Small Bites; Big Issue

From the Florida League of Women Voters:

Small Bites, Big Issue: The Florida League on Coastal Drilling, Part 1 of 2

                      The Big Beach Grab?

   

Contact:    Deirdre Macnab

President, Florida League of Women Voters

Cell: (407) 415-4559      email: didimacnab@earthlink.net

Perspectives from the League of Women Voters of Florida

The Florida League of Women Voters believes that Floridians must take note of the environmental risks versus the potential monetary gain when considering offshore drilling. Florida’s greatest assets are its emerald waters, its sugar-white sand, its gorgeous beaches. Oil spills DO occur, such as the huge one now in the Timor Sea off Australia. Hurricanes mean our state is particularly vulnerable to this kind of catastrophe. Couple those risks with the fact that past drilling efforts just off Florida's coast  have yielded NO results and NO revenue for the state, and the League believes Florida citizens need to carefully question the Legislature's sudden interest in selling the rights to drill for oil off our beautiful shores.

Look no farther than the coast of west Florida for the world’s finest beaches. So says the renowned "Dr. Beach," Stephen P. Leatherman, Professor and Director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University. "The Panhandle beaches are the finest, whitest sand beaches in the country — probably the world: That’s one of the reasons our west coast beaches win award after award and draw millions of visitors."

The facts:

• Florida’s tourism industry is responsible for 20 percent of the state’s economy, with its tourists spending nearly $65 billion dollars, and creating 964,000 jobs. In addition, more than $800 million worth of commercial fish are caught annually and more than $5.6 billion is spent in annual recreational fishing expenditures. Why put the tourism industry in jeopardy, especially given the precarious economy, for dubious potential profits? Not to mention our west coast citizens' quality of life?
• Rep. Dean Cannon of Winter Park, incoming Speaker of the Florida House, says there's money for Florida to be made by drilling for oil off our shores. His supporters stated last spring that bringing drilling to Florida's coasts would annually net the state $1.6 billion in royalties and taxes. But wasn’t it just 2005 when then-Governor Jeb Bush authorized the payment of $12.5 million of Florida’s hard earned tax dollars to buy out an oil company's contract? In fact, during the 25 years of previous drilling, no commercial quantity of oil was found, and the state only got $2.66 million in revenues. So based on the buyout amount, Florida has already lost money on the deal.

Gov Bush said at that time, "Taxpayers are protected from hundreds of millions of dollars in takings claims while Florida's waters and beaches are safeguarded from the threat of coastal drilling."

• The risks? Dave Mica of the Florida Petroleum Council said environmental risks are minimal with modern technology. ''You just don't have oil spills with oil production and exploration,'' he said. ``The entire ethic of the industry has changed.''
• But, oil spills do happen, and fairly often in fact. Right now, the very technology they are touting as safe has sprung a massive leak in Australia. As of a week ago, reports say it may take 50 days to stop an oil and gas leak off northwest Australia as marine authorities fight to prevent the slick from harming migratory whales and breeding turtles. The leak in the Timor Sea has caused a 19 mile light-oil slick off the Kimberley, one of the world’s last true wilderness areas. It is the third largest leak in Australia’s history.
• And, right here in America, during 2008, the Coast Guard National Response Center logged more than 33,000 spills. Pipelines and platforms each accounted for more than 1,300, and storage tanks more than 2,400. In 2005, Hurricanes Rita and Katrina caused 124 oil spills, destroyed 115 drilling rigs and petroleum production platforms and over 457 pipelines in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Remember: Florida is ranked #1 in the nation for hurricanes!
• Another redlight is endangering the federal regulations protecting our coasts. Until 2006, Florida's elected officials were united in their opposition to drilling off of Florida's coasts.  If the Legislature were to vote to open up drilling in state waters ten miles from the shore, what will the impact be on the Federal protections that both Republican and Democratic Members of Congress have fought for during the past decades?
• Some history: The League opposed removal of the 30-mile buffer around Florida's coast in 1987 and in 1989 testified before the President's Task Force on Offshore Oil Drilling and requested a three year moratorium on oil drilling in order to protect the Everglades and the Florida Keys from spills.  Later, the League worked to stop oil drilling on  American Indian land in the Everglades.  When energy prices rose in 2005, pressure to permit offshore drilling intensified in Congress.  The Florida League worked with the National League to alert citizens in Florida and nationwide to oppose these measures, and the bill was withdrawn. 

CONCLUSION: Florida is strapped for taxes. But opening up our coasts for doubtful dollars, and creating a risk to our tourism economy, should make citizens ask: Why would we risk this? And would those funds relieve hard-pressed Florida taxpayers, or would the drilling bring in scant proceeds just as before while destroying the protection now in place?

The State of Florida does not have an income tax because of our tourism industry. Damage those pristine, white-sand beaches and beautiful fishing waters, and we'll need to replace the lost revenue with more taxes.