BRADENTON – Congressman Vern Buchanan (R-Longboat Key) came out against President Trump’s plan to expand drilling for oil and natural gas off the coast of Florida this week, calling it "reckless, misguided and potentially catastrophic."
On Thursday, the Trump administration unveiled a plan to open vast new stretches of federal waters off the shores of Florida, California and along the Atlantic Coast to oil and gas drilling. While Buchanan has sided with the President on most issues, he is a longtime opponent of drilling off Florida’s Gulf Coast, having previously introduced bipartisan legislation to protect Florida’s coastlines.
"The Trump administration’s plan to expand oil drilling off Florida’s coastlines is reckless, misguided and potentially catastrophic to Florida,“ said Buchanan. "As the state with the longest coastlines in the continental United States, Florida is especially vulnerable to oil spills. Have we forgotten so soon the devastating damage caused by the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010? Our economy, environment and way of life is at stake if restrictions on oil drilling are lifted."
The plan also drew criticism from the President’s closest ally in the Sunshine State, Governor Rick Scott. Scott, who’d previously supported increased offshore drilling while running for his first term and is seen as a likely candidate for Senate in 2018, said that he has already asked to meet immediately with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to discuss "the crucial need to remove Florida from consideration."
Comments
No comments on this item
Only paid subscribers can comment
Please log in to comment by clicking here.