Contact your Congress critters to let them know that you are tired of high gas prices.
Posted on 07/05/2008 5:32:11 AM PDT by kellynla
PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Oil companies once viewed drilling in the deep waters off Florida as cost prohibitive. Politicians feared even the slightest sign of support would be career suicide.
No more. Record crude oil prices are fueling support for oil and natural gas exploration off the nation's shores. In Florida, movement was underway even before President Bush called on Congress last month to lift a federal moratorium that's barred new offshore drilling since 1981.
The early activity here stems from a 2006 Congressional compromise that allows drilling on 8.3 million acres more than 125 miles off the Panhandle _ an area that had been covered by the moratorium, which was enacted out of environmental concerns. In exchange, the state got a no-drilling buffer along the rest of its beaches.
Florida may turn out to be a prelude for other coastal states. If oil or natural gas deposits are found in the newly opened region, experts say it could further the push to explore other once-protected areas everywhere. It also could be a rallying point for critics, who say the new exploration isn't a license to expand exploration.
With gas topping $4 a gallon, recent polls show Americans, Floridians included, more supportive of drilling in protected areas. Some politicians _ including Gov. Charlie Crist _ have switched sides.
"We think the public is way out ahead of the politicians on these issues. People are more open to (offshore drilling) now," said Tom Moskitis, spokesman for the American Gas Association, a trade group.
At the same time, oil companies, driven by the record energy price, are more willing to risk $100 million or more to begin exploring new regions.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
My rough guess is about 200 miles from the panhandle to Fla west coast
I think the Chinese are already slant drilling into our areas from just outside the boundaries.
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Not yet. The ChiComs and Fidelistas have signed anagreement to move forward but are still in the exploration phase.
google Gull Island, why arent they drilling there?
At 45 feet of elevation the VH is 6.7 miles.
“google Gull Island, why arent they drilling there?”
“thackney” would have to answer you. He might know.
Where are the environmentalists as the Chinese have such a poor record for preserving the environment?
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The Chinese are Red and therefore kissing cousins of the Greens and exempt from regulation.
“and the fishing will be GREAT”
Rigs attract little fish that attract bigger fish to eat them that attract fisherman!
In he gulf of California when there wasn’t any breeze and no action when marlin fishing i’ve taken half a dozen baloons and tied them together with a sinker and set them out for an hour and then come back an a lot of times they would have attracted some small fish under them and they would have attracted marlin to the area for me to catch.
Just one of the little tricks i’ve used over the years TO catch close to 300 marlin.
The leasing schedule is back loaded — 5.8 million of the 8.3 million acres to be leased in March, 2009. It’s possible a Democrat-heavy Congress and a President Obama will rescind the March ‘09 lease.
Maybe some did. George H W Bush wouldn't have.
All kinds of nursery tales come from the vicinity of the oil industry. Another one is that BP is selling Prudhoe oil to Japan. It's not worth refuting.
Hey, I live in Tampa Florida which have some of the finest beaches in the area but I’m all for DRILLING! I’m tired of the USA being held over (pardon my pun) barrel when the price of oil & gas goes up over some screaming headlines “terrorists attacked Nigeria’s pipelines, Iran says it will block sealanes, Texas fineries on fire etc..”
I would like to be reassure that we do have access to our oil and less dependency on foreign oil while we research alternative energy resources.
By the way I email my Floridian Senator Nelson that I wanted to drill off the shores of Florida which will bring paying jobs and if you continue to vote no to drilling you have lost my vote. His response he towed the Dem’s line no drilling. I email him back and well you lost my vote. Yes I voted for him in the last election because the alternative was Katherine Harris. My mistake and now I’m living with it! Yikes!
Contact your Congress critters to let them know that you are tired of high gas prices.
“Hey, I live in Tampa Florida which have some of the finest beaches in the area but I’m all for DRILLING!”
I expect a lot of Floridians favor drilling for the reasons you give. On an issue like this, the tourism industry spokesmen probably make nice contributions to politicians and make their case while most citizens voice no opinion on the issue until the shortsightedness of the special interests groups begins to have negative impact on everyone.
This is one issue I did come to very early. I’ve thought since the 1970s that we should have treated this as matter of national security and put more and more domestic reserves into production or at least in some standby status. But crude was cheap during the ‘80s and ‘90s, so as is typical, the politicians reacted to the loudest special interests and put most of our territory off limits to new exploration and drilling. And here we are now.
The more I watch our politicians operate, the less regard I have for them.
Good news, now open the rest of the states.
If you like $5/gal, Thank Congress. If you want $10, Vote Obama.
Pray for W and Our Troops
***Map of Area 181 and South 181
That green area in the map, which was known as the “stove pipe” in the Clinton-Chiles map was excluded. ***
Thanks, Ben. Now I can visualize it much better than from the info in the article.
Thanks for the info. Not being a "seafarin' type", I've never seen (or had occasion to need) the method. So, my surmise that allowing drilling past 12 miles offshore eliminates the "tourist eyesore" aspect of offshore oil drilling was correct.
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