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Politics: Explore Offshore Makes Their Case for More Energy Exploration off Florida Coasts

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By  KEVIN DERBY
August 15, 2018 – 1:30pm
Jim Nicholson and Jeff KottkampJim Nicholson and Jeff Kottkamp

The American Petroleum Institute (API) brought its “Explore Offshore” efforts to Florida on Wednesday, calling on expanding energy exploration efforts including in the eastern part of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic seaboard.

The national “Explore Offshore” campaign, which was launched in June, is led by former U.S. Veterans Affairs Sec. Jim Nicholson, who led the Republican National Committee (RNC), and former U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in the 2016 election cycle.

Leading the “Explore Offshore” efforts in Florida are former Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp and Dr. Miriam Ramirez who served in the Senate of Puerto Rico. Kottkamp served under then Gov. Charlie Crist who has opposed drilling in the Gulf, even calling for a special legislative session on the issue. Crist held that special session after the massive oil spill in the Gulf in 2010.  However, while Crist started drifting to the left and that and other issues to run for the U.S. Senate in 2010 with no party affiliation and eventually join the Democrats, Kottkamp has remained a conservative Republican.

Nicholson was in Tallahassee on Wednesday and made the case for expanding energy exploration in the Sunshine State.

“Our American way of life and the freedoms we enjoy are undoubtedly linked to access to affordable, reliable energy,” Nicholson said. “At the same time, 94 percent of America’s offshore energy resources are completely off-limits to natural gas and oil development, disallowing hundreds of thousands of American jobs and abundant domestic energy supply, and keeping us reliant on foreign sources.

“As we plan ahead as a country, access to our offshore energy resources is a key part of the nation’s economic future and national security, and that is why I am pleased to chair the national Explore Offshore USA coalition,” Nicholson added. “Uniting supporters from Virginia to Florida, we will continue to work to ensure access to our offshore energy resources to support reliable, affordable energy, boost national security, and assure a strong United States economy.”

“Affordable energy is critical to our quality of life in the Sunshine State. We are speaking with our local leaders throughout Florida to discuss ways to maintain our state’s natural beauty and meet the energy needs of our growing population of over 20 million residents and 110 million annual visitors,” Kottkamp said.

“We can support thriving tourism industries here in Florida all while developing offshore energy resources that could create high-paying jobs in our state,” Ramirez said. “We cannot take access to reliable, affordable energy for granted.”

Florida Petroleum Council Director David Mica also weighed in on Wednesday.

“Explore Offshore is a united, bipartisan voice and we are working to ensure that Florida has all options available for boosting job creation and its economic and energy future. As Florida remains one of the largest consumers of energy in the country, offshore development is critical to our energy security and our economy,” Mica said.

Nicholson, Mica and Kottkamp stressed the improvements in technology would lower the chances of something like the Deepwater Horizon spill happening again with Nicholson saying it was “nearly impossible.”

Kottkamp stressed that the group’s efforts were far more about exploration instead of drilling.

“We’re not talking ‘drill, baby, drill.’ We’re talking ‘explore, baby, explore,’” Kottkamp said. “We can do this is a balanced, responsible to protect the environment of Florida.”

Ramirez stressed how more access to energy would help Puerto Ricans hit by Hurricane Maria last year, noting the large number of residents of that island who went without power, stressing “lack of power can literally mean the difference between life and death.”

Noting that oil and natural gas make up most electricity use at the state and national levels, Explore Offshore insisted that energy exploration in the Gulf and off the coast of Florida could lead to more than 56,000 new jobs by 2035 and add $1 billion annually to the state revenue and $2.6 billion in private development.

Bradley Marshall, a staff attorney at Earthjustice, pushed back against Kottkamp’s claims that the Deepwater Horizon impacted other states–namely Louisiana–far more than Florida.

