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Stand firm, Governor

Gov. Jeb Bush has been a staunch opponent of drilling off Florida's Gulf Coast, but it sounds as though his resolve may be weakening.

As Interior Secretary Gale Norton has plotted to move offshore oil and gas drilling closer to Florida's beaches, the state has had a secret weapon in the fight to stop it: Gov. Jeb Bush. He has been a staunch opponent of drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and his brother is Norton's boss. Now it looks as though Jeb Bush's resolve could be wavering.

Here is what the governor had to say about offshore drilling in July 2001: "There will be no new drilling in the Lease Sale 181 area off the coast of Florida under my watch."

Today, Bush speaks only of "a 100-mile buffer" around the state. The problem is that area 181 - nearly 3.5-million acres of ocean bottom almost entirely on Florida's side of the gulf - is just beyond the 100-mile buffer. If Bush were to give up on stopping drilling there, it could seriously compromise the state's ability to protect its coast.

Until now, Florida's congressional delegation led by Sen. Bill Nelson has been able to keep 181 off limits, with the governor's support. But Norton has come up with a clever scheme.

Interior officials have drawn a map that projects state "boundaries" far into the gulf. Even though nearly all of 181 is east of the state line separating Florida and Alabama, the new boundaries miraculously give at least half of the lease area to Louisiana, a drill-happy state. To further assure Louisiana's compliance, states are promised a bigger share of federal royalties if they approve offshore exploration.

Congress shot the plan down, but it is back. This time Republican leaders are expected to introduce it as an amendment to a budget bill, so that it can't be filibustered or voted on separately.

The northern boundary of 181 is just 100 miles from Pensacola's beaches, and the area is a sitting duck for hurricanes. Norton would like everyone to believe there is no threat, but Louisiana is proof there is. Earlier this year, Tropical Storm Arlene caused a leak at an oil rig off that state's coast, polluting a wildlife refuge and killing hundreds of protected pelicans. Maybe that's business-as-usual in Louisiana, but it would be a disaster in Florida.

The Tampa Bay area has a lot to lose, too. Currently, the eastern edge of 181 is about 200 miles from Pinellas County beaches. If that distance is cut in half, then the entire west coast would be in jeopardy.

Bush's spokesperson, Alia Faraj, said Wednesday that "the governor remains committed on maintaining existing protections around the state."

Bush still has 16 months on his watch. He can be like the man who draws a line in the sand and dares the bully to cross it, only to draw another line when the bully does. Or he can assure Floridians that he will honor his pledge to fight all drilling in the eastern gulf.

[Last modified August 25, 2005, 00:52:33]