Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies

Vulnerable waters

Bill Nelson's victory in the Senate didn't mark the end of the battle over drilling off the Florida coast: The House energy bill still poses a significant threat.

Round one goes to Sen. Bill Nelson and Florida in the fight to protect our coast from oil exploration. Nelson made a gutsy stand against the Senate leadership Tuesday night, refusing to yield the floor until he was assured that a drilling ban in the eastern gulf would endure. Backed by Sen. Mel Martinez, he got the guarantee. Now there are other battles ahead.

The Senate energy bill still includes a requirement for an inventory of all offshore oil and gas reserves. That harmless-sounding procedure actually involves a series of underwater blasts that can harm fish, marine mammals and fragile sea bottom.

Why do a seismic survey of Florida's coast if there is no intention of drilling here? The answer, of course, is there is no good reason. Nelson and Martinez have vowed to fight the inventory provision, or at least to allow coastal states that don't want oil rigs off their beaches to exempt themselves from the requirement.

The House version of the energy bill includes a different attack on the state's ability to defend itself from unwanted drilling in environmentally sensitive areas. Now a state can appeal a federal decision to allow coastal drilling. Among the arguments the state can make to the Department of Commerce is that the activity would harm its natural resources and economy. Florida has used the process twice in the past to stop drilling near the Dry Tortugas off Key West. In those cases, the commerce secretary concluded that the "extremely unique and valuable" Florida coast would be "adversely impacted" by an oil spill.

The House bill still would allow such appeals, but it would stack the deck against the state by changing the rules. Only information gathered by the federal permitting agency could be used in an appeal, which would be akin to prohibiting a defendant from introducing evidence during a trial.

A fair process is "one of Florida's most powerful tools in our effort to defend our coastal communities," said Rep. Jim Davis, D-Tampa, who unsuccessfully attempted to strike down the changes in committee. The danger now is that the provision could survive in a final energy bill negotiated by Senate and House leaders and become law.

Lawmakers from states that envy Florida's beautiful beaches have been critical of our congressional delegation's efforts. Unfortunately, those detractors have resorted to misinformation. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., who failed in an attempt to claim some of the eastern gulf for her state's drilling interests, said offshore oil rigs are safe. Apparently Landrieu didn't read her hometown newspaper this week.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reported that an oil rig spill 60 miles off the Louisiana coast polluted the state's largest pelican nesting area and contaminated 1,000 birds, killing hundreds. The story ("Collision of Louisiana icons, pelicans and oil, sets rescuers in motion") explained that there was no end in sight for the cleanup.

Imagine the impact such a headline in a Florida newspaper would have on our tourism industry. Floridians need to support their congressional delegation as its says "no, thank you" to the proponents of offshore drilling.