• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Gulf Drilling Well-Received on Capitol Hill: The Senate Energy Committee Held Hearings on Drilling in the Gulf of Mexico Despite Opposition From Florida Sens. Mel Martinez and Bill Nelson

Posted on: Friday, 17 February 2006, 06:00 CST

By Lesley Clark, The Miami Herald

Feb. 17--WASHINGTON -- A proposal to open a vast area of the Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas exploration got a favorable hearing Thursday before the Senate Energy Committee, even as Florida lawmakers labored to block the effort.

"This ocean belongs to the United States of America," said Sen. Pete Domenici, a New Mexico Republican and the committee chairman, who called the Gulf area in question "the single most significant" opportunity to bring new supplies of natural gas and oil to market.

Domenici invited energy company executives -- who have long eyed the Gulf and its oil and natural gas reserves -- and a Department of Interior official to testify that modern technology has made drilling a cleaner business.

"We are talking about activity 100 miles or more offshore that will not be seen, heard or smelled," said Thomas Skains, a member of the American Gas Association board of directors. "No tankers, no barges, no spills. I live in a coastal state and I appreciate the need to protect our beaches, but this is no threat."

Michael Gravitz, oceans advocate with the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, testified against the bill, saying it would do little to boost energy supplies and potentially could harm the coast.

Florida lawmakers are battling efforts to open up the Gulf on two fronts: Domenici's bill that would permit exploration in 3.6 million acres and the Department of the Interior's plan to permit energy leases in about 2 million acres.

Florida Sens. Mel Martinez, a Republican, and Bill Nelson, a Democrat, have countered with a Senate bill to open up only 750,000 acres, providing a larger buffer between drilling and Florida's shores.

They fear the beaches would be tarnished by a drilling accident, affecting the state's tourism industry.

"We have a fragile ecosystem. That's why we're so concerned, so preoccupied with what happens in the Gulf of Mexico," Martinez said.

Florida Democrats in the House introduced their version of the Senate bill on Thursday.

But Domenici and the ranking Democrat on the committee, Sen. Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, suggested Domenici's legislation is on a fast track.

Domenici said he would work with Martinez, but told reporters after the Senate hearing that the Martinez/Nelson bill doesn't open up a large enough area for energy exploration.

"It's very, very small, so that's a problem," Domenici said.

Under the Interior Department plan, oil and gas development also could be opened off the Virginia coast, prompting Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., to suggest the department could create a "toehold up the entire Atlantic seaboard."

Martinez said he would look to create a coalition with other coastal states to push back drilling efforts.

But Florida's delegation may no longer be united in its approach to anti-drilling efforts.

Some House members have questioned Martinez and Nelson for agreeing to give up any Gulf waters to drilling. Others believe the state lost its best opportunity for protecting the coast last year when some lawmakers -- including Nelson and Martinez -- rejected a compromise.

Rep. Jim Davis, a Tampa Democrat seeking the Democratic nomination for governor, filed the House bill without any Republican co-sponsors. Davis said he expects that to change.

-----

Copyright (c) 2006, The Miami Herald

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

Source: The Miami Herald

More News in this Category