
He called the work to secure the vote “a bright and shining moment of bipartisanship, for a change.”
He urged those in attendance to let House members know how important passage of the act is to Northwest Florida.
The Restore Act would funnel the bulk of BP fine money to Texas, Louisiana Mississippi, Alabama and Florida – the states directly impacted by the oil spill.
Under a state agreement, the great majority of Florida’s share of the funds will come to eight counties, including Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton, that suffered economically from the spill.
Nelson said passage of the Senate version of the Restore Act would guarantee Florida’s share of the money would come directly to the counties affected by the spill without being funneled through the state.
It would ensure that funds will be set aside to create a center in each of the five affected states for research on the health of the Gulf.
Nelson was asked after the meeting when he expects the Restore Act to come to a vote in the House.
“Whenever we can convince the House to vote on it,” he answered.
Nelson, a Democrat, seems to have a solid reputation in conservative Northwest Florida.
He was engaged with the region during the oil spill and received thanks from several people Wednesday for his efforts to preserve the fishing heritage in places such as Destin that have relied on the industry for decades.
“I want to thank you on behalf of the city of Destin for your work on the Restore Act,” Destin Mayor Sam Seevers told Nelson. “And also for the work you’re doing for our fisheries.”
Nelson also took time out to pay tribute to Crestview barber Mack Brooks, a recent recipient of the prestigious Florida Folk Heritage Award.
Brooks, who attended Wednesday’s get-together, pointed at Nelson and said, “I gotta tell you, he’s a fine fella.”
Nelson touched on a second topic that enjoys bipartisan support: the protection of missions at Eglin Air Force Base and other military installations in the region.
He said he remains suspicious of Air Force intentions as long as a proposal to headquarter the command of the Eglin’s 46th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., lingers.
“They swear up and down on a stack of Bibles the mission isn’t going to change. But I want them to explain it to me,” Nelson said. “They’re going to have to swear to me in blood on a stack of Bibles, and if I’m not satisfied I’m going to my old friend (Defense Secretary) Leon Panetta.”
Read more: http://www.nwfdailynews.com/articles/nelson-48847–.html#ixzz1rtd48IGM
Special thanks to Richard Charter