“It’s absurd to claim the Deepwater Horizon spill did not reach Florida, given devastation we experienced from that disaster,” Marshall said. “The reality is that there is no such thing as safe offshore drilling.  In Florida, millions of jobs in the tourism industry are at stake in protecting our beaches.  That’s why so many of Florida’s leaders, regardless of what political party they belong to, have been so protective of our coasts all these years.  The bottom line is that it is irresponsible to threaten Florida’s beaches.  Instead of continuing to invest in the harmful fossil fuels of the past, we should be investing in the clean, renewable energy of the future.  That’s where the jobs are at, and that’s what will protect Florida’s coastal environment.”

 

READ MORE FROM SUNSHINE STATE NEWS

Offshore Energy Exploration Is Safe, Has Been Going on for 81 Years

Voters: Offshore Energy Is Good for Florida

Comments

PermalinkSubmitted by BobH on August 16, 2018 – 3:27pm
This is a sorry state, if they allow drilling for more “ANCIENT”, inefficient energy. America has fallen so far behind other advanced economies when it comes to energy production. Florida FOR SURE! We’re the Sunshine State, for crying out loud. The fact that we’ve only scratched the surface of Solar Energy is embarrassing. Now I know southern boys, like their gas guzzling toys. That’s fine. Let them keep their pickups and mud buggies. Just charge them a lot more for wasting gas. And just TRY and put a residential wind turbine on your roof. OH NO! You have to supply government with all the permits AND engineering drawings, before you even can buy one. I don’t have that much money.

PermalinkSubmitted by Tampaguy on August 16, 2018 – 12:03pm
I can only say that I truly feel that “drilling in the Gulf of Mexico” is at best a VERY BAD IDEA. Hey, for the piddly amount of Energy we might extract, it only takes ONE “accident” to cripple America’s GREAT SEAFOOD BOWL! There are other places that already are great suppliers of Oil & Gas to us… and to the World. Florida’s labor pool is already very low – let the ‘newcomers’ become Seafood Suppliers, NOT O&G Roughnecks!

PermalinkSubmitted by Kay Rasmussen, CEcD on August 15, 2018 – 4:21pm
As the manager of a tri-county military advocacy group located in Northwest Florida, I will focus my comments and observations as they pertain to the military mission. While there can be agreement that energy independence is important, the critical question posed is “At what cost?” Drilling and exploratory activities in the eastern Gulf of Mexico threatens our national security. Most people are unaware that this area is a military range essential to our military’s success and critically important to delivering the required capabilities to our men & women deployed overseas. The Eastern Gulf Test & Training Range (EGTTR) connects test & training capabilities from NW Florida to Key West. Eglin AFB utilizes the range as well as other military branches, installations, government agencies, and private companies. In a May 09, 2018 letter, the Under Secretary of Defense wrote “The eastern Gulf of Mexico continues to be a strategic national asset critical to the lethality of our weapon systems and the readiness of our Service members; hence it is a vital component to harnessing the power of the advanced technologies required to support our National Defense Strategy.” Also a May 2018 Pentagon report (Preserving Military Readiness in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico) states, “The EGOMEX (eastern Gulf of Mexico) is an irreplaceable national asset. No other area offers the DoD (Department of Defense) a comparable combination of air space, water space, and existing infrastructure to support military activities.” The article above sites a potential economic impact resulting from drilling and exploratory activities in the eastern Gulf of Mexico as 56,000 jobs and $2.6 billion in annual revenue. The December 2017 Florida Defense Factbook sites Eglin Air Force Base in Okaloosa County as providing an impact of over $9 billion and over 72,000 jobs. The state of Florida offers $85 billion and 802,000 jobs! That economic impact would be at risk, not to mention our national security, if drilling and related exploratory activities were allowed in the EGOMEX. Oil drilling structures and associated exploratory activities east of the MML would be incompatible with military activities, negatively impact our military’s readiness and compromise our nation’s military superiority. It is critically important to maintain relevant military training ranges in order to simulate anticipated threat environments today and for the coming decades. The Eastern Gulf of Mexico is a critical component to that national security capability.

