Environment Florida Calls for More Offshore Wind, not More Offshore Drilling

Cape Wind or Deepwater Horizon: The Choice is Clear - Environment Florida

TALLAHASSEE – As oil continues to spill into the Gulf as a result of the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced final approval of the groundbreaking Cape Wind offshore wind project today in Massachusetts.

The announcement means that, in 2012, when the Obama Administration’s plan would let oil companies conduct dirty and dangerous drilling in the Gulf, Massachusetts residents would be the first in the nation to receive energy from clean offshore wind power.

“The spill threatening the Gulf Coast is a tragic reminder that wind energy, not more oil drilling, is the way to use our coastal environment to power Florida,” said Environment Florida Advocate Adam Rivera.

“Wind doesn’t spill,” Rivera added. “Wind turbine operation does not routinely put lives in danger. With the offshore wind potential that exists off Florida’s coasts, offshore drilling is beyond unnecessary.”

The 2008 Navigant Consulting study commissioned by the Florida Public Service Commission and Governor Crist’s Energy Action Team found that the potential for offshore wind in Florida is second only to the Sunshine State’s potential solar photovoltaic resource.

With strong renewables mandates in place, the study projected more than 120,000 gigawatt-hours available to be harnessed for our use by 2020.

In stark contrast, the recent Collins Center for Public Policy report commissioned by the Florida Senate found – in accordance with U.S. Minerals Management Service estimates – that drilling in our state and federal waters will have would have “no discernible impact on petroleum prices at the retail level” and “no discernible impact on the state's or the country's dependence on foreign oil.”

The Florida Legislature rejected strong standards for clean renewable energy in 2009 and 2010. In fact, legislation intended to generate 20% of Florida’s electricity instead became the Florida House of Representatives’ vehicle to bring offshore drilling catastrophe within three miles of Florida’s coastline in the 2009 legislation session.

“It’s a shame that we’re talking about a massive oil spill instead of a new, visionary wind energy project in Florida,” Rivera concluded. “Florida’s elected leaders, from the Legislature up to President Obama himself should focus on our state’s potential for clean wind energy, rather than bring dirty, dangerous drilling to our shores.”
http://www.environmentflorida.org/newsroom/shores/save-our-shores-news/cape-wind...


Our Ocean Legacy
Oceans cover over two-thirds of the earth's surface, helping to control the planet’s weather and containing a rich variety of life forms. Yet our oceans are in deep trouble.

Offshore drilling, destructive overfishing, coastal pollution from fertilizers and toxic materials, habitat destruction from bottom trawling, coastal dredging and filling, and rising ocean temperatures all effect the ocean’s health and ability to bounce back from changes.

To restore the oceans to health, Environment Florida supports a moratorium on new offshore drilling, a halt to destructive overfishing, establishment of marine protected areas, policies to reduce the flow of nutrients and toxins into coastal waters, and aggressive action on global warming. https://www.environmentflorida.org/issues/our-ocean-legacy

NEWS & MORE INFO -
Environment Florida Tells Obama: Cancel Drilling Permanently
https://www.environmentflorida.org/newsroom/shores/save-our-shores-news/environm...

Oil Rig Explosion the Latest in a Series of Tragic Accidents http://www.environmentflorida.org/newsroom/shores/save-our-shores-news/oil-rig-e...
After this most recent accident, pro-drilling leaders must tell us why they support putting people in harm's way for a false solution, deemed to have no discernible impact on gas prices or energy independence.

Oil Spill in National Wildlife Refuge Precedes Florida House Drilling Bill http://www.environmentflorida.org/newsroom/shores/save-our-shores-news/oil-spill... The latest in a long line of offshore oil spills fits a distressing pattern of call-and-response: as Florida's leaders call for more drilling, the oil industry responds with yet another disaster.