Earlier this month, the Trump administration had released plans to make sweeping changes to the U.S.'s current offshore drilling policy, changes that would have subjected some 90 percent of the U.S. coastline to oil and gas drilling, including Florida's gulf and Atlantic coasts.
Offshore drilling is very unpopular in Florida, so naturally Floridians from all points of the political spectrum were angry.
Gov. Rick Scott, a potential Republican contender against popular Democratic U.S. Sen. from Florida Bill Nelson, had reportedly met with Zinke in early January and convinced him not to include Florida.
Environmentalists and other opponents of offshore drilling were part relieved, part skeptical over Scott's motive. Unlike governors of other coastal states, Scott is a close Trump ally, and some suspected the Trump administration cut Florida out of the plan to boost Scott's senate prospects (even if Scott's record on offshore drilling suggests he's been open to it).
Now, of course, it appears as though Scott's (alleged) efforts to appeal to Florida's pro-environment voters may have been for naught. Cruickshank told lawmakers on Friday that Zinke's comments about Florida do not equate to official action and that the department still needs to go through a lengthy process of getting public/stakeholder comments and analyzing potential drilling sites, according to The Hill. He was responding to questioning from U.S. Congressman Darren Soto, an Orlando Democrat, who said in a statement later that Cruickshank's comments were “shocking” and “very troubling.”
U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Tampa), meanwhile, said Zinke's going public with a drilling plan before completing analysis or public comment opens DOI up to potential lawsuits. She called for a permanent extension to the current moratorium on drilling off of much of Florida's coastline, which is set to expire in 2022.
"Extending this moratorium will ensure that there is no question that Florida is off the table from drilling and not at the mercy of politicians like Gov. Rick Scott and President Donald Trump who have flip flopped on the issue,” Castor said in a written statement.
Eager to showcase their own passion for the environment, some Florida candidates weighed in.
"Floridians deserve better than Governor Scott's opportunist election-year environmentalism — they deserve a leader who puts the people of Florida above political incentives and special interests," said Orlando entrepreneur Chris King, a Democrat running for governor. "As Governor, I will protect Florida's environment, natural resources, and economy by banning offshore drilling, fracking, and oil drilling in the Everglades."
For many Floridians, the memory of Deepwater Horizon's aftermath is still vivid, even if the deadly explosion, massive oil gusher and toxic oil/dispersant stew that plagued the gulf for months (at least) was hundreds of miles away. Why anyone would want to put the state's environment and economy at risk is beyond them.
"Opening up Florida's coastal waters to drilling means opening them to potential disaster — destroyed beaches, lost sea life and ruined fishing grounds," said Jennifer Rubiello, director of Environment Florida. "It makes no sense to endanger our beautiful coasts and beaches, and way of life here, all for a little more oil."
Earlier in the day, Scott spoke with reporters about Friday's news.
“First off, let me make sure that everybody understands that I’m going to continue to oppose drilling off the coast of Florida. Secretary Zinke is a man of his word. He’s a Navy Seal," he said. "He promised me that Florida would be off the table, and I believe Florida is off the table.”
This article appears in Jan 18-25, 2018.
