Florida Democrats, GOP Want Offshore Drill Ban in Defense Bill

Florida Democrats and Republicans are hoping to permanently ban offshore drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico by championing an amendment to must-pass defense legislation.

A group of 19 Floridians, led by Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.), recently filed an amendment for inclusion in the upcoming floor debate of the fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 6395). The measure is identical to legislation (H.R. 205) the House passed last September that would end drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico after 2022, when the current moratorium expires.

Hastings is a member of the powerful Rules Committee, which meets Friday to decide the parameters of the NDAA floor debate, including which amendments are considered. The House is scheduled to debate and vote on the NDAA early next week.

“I hope that by including this in NDAA, which is certainly appropriate due to the significance of the area for military readiness, we will be able to induce the Senate to act positively on this and join the House in voting to protect Florida,” Rep. Francis Rooney (R-Fla.) said in a statement.

Rooney was the lead sponsor of H.R. 205, which every Florida lawmaker except Republican Rep. Ted Yoho voted for last year.

“I am confident that the president will sign NDAA into law with the amendment included, because he knows that we need to protect Florida and our nation’s military readiness,” Rooney said.

Defense Concerns

The amendment, one of more than 700 filed to the NDAA, has a decent chance of being included in the rule that the committee approves Friday. It’s bipartisan, shepherded by Hastings, and the House already has passed an identical measure.

The eastern Gulf of Mexico has been off-limits to oil and gas development since 2006 because the military uses the region for important testing and training exercises. Most of the waters included in the region are off the coast of Florida, though there is a sliver off the Alabama coast.

Defense is one of Florida’s largest industries and economic drivers, along with tourism. The Pentagon has repeatedly expressed concern with any proposals that would allow offshore drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

A group of about 80 current and retired military leaders and personnel sent a letter to Congress Thursday urging lawmakers to support the NDAA amendment permanently banning drilling in the region.

“Keeping this region free of offshore oil leasing and associated oil infrastructure will help guarantee that vital military readiness activities can continue securely and without interference,” the group wrote. “Simply put, failure to extend the eastern Gulf moratorium poses a threat to America’s military preparedness and threatens our national defense goals.”

They also cited the revenue that defense activities bring to the area.

“Without the drilling moratorium and ready military access to the eastern Gulf, Florida loses the main draw for hosting its 20 military installations and the economic boost these bases generate,” the letter said. “In 2018, defense spending in the state generated $95 billion in total economic impacts and contributed to nearly 915,000 jobs.”

Expansion Worries

Opponents of offshore drilling are worried that the Trump administration will reboot its plan to greatly expand offshore drilling in federal waters, including in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, after November’s election.

Offshore drilling is extremely unpopular among the Sunshine State’s residents; nearly 70 percent of Florida voters in 2018 approved a state constitutional amendment to ban oil and gas drilling in state waters.

President Donald Trump issued a May 29 proclamation on National Ocean Month in June, emphasizing the economic opportunity oceans present.

“Today, roughly 18.6 percent of our Nation’s oil and gas production is conducted offshore, employing thousands of Americans and helping keep prices low for American families and businesses,” the proclamation stated. “There is enormous opportunity for our country to bolster these numbers and expand this critical and profitable industry, generating even more jobs for hardworking Americans.”

Diane Hoskins, a campaign director for Oceana, a nonprofit organization that advocates for ocean conservancy, said that the administration’s plan to expand offshore drilling “assumes Florida’s protections will expire and that’s exactly what the oil industry wants.”

She praised the bipartisan support as well as the support from defense community for permanently extending the moratorium on drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

“The bottom line is Florida doesn’t want drilling to get an inch closer—any deal that risks that is a raw deal for Florida,” Hoskins said.

Rubio Amendments

The Senate could continue work on its fiscal 2021 NDAA next week when it returns Monday from a two-week recess.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) filed two offshore drilling amendments related to the eastern Gulf of Mexico, but they weren’t among the measures approved in a package of amendments in early July.

One of the amendments would extend the current moratorium for another ten years. A separate measure would require the Defense secretary to sign off on any potential offshore drilling plans in the eastern Gulf to assure they would not impede military activities.

Groups like Oceana, however, aren’t fans of the Rubio amendment that would “give deference” to the Defense secretary, Hoskins said.

Rubio’s NDAA amendments aren’t dead, but the window for inclusion in the package is closing.

The Florida senator has vowed to keep trying to find vehicles to keep the ban in place before the current moratorium expires in less than two years. He favors a permanent ban but has said a temporary extension is an easier political sell in the GOP-controlled Senate.