PermalinkSubmitted by Bill on August 16, 2018 – 6:29pm
Please explain what has this to do with the eastern seaboard

PermalinkSubmitted by jerry on August 15, 2018 – 3:03pm
First off there is no viable oil, NG off Florida………………… They already have the best likely tract 181 over 10 yrs ago yet they haven’t drilled a single well yet!!……………. There is NO need for east coast or Florida west coast oil drilling as too little that can destroy a lot of shoreline, tourism which is far more valuable than oil/NG…………We can get unlimited oil/NG onshore by fracking in 25% of the US, just no need for more areas to open………….They opened Alaska up yet no one bought offshore and only 4 onshore leases with 1k up for lease…………..Fact is big oil already has 10k leases they haven’t used yet and big oil sold off most of their reserves as not needed………….. Why is clean power, fuels are cheaper than FFs now so just whom wants to pay more for polluting power, fuels?

PermalinkSubmitted by Bill on August 15, 2018 – 2:50pm
I think this is a bad idea. One mistake and where talking about an end to our fresh seafood industry. The eastern Atlantic ocean is the only clean water we have, forget about the Pacific seafood, thanks to that Japanese nuclear reactor dumping millions of gallons of radiated water that is affecting fish all the way to the west coast. The Gulf oil spill disaster has caused millions of dollars of waste in the seafood industry over there, there are still places that are called dead zones. Many people were awarded monetary compensation from BP because the oil spill adversely affected their life and health.

PermalinkSubmitted by Robert Warner on August 15, 2018 – 2:24pm
Incredible. This is an insult to our intelligence, your own news outlet, and Kevin Derby. The American Petroleum Institute…. sure. Nothing like buying into this crap again. Look high not low, renewables and solar (this is Florida), not oligarch owned and controlled, dirty industry.

PermalinkSubmitted by Ted Kruze on August 15, 2018 – 1:53pm
Fugeddaboudit! Put solar on every Florida roof instead!
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Comment period open until March 9th to comment new offshore oil drilling plans

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Read below to learn more.  Then click here to send in your comments on more offshore oil permits.

https://www.boem.gov/National-Program-Comment/

Offshore drilling proposal threatens America’s coasts and marine wildlife

For Immediate Release by Environment America
Thursday, January 4, 2018

Contact: Kelsey Lamp, 775-397-5057, klamp@environmentamerica.org

Bidding for offshore oil and gas leases could begin as early as 2019 in almost all federal waters under a new Trump administration proposal. Environment America denounced the plan, which would open vast new areas of the Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific Oceans and the Gulf of Mexico to drilling.

“Oil and gas drilling is an inherently dirty and dangerous business. There is simply no safe way to drill,” said Kelsey Lamp, Oceans Associate with Environment America. “By allowing offshore drilling in more of our coastal waters, the Trump administration increases the chances of a dangerous oil spill. Opening these areas to drilling endangers sea life including whales, dolphins and sea turtles, as well as the life and livelihoods of Americans in coastal communities.”

Public opposition to the proposed plan could still make a difference. It did during the Obama administration.

During President Barack Obama’s second term, his administration, under pressure from coastal communities and environmentalists, created a five-year offshore drilling plan that protected the Atlantic and Arctic from drilling. Then, just before leaving office, President Obama announced additional protections for parts of the Arctic and Atlantic. But after President Obama left office, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order vacating these protections. The matter is currently being litigated.

Today’s proposed plan is only the second stage in the approval process — and it is open to public comment. Once the Trump administration formally releases the plan, the public will have an opportunity to comment.

“Everyone who cares about clean and healthy oceans should make his or her voice heard by commenting against this proposal,” said Lamp. “We will fight for our coasts by fighting this plan.”

By opening these areas to drilling, the Trump administration will be acting counter to the best available science — and the will of coastal residents. The past two years has seen an unprecedented outcry against drilling. Communities up and down the Atlantic coast have passed resolutions against drilling, and businesses have organized an anti-drilling alliance. Similar organizing has also taken place across the country in California.

“Instead of threatening our waterways and marine wildlife, President Trump should pay attention to the thousands of citizens, fishermen, and business owners along the Atlantic Coast and the millions of Americans from Alaska to Maine who have already said ‘no’ to offshore drilling,” said Lamp. “Today’s action is the wrong decision and we will do whatever it takes to block proposals to drill off our coasts.”