To provide certainty for Florida, leaders in Congress must begin meaningful negotiations to address this challenge. There are already 2,557 active leases and 3,200 active oil drilling platforms in the Gulf now, distant from our beaches and ocean views. We don’t doubt that somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico, far from our shores, there are energy resources that can be safely extracted and contribute to the economy and energy security of the U.S. This is certainly a worthy goal, to ensure we are not constantly held hostage for our energy needs by regimes that rarely have our interests at heart, like Venezuela and Iran.Ī major building block of the Trump Administration’s energy dominance goal is the upcoming Department of Interior five-year plan.Īs Floridians, we would be wise to assume that opening up new energy exploration areas in the Gulf of Mexico could be part of the federal plan.Įqually, we must understand that the combination of this forthcoming plan and the impending end to the drilling moratorium requires us to act to set the terms which will protect Florida and its unparalleled natural beauty. President Donald Trump has called for the United States to achieve not just energy independence, but energy dominance. Given the partisanship and political stalemate right now in our nation’s capital, this is no small order. Senate reach agreement on some form of extension that the President would agree to sign into law. House of Representatives and a supermajority of 60 bipartisan members of the U.S. There will be no protections in place unless, before 2022, a majority of the members of the U.S. Perhaps that fact alone got your attention. If Congress fails to generate bipartisan support, and the current moratorium expires, oil platforms could be sitting just nine miles off Florida’s coastline, where Florida waters end and federal waters begin. That’s because in 2022, the current moratorium on drilling for oil virtually anywhere in the Gulf of Mexico expires.
However, it is going to take a strong collective effort on all our parts to truly secure Florida’s future.
We enjoy beautiful weather, one of the nation’s best education systems, incredible beaches, a military infrastructure vital to our way of life, a $1 trillion and growing annual economy and a shared spirit of optimism about our future. One thing most Floridians can agree on is that Florida is special.