Interior’s Zinke says drilling off Florida now ‘off the table’

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — President Donald Trump’s administration said Tuesday that it would not allow oil drilling off the coast of Florida, abruptly reversing course under pressure from Republican Gov. Rick Scott.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said after a brief meeting with Scott at the Tallahassee airport that drilling would be “off the table” when it comes to waters in the east- ern Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean off Florida.

Zinke announced plans last week to greatly expand offshore oil drilling from the Atlantic to the Arctic and Pacific oceans, including several possible drilling operations off Florida, where drilling is now blocked. The plan was immediately met with bipartisan opposition on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

Scott, who is expected to run for Senate later this year, came out against the Trump administration plan when it was first announced, saying his top priority is to ensure that Florida’s natural resources are protected.

Zinke said Tuesday that “Florida is obviously unique” and that the decision to remove the state came after meetings and discussion with Scott.

“Our tactic was open everything up, then meet with the governors, meet with the stakeholders so that when we shaped it, it was right,” he said at a news conference Tuesday night. “The president made it very clear that local voices count.”