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Jdarg

SoWal Expert
Feb 15, 2005
18,068
1,973
Thank you Grayton Girl- you are right. We can't just sit back and wait for Sen. Gaetz to look at the bill- we need to start firm and stay firm on no drilling- period.
 

Franny

Beach Fanatic
Mar 27, 2005
4,046
410
Pt. Washington
We are in and look forward to making a strong statement. Media exposure would be great. Perhaps if we have matching t-shirts our voices would be heard louder???
 

Dave Rauschkolb

Beach Fanatic
Jul 13, 2005
1,006
790
Santa Rosa Beach
Thank you Grayton Girl! Thank you for such a thoughtful and thorough analysis.

It would be helpful to actually have a copy of the bill itself on this thread. I have it in PDF form but for some reason my Mac goes into "death wheel" mode every time I try to load it. If you can do it I would very much appreciate it. At the very least the link guidance you provided is helpful.

Dave


Wow?. I guess when you ask a politician for a clear and concise view on whether he supports or opposes oil and gas drilling and exploration in state waters, you get a politician?s answer.

It would have so refreshing to hear him say, plain and simple, ?I oppose all drilling in state waters.? Unfortunately, Senator Gaetz did not say this. In fact, if it weren?t for his concern about the effect on the military, he might even say that supports it ?. provided that ?the drilling advocates? could convince him that it would be good for our economy and for gas prices while also being safe for our environment.

Perhaps, rather than questioning the Proponents of drilling, he should pose his questions to the Opponents of near-shore drilling. Obviously, drilling advocates are just that ? they advocate that drilling in our local waters (which go from the shore to about 9 miles out) will be great for the economy and relatively harmless to our environment.

This weekend, I had a chance to view the final form of the bill that passed the House in the last days of the 2009 session. The bill, HB 1219, was filed as a 2-page bill. By the end of the session, that bill had expanded to become a 21-page bill. Most of the late amendments to the bill included how the drilling and exploration revenues would be spent in our state. The bill states that the royalties, rents and payments that the State receives will go toward a litany of wonderful programs for our state. Of course, the money currently being spent on those programs will just be re-appropriated to other areas (not unlike the lottery money that replaced the old education funding dollars).

The bottom line is that the oil drilling advocates and our State Representatives & Senators who will be filing this bill during the next session believe that we, the people, can be easily bought off.

It is sad to me that 100% of our panhandle representatives voted in favor of the House Bill in 2009. And it is sad to me that Senator Gaetz refuses to take a position opposing all drilling and exploration in state waters. Can he really be convinced that the technology is so advanced now that there will be no environmental harm? If that is so, then why did HB 1219 contain a provision requiring a surety bond of either $500 million dollars (!!!) or (and please carefully read this language):
?A calculated cost estimate for potential damages related to, but not limited to, air, water, and ground pollution, destruction of wildlife or marine productivity, and any other damage that impairs the health and general welfare of the citizens of the state, as based on reasonably foreseeable accidents or occurrences associated with the particular oil and gas development or production activity within the immediate area of the oil and gas lease.?
Those risks sound pretty scary to me!

What should we do?
Well, while Senator Gaetz makes the point that he can?t know how to react until a bill is actually filed for the next session, we surely do not need to be sitting on our hands waiting for that unfortunate day to occur. Because it WILL occur.

What we all need to do is let Senator Gaetz (and Representative Coley) know that we, the citizens, do not support ANY oil or gas exploration in state waters! In fact, why don?t Senator Gaetz, Representative Coley and the other members of the local panhandle delegation follow the lead of our business communities (area Chambers of Commerce), ALL of which oppose any oil and gas exploration in our state waters. We need to put the pressure on the folks that we voted to represent us in the Florida House and Senate. This issue is not going away! And I am convinced that it will be the biggest issue that will be faced in 2010.

