Oppose the Dirty Drilling Swindle in Florida!

Defenders of Wildlife
Wildlife Action Center

The Florida House of Representatives just passed a bill to open up state waters to destructive nearshore oil drilling, and if the state senate approves it, our coasts -- and the marine wildlife, communities and tourist economies they support -- will be put at serious risk.

Nearshore drilling will cause significant harm to our ecosystems and economies -- and could be downright disastrous. The federal agency that regulates offshore drilling reported 124 oil spills caused by hurricanes in 2005 alone.

The Senate will be deciding whether or not to consider this bill -- or pass it into law -- any day now. We need your help to ensure our state leaders don’t fall for this underhanded scheme. Please stand up for wildlife today.

Our views: Big Oil's ambush

Florida Today
April 26, 2009

It’s Big Oil’s sneak attack.


With the clock ticking on the final days of the legislative session, the industry and its supporters are suddenly trying to ram through changes that would allow oil and gas drilling within 3 miles of Florida’s coast.

Call on Your Legislator to Oppose Nearshore Oil Drilling

Audobon

Protect Florida Now and in the Future:
Call on Your Legislator to Oppose Near-shore Oil Drilling
and Support Clean, Renewable Solutions Instead

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On Tuesday, the House passed a late-filed amendment to HB 1219 in committee, sending language to the House floor that would open Florida's nearshore waters to oil drilling.

WE NEED YOUR HELP to stop this dangerous proposal. Please call or email your Legislator and tell him or her not to gamble with Florida's future. Your lawmaker needs to hear from you.

Moving a proposal of this magnitude in the last 9 days of Legislative Session is not government in the sunshine. If Florida is going to consider lifting its several decades-old ban on nearshore drilling, it warrants substantial public and legislative discussion, not a last minute rush to law.

Florida's coastal economy is based on tourism and healthy, abundant natural resources. The magnitude of drilling's potential economic benefits is hypothetical and uncertain; our coastal economy is real and substantial. Please don't trade a certain, sustainable source of income for a risky payout.

This bill would put above-water drilling from three to ten miles off our Gulf Coast and as close as 1 mile offshore for underwater drilling operations. This proximity to shallow-water natural resources is too risky for our coastal economy, ecology and communities.

If you would like to demonstrate your commitment to American fuel independence, please support renewable portfolio and clean car standards that would also serve to reduce Florida's greenhouse gas emissions.

Please oppose HB 1219 on Special Order on Friday. This bill is bad for transparency in government, and bad for Florida's ecology and coastal economy. We need your leadership now.

A Roundtable of Local Florida Journalists on the Future of Newspapers, the Role of Community Media and Cubans in Florida

Democracy Now!
April 7, 2009

As we broadcast from Tampa, Florida, we host a roundtable discussion about the state in Florida with Marty Petty, the executive vice president and publisher of the St. Petersburg Times, Florida’s largest newspaper; Patrick Manteiga, publisher and editor of La Gaceta Newspaper, one of the oldest minority-owned newspapers in the United States; and Rob Lorei, news director of community radio station WMNF.

Crist backs farmworkers

Gov. Charlie Crist once again has gone against the grain of Florida politics and gubernatorial politics in particular. On March 26, Crist sent a letter to leaders of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers after meeting with members of the labor advocacy group in Tallahassee.

Everglades questions grow as deal shrinks

Herald Tribune
By Kate Spinner
Friday, April 3, 2009

Gov. Charlie Crist's shrunken $533 million Everglades land deal will not restore the River of Grass and would leave the state with thousands of acres of low-value orange groves...

Chiles pushes to bring kids' issues to forefront

Florida Capital News
April 2, 2009

Worst to First campaign officials hope to inspire communities to get involved

Hoping to stir change in how Florida prioritizes children and health issues, Lawton "Bud" Chiles announced a long-term campaign Wednesday to put those concerns at the forefront.

"We're here to say the state of affairs for children in Florida is downright embarrassing," said Chiles, president of the Lawton Chiles Foundation and son of former Gov. Chiles. "We've got to become a leader again for children in this state."...