{"id":66847,"date":"2025-12-01T19:24:05","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T19:24:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/66847\/"},"modified":"2025-12-01T19:24:05","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T19:24:05","slug":"appalling-offshore-drilling-plan-faces-bipartisan-blowback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/66847\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Appalling\u2019 offshore drilling plan faces bipartisan blowback"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Trump administration\u2019s plan to allow oil drilling<\/a> 100 miles off of Florida\u2019s west coast has drawn unanimous criticism from state politicians, local marine experts and tourism stakeholders.\u00a0<\/p>\n

J.P. Brooker, the St. Petersburg-based director of Florida conservation for the Ocean Conservancy<\/a>, called the Interior Department\u2019s proposal a \u201cterrible step backwards.\u201d The Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce noted that \u201ca single incident could devastate our tourism industry.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Plans to reopen federal waters to new oil and gas leasing came to light Nov. 20, a day after Brooker and local marine experts met to discuss the future of Florida\u2019s coastlines. He and others believe that weakened oversight and environmental enforcement are contributing to declining water quality and seagrass loss.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe oil and gas industry is a terrible neighbor for Florida,\u201d Brooker told the Catalyst. \u201cIt\u2019s their rigs. It\u2019s the miles of pipeline they leave on the bottom of the ocean. It\u2019s the potential for oil spills. We should be looking at alternative energy sources that make Florida cleaner and greener.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The president proposed reopening parts of the Gulf for drilling during his first term. Those plans also received bipartisan pushback, leading Trump to extend a longstanding ban ahead of the 2020 elections.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the latest proposal would help ensure that \u201cthe nation remains energy dominant for decades to come.\u201d The initiative\u2019s public comment period opened Nov. 24 and will close Jan. 23, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, a Democrat, accused the presidential administration of \u201cselling out Florida\u201d to \u201cbig oil donors.\u201d She called the plans a \u201cslap in the face after the damage done by the BP Deepwater Horizon<\/a> blowout\u201d in 2010.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, Republicans have also criticized the plan<\/a> en masse. Gov. Ron DeSantis said it would \u201cweaken protections that we worked very hard to establish offshore.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

U.S. Sen Ashley Moody said the proposal is \u201cHIGHLY concerning\u201d in a recent social media post. \u201cWe will be engaging directly with the department on this issue,\u201d she wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFrankly, it\u2019s appalling, because it\u2019s so not what Floridians want that we basically have a unified Floridian voice saying, \u2018Don\u2019t do this,\u2019\u201d Brooker said. \u201cAnd anytime you\u2019ve got people from across the political spectrum \u2026 all saying the same thing, which is do not drill off the coast of Florida, you should know that your policy decision is way off the mark.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce<\/a> noted that over 100,000 families in Pinellas County \u201crely in one way or another on tourism.\u201d CEO Charlie Justice said in a prepared statement that \u201cour businesses cannot afford that kind of risk, nor can our residents who rely on tourism-driven employment.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The organization cited studies from the Tampa Bay Estuary Program<\/a> that show \u201ceven the perception\u201d of an environmental threat can deflate coastal property values and deter new investments. Brooker said the Deepwater Horizon oil spill had \u201cyears-long impacts to fisheries,\u201d which sustain over 200,000 jobs in Florida.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTourists aren\u2019t coming to beaches that are filled with oil,\u201d he added. \u201cNobody wants to be here if they\u2019re looking at an oil rig.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Brooker \u201ccannot imagine\u201d the Interior Department\u2019s plan coming to fruition. However, he said the presidential administration\u2019s current policies have \u201cshackled\u201d environmental quality initiatives.\u00a0<\/p>\n

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funding cuts have impeded pollutant monitoring and mitigation efforts, Brooker said. He also warned that the president\u2019s proposed budget would \u201cdramatically slash\u201d money for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).<\/p>\n

St. Petersburg is home to the National Marine Fisheries Service\u2019s Southeast Regional Office, which operates under NOAA. The agency also oversees the National Weather Service, and Brooker said funding cuts would have local impacts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Washington D.C.-based Ocean Conservancy is \u201cfighting really hard to make sure that doesn\u2019t happen.\u201d Brooker also noted that \u201cunbridled\u201d population growth is affecting Florida waterways, and recently introduced legislation would prevent local governments from enacting related ordinances.<\/p>\n

However, there is some positive news for local marine stakeholders. Brooker said the Tampa Bay Estuary Program has found that \u201cwe\u2019re not still dealing with the same levels of pollution that we were\u201d following Hurricanes Helene and Milton.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are still all kinds of nutrient pollution coming into the bay, and there\u2019s a lot of issues with overall water quality, but the good story there is that post-hurricane impacts have alleviated considerably,\u201d Brooker elaborated. \u201cThis has been a really quiet hurricane season, and I think that has helped us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The area has avoided a significant red tide<\/a> event for the past few years, which Brooker called an improvement. He also noted that \u201csome sea grass recovery<\/a>\u201d in Tampa Bay is \u201ca good sign.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re seeing some glimmers of hope, but we\u2019re by no means out of the woods,\u201d Brooker said. \u201cThere are still major reforms needed in terms of Florida\u2019s surface water quality to fully protect us in the long run.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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