Floridians can weigh in on offshore drilling at Sept. 12 virtual comment session

Earle Kimel, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
·3 min read
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Crews work to clean up oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill washed ashore at Pensacola Beach in Pensacola in this June 2010 file photo. Representatives from the nonprofit Oceana are urging people to weigh in on a federal proposal to award one lease off of Alaska and as many as 10 in the Gulf of Mexico at a Sept. 12 virtual hearing or in writing, through Oct. 6.

When President Joe Biden was campaigning two years ago, one of the many promises he made was that there would be no new oil drilling leases awarded.

Then on July 1, the Department of Interior and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management released a five-year plan – covering 2023-28 proposing the possibility of awarding one new lease off of Alaska and up to 10 new leases in the Gulf of Mexico.

All 10 of those possible lease sites are in the west central portion of the Gulf of Mexico, off the coasts of Texas or Louisiana.

Earlier: Advocacy group urges Floridians to oppose offshore drilling

And: Manatee County discussion group hears case against offshore drilling

But that’s still too close to Florida’s coastline, say officials of Oceana, an international organization that advocates for protecting the oceans from pollution and other harm.

Austin Matheny-Kawesch, communications manager for Oceana’s offshore drilling awareness campaign, and Hunter Miller, Oceana’s senior field rep and lead advocate in Florida, have been conducting a virtual barnstorming tour of media outlets to raise awareness about the 90-day comment written comment period for the proposed plan. The comment period closes Oct. 6, while the last opportunity for people to weigh in with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is in an online hearing from 5 to 8 p.m., EDT on Sept. 12.

“As a Floridian, the saga of drilling off our coast has been going on for years. It’s something that keeps coming up," said Miller, a sixth-generation Floridian who has previously worked with groups and elected officials in Sarasota and Manatee counties to raise awareness of the potential harm from offshore drilling.

“We’re at a pretty critical point in time for the future of protecting our coasts.”

The potential downfalls can be conjured up with two words – Deepwater Horizon – the April 2010 catastrophe that occurred 42 miles off of Louisiana that polluted the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and impacted hundreds of miles of shoreline.

Miller offered three reasons that Florida residents, business owners and elected officials should weigh in against the latest lease expansion plan:

Gulf oil spills threaten Florida's economy. “The biggest example would be the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster,” Miller said. “That spill did not respect state lines, it happened over 100 miles away from our coastlines and still we saw impacts in the Panhandle.

“Despite no oil being on lots of Florida’s Gulf Coast beaches, it still had a major negative impact to Florida’s tried and true coastal tourism industry.”

Miller also contends that it takes a decade or more for new drilling to enter production and impact iol supply, and said vast areas are already leased but not subject to drilling.

“Florida and Sarasota are on the front line of climate change,” Miller said. “We don’t want to be investing more money and time into new offshore drilling … especially when we’re trying to combat climate change, which is threatening our infrastructure and way of life here in Florida.”

How to comment

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will accept oral testimony via Zoom from 5 to 8 p.m. Sept. 12.

Each participant will have up to two minutes to speak and a court reporter will capture those comments for public record.

Registration is strongly recommended. To register, visit: https://kearnswest.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1FXGr4cBQhuVfHKTb04_8Q.

Written comments will be accepted through Oct. 6.

For information on how to submit those online, visit https://bit.ly/3RWncO9 and click on the “How to Comment” tab.

Comments can also be sent by mail or delivery service. Envelopes should be labeled “Comments for the 2023-2028 National OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Proposed Program.” and sent to Ms. Kelly Hammerle, Chief, National OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program Development and Coordination Branch

Leasing Division, Office of Strategic Resources, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (VAM-LD), 45600 Woodland Road, Sterling, VA 20166-9216.

Earle Kimel primarily covers south Sarasota County for the Herald-Tribune and can be reached at earle.kimel@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription to the Herald-Tribune.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Florida offshore drilling: Oceana says comment now on proposed lease sales