GOP prepares stealth legislation to open FL coasts to oil/gas exploration

[seafan]

Rising fuel prices and a hurricane-battered national oil supply have given Republicans in Congress and the oil industry new ammunition to launch a drive to open up Florida waters to oil and gas exploration.

Talks begin today in Washington, D.C., that could lead to drilling off the Florida shoreline -- particularly along the Panhandle coast, where petroleum companies believe gas reserves are huge.

The two-pronged approach -- in a House energy bill and the federal budget -- has created a rift in Florida's congressional delegation, which once fiercely and nearly unanimously defended the state against any efforts to drill offshore.

--snip

The measure, expected to be tucked into the House budget plan and the House energy bill, would eliminate the existing ban on drilling off Florida coasts, auction off leases to the gas-rich region along the Florida-Alabama line known as Lease Sale 181 within three months and limit the 125-mile buffer to five years for gas drilling and 10 years for oil drilling.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/12758560.htm

These people never, never sleep.

It's past time to issue a moratorium on all GOP legislation/judicial nominees, as * and his merry band of racketeers have now forfeited their right to call themselves Americans.

[freethought]

1. Do you think this will go down well with Jeb?

Somehow I am not so sure. The only reason Chimp hasn't opened up the FLA coast yet is because his little bro is governer.

[No Exit]

6. Is Jeb a native Floridian? Oh.......... wait............

I forgot... Bushes aren't really NATIVE to any country or state... they're just overprivileged capitalist entities, stuffed with wealth, which travel the globe seeking ever more opportunities to screw their fellow humans out of possessions and money...

[napi21]

2. Well, I hate to beat on our Fl. supporters, but it seems like most people

in Fl. are just single minded idiots. I really don't care if they drill off the Fl coast. Put some more rigs in the storm path. Make a mess of the view from shore. Maybe they'll even have an oil spill or two. Maybe that will convince all the Shrub worshipers that they're crazy!

[Nay]

4. As a native Floridian, I would hate to see this, but frankly, everyone

living there now is really freeperish. They have ruined the educational system, the roads, the Everglades, the beaches, the ocean environment, etc., so maybe now they need to have the tourism ruined so their eyes will be opened.

[don954]

3. we have one of the worst Red Tides in history right now on our gulf

side, and now they want to drill... great, just what we need..

[dusty64]

5. WTF do rethug

voters expect. Do they really believe that their interests and that of future generations are more important than the shortterm goals of bloated corporations. Get real, time to take those f'in blinders off. Does anyone actually believe jeb doesn't want this? Now that he is free from "election" fears (I know, I know, those diebold machines), can people be that blind and stupid to think he ever gave a shit?

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

7. In order to replace hurricane-battered oil supplies, we'll build

more oil rigs in hurricane-prone waters. :think:

[HeeBGBz]

8. I expect this on the MS coast too

"BILOXI -- Several days before their forum at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum, members of the 12 Miles South Coalition said they hoped the event would send a loud and clear message to Gov. Haley Barbour and the rest of the state's politicians that the majority of Coast residents did not want drilling off the state's barrier islands."

http://www.gulflive.com/news/mississippipress/index.ssf?/base/news/1124705722302050.xml

I attended this rally just one week before Katrina. Most in attendance appeared to be against bringing in oil rigs into the barrier islands.

Watch the PTB make a push for it now.