If you are interested in following the history of last session?s House Bill or if you want to stay on top of what is being filed and amended this year, you can go to Florida?s Online Sunshine, which has all sorts of information and ways to track legislation:
www.leg.state.fl.us If you want to see last year?s bill, what you do is click on the word ?House? on the left of the page. Then, on the left under the words ?Bill Finder? you can put in the year ?2009? and the number ?1219? in the empty box below that. Press ?Go? and the page with all this bill?s history will pop up. Fool around on it awhile and you can see the vote history, the specific amendments that either failed or were adopted, the final bill language (referred to as the Engrossed 1), the various staff analyses of the bill, etc.

Let?s keep the dialogue going about this important issue. While I understand why he says what he says, I disagree wholeheartedly with Senator Gaetz? opinion that this issue must be studied and understood before we can really make an informed decision. Really? You mean there WOULD be situations where we could all support oil rigs and oil & gas exploration in our pristine state waters? I don?t think so. And I hope you don?t think so either.

View attachment 14594
 

Dave Rauschkolb

Beach Fanatic
Jul 13, 2005
1,006
790
Santa Rosa Beach
Letter to Senator Don Gaetz

I recently said the following in a recent letter to Senator Don Gaetz, I have left out a few personal elements.

........I am deeply passionate about protecting our coastal waters. I believe it is imperative to defend our beaches and coastal waters from the potential ravages of the Oil Industry regardless of the economic upside promised by powerful oil interests. For me, it's not about politics it's about protection. Frankly, I have not met one person locally who supports this legislation aside from our elected local representatives.

Most of your district is along the coast from Escambia to Bay county and in many ways the future of our coastline is in your hands; you truly are our coastal Senator. I am extremely pleased you voted against drilling on our coastline in 2007. My concern is that the vote on this new bill very possibly will go along party lines and even if you voted against it, it would pass. Regardless of promises from the Oil companies of limiting exploration to "under the surface" technology we know, once the drilling begins there will be no turning back, more and more will occur especially if they find Oil.

I would assume Pensacola and Panama city would become major transport and support hubs. It's not just the oil rigs themselves, it's the increased support boat traffic and related pollution that will directly affect our clean, emerald waters. I simply don't see any new technology that will protect our coastline from that. All we need to do is look west to see what Texas beaches are like.

Don, as you well know our local economy is based in tourism and the military. The beauty of our beaches is why people come here and that beauty is why our area has lasting value, value that feeds our whole economy from retail to restaurants to real estate. We have never been and should not convert our ports into major industrial hubs. Why do you think Scenic 30-A has become one of the the most valuable areas on our coast? We have worked to preserve it's beauty and character and to me, the broader coast is no different........



I consider Senator Gaetz a friend and a man of conviction and integrity whom I respect. I know he has our area's best interest at heart. I sincerely hope after further analysis he will oppose this bill. I suggest every one of us write all our local representatives and Senator Gaetz regarding this important issue. It is clear the powerful Oil Lobby, is going to continue pushing for this Bill.

Dave Rauschkolb
 

Dave Rauschkolb

Beach Fanatic
Jul 13, 2005
1,006
790
Santa Rosa Beach
FSU, Gannett to host public forum on drilling October 28

I suggest we create a delegation of Northwest Florida Resident's to go to this Forum on October 28th.

Dave Rauschkolb


FSU, Gannett to host public forum on drilling
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Capital bureau Print Email to a friend Subscribe
With gas prices and Florida's need for new revenue wearing down public resistance to Gulfcoast oil drilling, a statewide public forum on the controversy is set for late this month.

Florida State University and Gannett Florida are organizing the two-hour event on Oct. 28. A panel of experts on both sides will take questions from a studio audience at FSU, television viewers and citizens watching on Web sites of Gannett newspapers and TV stations across Florida.

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"We want to bring together in a single place the best thinking by proponents and opponents of lifting the ban on drilling off our shores, and put them in front of the people of Florida," said Bob Gabordi, executive editor of the Tallahassee Democrat. He said the forum will help assure "that the best ideas, not the best politics, win the day."

FSU President T.K. Wetherell invited Sen. Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, and Rep. Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, to take part in the 7-9 p.m. forum. They are the designated presiding officers of the Legislature for the 2011-12 sessions.

