Energy Policy

Wasserman Schultz bill would ban oil and gas leasing off Florida

Oil & Gas Journal: US Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) introduced legislation which would close the US Outer Continental Shelf off Florida to oil and gas leasing and development. The Apr. 22 measure came 9 years after the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig sank in the Gulf of Mexico and triggered a massive crude oil spill after the Macondo deepwater well blew out and exploded, killing nine people, she noted.

“Protecting Florida’s shores from another Deepwater Horizon is vital for our state’s ecosystems and economy,” Wasserman Schultz said. “The Sunshine State’s coasts provide abundant marine life habitat and a destination for beach-lovers worldwide. They are an irreplaceable treasure and ecological necessity – risking our coasts for dangerous oil and gas drilling is unacceptable.”

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