unitex@rubbs.fidonet.org (unitex) (10/06/89)
ENVIRONMENTALISTS CAMPAIGN FOR PERMANENT DRILLING BAN
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September 29, 1989
By JEFFREY SCHWEERS
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (UPI)--A coalition of Florida
environmentalists tired of short-term reprieves on oil drilling
launched a campaign Thursday urging Congress to give permanent
protection for Florida's coast.
The coalition said it supported legislation introduced by Rep.
Andy Ireland, R-Fla., to permanently ban oil drilling off the
coast of south Florida and would campaign for its approval. The
groups also said they want Ireland to amend the bill to include a
30-mile no-drilling buffer zone for the rest of Florida's coast.
"Florida is already stressed out. Floridians don't want drilling
period," said Ann Whitfield, executive director of the Florida
Public Interest Research Group, at a news conference in
Tallahassee.
Doug Hattaway, Ireland's press secretary, said the congressman
has been discussing the 30-mile-buffer with other lawmakers who
are working on a national campaign to ban drilling off several
critical coasts, including California and parts of New England.
"We'd want as much protection for Florida's coast as we can
get," said Hattaway, adding that Florida lawmakers must fight
every year to get a one-year moratorium. "It's never an easy
fight to get a one-year moratorium."
Hattaway said a permanent ban would not only protect
environmental interests but would also safeguard Florida's long-
term economic interests. An oil spill could ruin Florida's
fishing and tourism industries, he said.
President Bush is expected to sign a one-year extension of a
south Florida drilling ban that expires Saturday. Meanwhile, two
oil companies have begun pushing to obtain drilling rights as
soon as the ban expires.
The U.S. Department of Commerce has scheduled a hearing in Key
West Friday to debate Mobil and Unocal oil applications for
drilling permits.
Gov. Bob Martinez denied the permits on the grounds that the
company's plans do not conform with the state's coastal zoning
management plans. The companies have appealed to the Commerce
Department to overrule the governor's decision.
Mobil and Unocal have held leases in the Gulf of Mexico for
several years, but the Department of Interior has put off giving
them permission to drill in order to conduct environmental
studies.
"The fact that we are facing a public hearing on oil drilling
off south Florida at the same time that a one-year ban is signed
into law underscores the absurdity of these short-term drilling
bans," Whitfield said.
Hattaway said the mood in Congress was favorable for the
approval of permanent offshore drilling bans off Florida and
other environmentally sensitive coasts. In addition, Ireland's
bill has been assigned to the Water, Power and Offshore Energy
Resources subcommittee of the Interior Committee, which is
chaired by long-tie environmental supporter Rep. George Miller,
D-Calif.
* Origin: UNITEX --> Toward a United Species (1:107/501)
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