Bill would permanently offshore ban oil drilling near Florida

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - A bill to permanently ban oil drilling off Florida coastlines has been filed in Congress.

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor and Rep. Vern Buchanan reintroduced the bipartisan Florida Coastal Protection Act to make permanent the moratorium on offshore oil drilling in Florida.

“We must do all we can to protect and improve the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and our oceans,” Castor, a Democrat from Tampa, said in a news release. “In the Sunshine State, clean water and our beautiful beaches are central to our way of life and the cornerstones of our economy, and we know that oil and gas drilling can devastate both our environment and economy.”

Buchanan, a Republican from Sarasota, said the risks associated with offshore drilling are real. “As we learned from the devastating Deepwater Horizon oil explosion in 2010, our state cannot afford another spill that would threaten our economy, our environment and our way of life.”

With our bipartisan bill, Congress has an opportunity to permanently protect our coastal beaches and communities from dangerous offshore drilling,” said Castor.

In 2020, former President Donald Trump issued an executive order to temporarily ban drilling off Florida. President Biden has ordered a review of all existing leasing and permitting related to fossil fuel development. But Castor says more is needed. “Florida’s economy deserves permanent protection,” she said.