Florida House Votes in Favor of Offshore Drilling...Too Late

Though the Florida House of Representatives voted in favor of it yesterday, a move to open state waters to offshore oil drilling appears to have run out of time in the legislative session, according to a Miami Herald report via Upstream Online.com.

American Petroleum Institute President Jack Gerard today issued the following statement today about the Florida House’s overwhelming passage of a bill to authorize oil and natural gas development in Florida state waters:

“Florida’s House of Representatives — like the majority of Americans — recognizes that domestic oil and natural gas development is necessary to preserve and create jobs, generate revenues for cash-strapped state and local governments and bolster America’s energy security. It also recognizes the nation’s oil and gas industry uses state-of-the art technology and strict operating practices to ensure that any development would be done in a way that protects both the environment and state’s vital tourism industry. We hope that the state’s Governor and its Senate can see the wisdom in the House proposal, and re-open the door to offshore oil and gas development that would benefit not only Florida but the entire nation.”

File this one under “Maybe next year."

-- Bob McCarty Writes