Off the mark: Coastal drilling should be off limits for all states, not just Florida

Mass fish kills and bird deaths, the erosion of wetlands, sizeable tar balls littering beaches. The millions upon millions of gallons ---- an estimated 4.9 million barrels worth ---- of crude oil that leaked into the Gulf of Mexico in 2010,  when the Deep Water Horizon oil rig exploded, not only severely impacted the environment along the Gulf shore, it devastated local business.

Fishermen, shrimpers and other aquatic-based businesses that had existed for generations either had to fold up and move or required assistance from the government and from BP, the company behind the largest maritime oil spill in U.S. history. 

Eleven people were killed in the explosion and the cleanup carried on for years.

The devastation spread from Texas to Florida, with most of the wetland losses and impact to the seafood and tourism industries seen in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Now, imagine if the same thing were to happen off the coast of North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia. Say a massive spill were to occur off the coast of California or Washington.

Florida's Republican governor, Rick Scott, managed to net his state an exemption based on the potential threat to tourism dollars, perhaps the most significant source of revenue for his state's economy.

But is Florida alone in possessing nice beaches that draw millions of people each year? Do our beaches and tourism dollars not rate? Do our seafood and maritime industries not merit protecting? We believe they do, as does the wildlife and the millions of miles of habitat that would also be under constant threat of exposure to the same devastation the Gulf saw, were drilling permitted.

Published in Editorials on January 13, 2018 7:34 PM