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Offshore Drilling in Florida Symposium on Friday, August 28

Written by CRCC

Tuesday, 18 August 2009

In the near future, our congressional and legislative leaders will be making decisions which could determine the future quality of our water, beach, and marine life. Educating our communities will be a key factor in influencing our critical votes in Washington and Tallahassee.

In an effort to ensure the public understands all of the elements involved in the offshore drilling issue, the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce is hosting an Offshore Drilling Symposium 11:30am Friday, August 28 at the Sheraton Sand Key 1160 Gulf Blvd, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767.

The Symposium will host expert panelists representing both sides of this issue. Supporting offshore drilling panelist include: Florida House Representative Seth McKeel, David Rancourt with Southern Strategy Group, and Chuck Warrington of Clearwater Gas. The opposing panelists include DT Minich, Executive Director Visit St. Pete Clearwater, Eric Draper, Deputy Director Florida Audubon, and Phil Compton, Regional Representative Sierra Club. Jack Harris from WFLA 970 AM will emcee the event. City of Clearwater, Mayor Frank Hibbard and Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch will also address the attendees.
Congress is currently debating how much of the outer continental shelf surrounding the United States should be open for oil and gas drilling eliminating buffer zones (e.g., 25 or 50 miles from coastline). Expanding offshore drilling is seen by some as a way to increase our local supply and improve US energy security. Others contend that other options are available for energy development and security. The issue remains contentious. The Offshore Drilling Symposium will address many of the issues currently being debated.

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John B Fleming - Mr.

|Your IP Address :72.184.166.xxx |2009-10-04 08:12:40

Are you kidding? Anyway you look at it, drilling for offshore oil is a disaster
waiting to happen.

Makes no sense to risk $62,000,000,000 in revenues that
tourisim brings compared to the $2,000,000,000 that oil revenue could
potentially generate our State of Florida.

And that $62,000,000,000 is
highly at risk if we cave in to allowing offshore drilling

Come on; let's get
real!!!

The truth will set you free - We need no drilling

|Your IP Address :96.243.187.xxx |2009-08-24 15:06:57

Katrina destroyed many oil platforms and caused many spills. Check
out
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2005/se p/16/usnews.hurricanekatrina
or http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2008/06/19/mccai n-katrina-spills/
More
than 100 platforms were destroyed.
There isn't enough oil off U.S. waters or in
our shale to make a dent in the price of gas. Even at peak estimated production,
the U.S. can only produce 5 percent of the world's demand for oil. At the same
time, U.S. oil consumption accounts for more than 20 percent of the world's oil
production. We can't drill our way to independence. Talk about tourism ... a
single spill causing a single tarball and tourism in Florida is dead. Look at
Galveston, Texas for a single example.

David Womble

|Your IP Address :72.40.175.xxx |2009-08-18 12:26:01

We need offshore drilling in Florida. If done smartly, like in Alaska, the
revenue to state government would result in lower property taxes, fees unless
the greedy legislature just spends the money.The drilling platforms are off the
coast far enough to only be less than 1" on the horizon, can you really see
1" on the horizon? Oil platforms survived Katrina. The real dangers come
from shipping which will not be happening in Florida, unless you count the
gasoline barge that currently docks in Tampa Bay weekly with out a peep from the
environmentalists. We need affordable domestic oil energy now and without it
local tourism is going to continue to decline.

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