The offshore war continues on the coastline of the United States
The opposition of the offshore oil drilling in Florida has becoming a bipartisan issue.
The republicans have quiet their voices to drilling along the beautiful coastal reefs in Florida. Instead both Democrats and Republicans have aligned together on objecting President Trump’s agenda to expand offshore drilling and change safety regulations imposed after the devastating BP oil spill.
It has been a heart-felt welcoming for a state that mainly depends on tourism with their legendary pristine beaches.
By continuing to expand the agenda to drill followed the eighth anniversary of the nation’s worst-ever catastrophic oil spill, which discharged more than three million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Devastating along the coast and in deep-sea marine and wildlife habitat, fishing and tourism business.
During the 87-day effort to stop the spill, Florida Sen Marco Rubio said he supported more offshore rigs to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. “I have not heard anyone say you cannot safely drill for oil,” he said at the time, “because there are thousands of rigs drilling as we speak.”
The same Marco Rubio and Governor elect Rick Scott opposed President Obama’s decision in December 2010 to halt plans for more drilling in the eastern Gulf and along the southern Atlantic seaboard.
A shift has been happening since, the state Constitution Revision Commission group appointed by Scott and the Republican-controlled Legislature have placed a proposed amendment on the November ballot to ban oil drilling near the coast.
The public opinion polls, lower gas prices and our nation’s growing energy independence has influenced the decision to preserve the pristine waters of Florida.
In the latest poll by Clearview Research has shown 54 percent of Florida voters are supporting the proposed amendment. It will need 60 percent voter to approve the new amendment
With our ability to tap into our natural resources we are becoming self-reliant, less dependable on the Middle East and Opec.
Meanwhile the shale fields of Texas and North Dakota have driven oil production record level. Producing major exports for the first time in decades. We have surpassed Saudi Arabia and Russia this year the Associated Press reports.
The question remain why are we pushing to offshore oil rigs while our inland production is booming?