Sarasota Herald-Tribune<\/p>\n
NEAR-SHORE OIL DRILLING<\/p>\n
Near-Shore Oil Drilling: Deep-Sea Tech Wrong for Florida<\/p>\n
Published: Wednesday, December 30, 2009 at 12:01 a.m.<\/p>\n
Floridians and their legislators have had many reasons to be skeptical since proposals surfaced rapidly to open near-shore waters to exploration and drilling for oil.<\/p>\n
With little notice and even less scrutiny, the Florida House of Representatives quickly passed a bill last spring to lift a well-established ban on exploration and drilling within three miles of the coastline.<\/p>\n
There was no good explanation for the rush, and the bill sailed through the House despite the lack of a cost-benefit analysis or basic review of the proponents’ claims.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, Senate President Jeff Atwater refused the join the rush, demanding a “dispassionate review” of drilling methods, environmental impacts and the dubious claims that oil extraction would be a boon to Florida’s economy and promote “energy independence.”<\/p>\n
As a result, the House bill died.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, the efforts to promote drilling in state waters – as well as in federal waters farther from shore – are alive. The proposals might not get far soon, however, because of growing skepticism on the part of some legislators.<\/p>\n
For example, a sizeable contingent of legislators recently said they were led by lobbyists to believe that new technologies would make drilling safe and “virtually invisible.”<\/p>\n
Indeed, interest groups such as Florida Energy Associates presented legislators, the public and the media with simple, slick brochures picturing virtually invisible alternatives to conventional drilling rigs.<\/p>\n
INDUSTRY LINE MISLEADS<\/p>\n
A leading proponent of the legislation – Rep. Dean Cannon, the incoming speaker of the House in 2011 – followed the industry line.<\/p>\n
“Today, temporary ship-based rigs can drill wells far out of sight from shore, using directional drilling and subsea equipment to avoid surface visibility and to protect coastal vistas,” Cannon wrote in an op-ed column in May.<\/p>\n
Lawmakers now, however, have reason to question their reliance on the oil industry’s representations.<\/p>\n
Directional drilling and subsea equipment haven’t been used extensively, if at all, in shallow waters such as those near Florida’s west coast, according to experts cited in a recent news articles by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.<\/p>\n
These methods are either expensive – and possibly cost-prohibitive – or they require pipelines and other infrastructure lacking near the coast.<\/p>\n
As Dave Mica of the Florida Petroleum Council said: “Shallow-water drilling is generally done with temporary jack-up drilling rigs. Once the drilling is complete, the drilling rigs are removed and replaced with a production system. Fixed production platforms are typically installed after most of the drilling is completed.”<\/p>\n
It’s doubtful that coastal residents will find any appeal in the prospect of temporary jack-up rigs and fixed production platforms within three miles to five miles of shore.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sarasota Herald-Tribune NEAR-SHORE OIL DRILLING Near-Shore Oil Drilling: Deep-Sea Tech Wrong for Florida Published: Wednesday, December 30, 2009 at 12:01 a.m. Floridians and their legislators have had many reasons to be skeptical since proposals surfaced rapidly to open near-shore waters to exploration and drilling for oil. With little notice and even less scrutiny, the Florida … Continue reading Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Near Shore Oil Drilling Wrong for Florida<\/span>