Scott, Nelson to fight Trump administration offshore drilling plan

Gov. Rick Scott and U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, widely expected to battle this year for Nelson’s Senate seat, said Thursday they intend to fight a Trump administration plan to open previously protected parts of the Atlantic Ocean and eastern Gulf of Mexico to offshore oil and gas drilling.

Scott said he has requested a meeting with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to discuss opposition to President Donald Trump’s effort to expand domestic energy production.

“Based on media reports, it is likely that the Department of the Interior will consider Florida as a potential state for offshore oil drilling — which is something I oppose in Florida,” Scott said in a prepared statement shortly before Zinke unveiled the drilling proposal Thursday. “I have already asked to immediately meet with Secretary Zinke to discuss the concerns I have with this plan and the crucial need to remove Florida from consideration.”

Scott was not the only Florida Republican criticizing the proposal.

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, a Republican from Longboat Key, called the proposal “reckless, misguided and potentially catastrophic to Florida.”

“As the state with the longest coastlines in the continental United States, Florida is especially vulnerable to oil spills,” Buchanan said. “Have we forgotten so soon the devastating damage caused by the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010?”

But the Florida Petroleum Council, an industry group, hailed the Trump administration move as a way to benefit Florida consumers by potentially creating jobs and additional government revenue while strengthening national security.

“Allowing us to explore our offshore energy will boost our state economy and spur investment — all while safely coexisting with our agriculture, tourism and fishing industries as well as U.S. military operations,” council Executive Director David Mica said in a statement. “The administration has recognized that the ability to access our abundant offshore resources in a safe and environmentally responsible way will help our nation meet our energy needs well into the future.”

Mica said Florida relies on natural gas for nearly 70 percent of its electricity and that the industry is “constantly developing and improving safety standards, programs, new technologies, and best practices to protect our workers, the environment and marine life.”

Floridians will get a chance to comment on the proposal Feb. 8 at the Four Points by Sheraton in Tallahassee.