GOP candidates call for more oil drilling, except near Florida
Florida Republican candidates are slamming President Joe Biden on the campaign trail over his energy policy and high gas prices but at the same time promising to keep drilling away from their state’s coastline.
Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republicans running for Congress want to authorize more drilling on federal lands and restart the Keystone XL pipeline.
DeSantis has accused Biden of “stepping on the neck” of U.S. energy production, blaming him for the high prices at the pump. Biden has countered that GOP attacks are untrue, and the United States is actually on track to set a record for domestic oil production next year with gas prices on the decline.
DeSantis hasn’t embraced drilling in his own state. He opposed drilling in the Everglades and in waters near Florida, even breaking with former President Donald Trump when his administration seemed open to offshore drilling near the Sunshine State.
An oil spill would hurt tourism and damage Florida’s economy, Christina Pushaw, a DeSantis spokeswoman, said in an email.
“Our economy is intrinsically linked with our environment, and any jobs created by drilling off Florida’s coast would be undercut by chilling tourism if there were a mishap,” she said. “The same can be said for the Everglades.”
Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a Democrat running for governor, has called on DeSantis to go further, writing in November that he should issue an executive order halting all oil drilling within Florida, including wells operating in the Panhandle.
Fried has criticized her primary opponent Charlie Crist for not taking a strong enough stance against offshore oil drilling in 2008 when John McCain was considering him as a potential running mate. Crist, a Republican turned Democrat, said the 2010 BP oil spill disaster during his tenure as governor cemented his opposition to offshore drilling.
Polls show voters continue to cite gas prices as a top issue, even as prices have fallen steadily fall at the pump, from a nationwide average of about $5.01 a gallon in mid-June to $3.99 on Thursday, according to the AAA travel club.
Biden has fought against Republican criticism that his energy policies have contributed to higher gas prices, saying more than 9,000 drilling permits for federal lands are unused.
“We’re going to look at ways to increase oil production from the existing wells and permits that exist today,” Biden said last month. “The industry has more approved permits for production on federal lands than they can possibly use.”
The oil industry has responded that the world energy market is complicated, not all of the permits are viable and it takes time to begin drilling. It has also expressed concerns about a possible recession that would dampen demand, which has helped drive crude oil and gasoline prices lower in recent weeks.
In October, Florida drivers will get a one-month break on the state’s 25-cent-a-gallon gas tax. The state is using $200 million in federal pandemic funds to cover the revenue loss.
Feds propose new offshore drilling
Offshore oil drilling has long been unpopular with Florida Republicans and Democrats alike. The 2010 BP oil spill spoiled Panhandle beaches, put a dent in Florida tourism and damaged fish and wildlife habitats.
A constitutional amendment banning offshore drilling in state waters passed with 69% support from Florida voters in 2018.
Biden’s administration is proposing up to 10 new oil and gas lease sales in the western and central Gulf of Mexico and one near Alaska, where oil drilling is already occurring.
Environmentalists have criticized Biden for violating a campaign promise to end new oil drilling in federal waters and lands, saying more drilling undermines efforts to combat climate change.
Trump’s administration suggested 47 potential sales, the most ever proposed: 19 off the coast of Alaska, 7 in the Pacific Region, 12 in the Gulf of Mexico, and 9 in the Atlantic Region.
At the time, DeSantis said he would “be raising Cain” if drilling plans proceeded that included Florida waters. Trump ultimately took Florida off the table before the 2020 election. With his defeat, Trump’s oil drilling proposal was never finalized.
Pushaw did not respond to a question asking whether DeSantis supports Biden’s proposal to allow new drilling in the Gulf of Mexico farther away from Florida.
Jonathan Webber, political and legislative director for Florida Conservation Voters, said Florida’s bipartisan opposition to offshore oil drilling is a victory for environmentalists.
“All the credit goes to the people of Florida who have made it remarkably clear to elected officials that drilling is a nonstarter in Florida,” Webber said. “This is an immensely unpopular issue among Floridians, and elected officials have learned from that over the decades.”
Environmentalists have had less success getting bills targeting climate change and promoting clean energy in the GOP-dominated Florida Legislature, Webber said.
At news conferences, DeSantis has slammed Biden’s energy policy and blamed him for high gas prices.
“He has stepped on the neck of our domestic energy here in the United States . ... He should welcome more domestic energy production,” DeSantis in February.
At an event in June, he said, “We need to be energy independent. We need to lead the world in production. We need to get rid of all the roadblocks.”
Other GOP candidates are voicing similar concerns. Ted Edwards, a former Orange County commissioner, said Biden has “more or less declared war on the oil industry.” Edwards also opposes offshore oil drilling.
U.S. crude oil production is forecast to hit 12.7 million barrels a day in 2023, which would surpass the pre-pandemic record of 12.3 million barrels a day in 2019, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The United States averaged about 11.2 million barrels a day during Biden’s first year in office, federal data shows. Oil production plunged during the early days of the pandemic when lockdowns kept drivers off the roads.