Drilling could come up as early as next spring, or even in a special session this year. The House voted to let Gov. Charlie Crist and the Cabinet grant oil leases in Gulf waters, 10 miles from the coast, but the Senate didn't take up the measure.

Since then, business organizations and environmentalist groups have mobilized on both sides for a pitched battle in coming sessions.

"This is the discussion we want to have," Haridopolos said Sunday. "The forum lets us have an open, transparent debate. Let's answer all the questions people have. Just closing our eyes to it is not an option when one out of every 10 Floridians is out of work."

But Eric Draper, policy director for the Florida Audubon Society, said proponents have over-estimated the shift in public opinion as well as the revenue potential of drilling. Despite rising pump prices and severe budgets by state and local governments, Draper said only 20 to 25 percent of Floridians favor wide-open exploration on the Gulf coast.

"There's been a shift, but not a dramatic shift," he said Sunday. "There has been an extraordinary campaign at both the national and state levels by the oil companies, advertising on all the cable news shows, and I think most of it has been targeted toward weakening Florida opposition."

Haridopolos said the Senate didn't act on the House-passed bill last spring because environmentalists hadn't been heard and revenue projections had not been fully tested.

"The political climate has changed, no doubt, and about 75 percent support the idea of drilling," he said. "Dean Cannon and I are committed to having a full discussion on the issue, understanding the risk as well as the rewards that can come from opening up drilling in the Gulf."

In letters to Cannon and Haridopolos, Wetherell said the forum would address questions of beach protection, how much revenue "Florida would realistically expect from energy royalties," how many jobs would be created by drilling and whether Florida's offshore oil can affect the nation's foreign oil dependency "in a significant way."
 

Dave Rauschkolb

Beach Fanatic
Jul 13, 2005
1,006
790
Santa Rosa Beach
Stacking the Deck for Drilling

Tampa Bay Times

A Times Editorial
Stacking the deck for drilling



Republican Senate President Jeff Atwater, who wants to be Florida's next chief financial officer, ignored a blatant conflict of interest and named a new energy committee chairman whose wife is a lobbyist for the secretive group pushing offshore drilling. That taints the integrity of the Senate's deliberations on drilling.

Atwater tapped Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami, one of the Legislature's most politically savvy operators, to oversee the Committee on Communications, Energy and Public Utilities. Diaz de la Portilla's wife, Claudia, has been representing Florida Energy Associates, a shadowy group of Texas oilmen who are trying to usurp two decades of smart, bipartisan Florida policy banning offshore drilling.

Atwater has cast yet another layer of self-dealing into the mix, making it hard to trust his promise that the issue will get an objective vetting. Diaz de la Portilla said he has proven before that he is not beholden to his wife's clients and won't be this time. But his chairmanship gives the appearance of further stacking the deck for the oil drilling group, which has hired dozens of high-profile lobbyists but refuses to identify who is underwriting its campaign. The group already has a pair of powerful Republican acolytes, the anticipated next leaders of both legislative chambers, Rep. Dean Cannon of Winter Park and Sen. Mike Haridopolos of Melbourne, who believe the industry pitch that offshore drilling will somehow save the state's fiscal woes even as it risks destroying tourism. Now Atwater has given it a third insider — and every time Diaz de la Portilla's committee takes up the issue, the chairman's motives will be in question.

Atwater wisely slowed the debate earlier this year when he refused to consider a special session on oil drilling. But with Diaz de la Portilla's appointment, Atwater must assume full responsibility for making sure the Legislature doesn't capitulate to a band of anonymous, cash-carrying out-of-staters who could care less about Florida's tourism businesses and world-renowned beaches. Atwater hopes to move into the CFO job next year. But voters should see how he handles this job first.
 
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ASH

Beach Fanatic
Feb 4, 2008
2,156
443
Roosevelt, MN
A line in the sand

count me and my family in the line. You don't hear of people traveling to TX to vacation on the beach for good reason. This must be protected.
 
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