Florida facts

Background on the Off Shore Oil Drilling Bill:

What the bill does
- Authorizes oil drilling as close as one mile off shore without evaulation of environmental risks. Leases would be possible right up to the mean high water line.
- Grants easements for pipelines, storage facilities and other infrastructure which will industrialize our coasts.
- Creates an expedited timeline on which the Cabinet must make a determination on the best of the drilling proposals
- Slants the decision against the public interest by requiring the Cabinet to make a case against any proposal (rather than the applicant making the case for it) and limiting the objections the Cabinet can raise.
- Exempts the process from the state's competitive bidding rules.
- Creates a compensation structure of low royalty fees, one-time application fees and in-kind payment options that favors the oil companies and sells our public trust resources cheaply.

Government in the Sunshine.
- A decision to end the decades-long ban on nearshore drilling deserves ample legislative and public discussion.
-Introducing this language through a late-filed amendment nine days before the end of Session is not the kind of Government in the Sunshine Floridians expect or deserve.

Potential for economic disaster
- Tourism is responsible for 20% of Florida's economy.
- More than $800 million worth of commercial fish are caught annually in Florida waters and more than $7.6 billion is spent annually on recreational fishing expenditures.
- Florida's coastal economy generated almost $562B in 2006.
- This coastal economy is dependent upon abundant, healthy natural resources and the pristine beaches tourists expect.

Potential for environmental disaster
- As a result of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, the US Coast Guard documented more than 9 million gallons (214,286 barrels) of oil were released (and this does not include the 5,000 so-called minor spills recorded). For comparison, the Exxon-Valdez spill was 240,000 barrels.
- Spills don't just occur during storms. In 2008, the US Coast Guard documented 1300 spills from rigs and 1300 spills from pipelines alone. They documented an additional 2400 spills from storage tanks.

Effects on Global Warming
- We have alternatives to foreign oil: efficiency, mass transit and renewable fuels. A renewable portfolio and vehicle emissions standards would help us wean ourselves off of foreign oil... but they will be undercut by further committing ourselves to petroleum-based energy production.