[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 86 (Thursday, June 19, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S6000]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. MACK (for himself and Mr. Graham):
  S. 937. A bill to amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to 
provide for the cancellation of 6 existing leases and to ban all new 
leasing activities in the area off the coast of Florida, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.


                      FLORIDA COAST PROTECTION ACT

  Mr. MACK. Mr. President, I rise today with my colleague, Senator 
Graham, to introduce the Florida Coast Protection Act. This legislation 
will cancel the six oil and gas leases on the Outer Continental Shelf 
closest to Florida's coast. Representative Scarborough is leading a 
similar effort in the House of Representatives.
  Mr. President, Floridians have always been justifiably concerned 
about the prospect of oil and gas exploration in the waters off our 
State. We are well aware of the risk this activity poses to our 
environment and our economy.
  Throughout my tenure in the Senate I have opposed exploration and 
drilling off Florida's coasts. My goal--and the goal the entire Florida 
congressional delegation--is to permanently remove this threat from our 
coastlines. In recent years, we have stood together in opposition to 
drilling and have successfully extended the annual moratorium on all 
new leasing activities on Florida's continental shelf.
  The reason for our concern is simple, Mr. President. In Florida, a 
healthy environment means a healthy economy. Millions of people come to 
our State each year to enjoy the climate, the coastlines, and our fine 
quality of life. It would only take one disaster to end Florida's good 
standing as America's vacationland and we cannot afford to let that 
happen.
  Mr. President, if the current exploration plan runs its course, there 
is the potential for the operation of up to 400 drill rigs off 
Florida's panhandle. A recent permit report from the Environmental 
Protection Agency states that a typical rig can be expected to 
discharge between 6,500 and 13,000 barrels of waste. This presents a 
huge potential for damage to our near-shore coastal waters and beaches. 
The report warns of further harmful impact on marine mammal 
populations, fish populations, and air quality. We cannot afford these 
risks in Florida and we do not want these risks in Florida.
  But while the opposition of Floridians to oil drilling is well 
documented, the reality remains that leases have been let, potential 
drilling sites have been explored and it is likely that actual 
extraction of resources will take place 17 miles off the coast of 
Florida. Mr. President, if this is allowed to happen, the drill rigs 
will be within the line of sight from vacationers in Pensacola. This 
Congress must not allow that to happen.
  The legislation we are introducing today is very simple. It provides 
for cancellation of the lease tract 17 miles off Pensacola. Under the 
OCS Lands Act, Mr. President, the current holders of these leases would 
be entitled to fair compensation for their investment. This is only 
fair. The bill also makes permanent the moratorium on any new leasing 
activity in order to ensure the past mistake of leasing in the OCS off 
Florida is not repeated.
  If the threat of oil and gas exploration is to be permanently removed 
from our shores, it will require responsible leadership from the 
Congress. This legislation, in my view, is absolutely necessary to 
protect our state's economic and environmental well-being.
  I urge my colleagues to support this worthwhile effort.
  Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, I am very pleased to join my colleague 
Senator Mack in introducing the Florida Coast Protection Act today. It 
represents the next step in the State of Florida's long battle to 
preserve our beautiful coastal and marine ecosystem.
  Floridians oppose offshore oil drilling because of the threat it 
presents to the State's greatest natural and economic resource: our 
coastal environment. Florida's beaches, fisheries, and wildlife draw 
millions of tourists each year from around the globe, supporting our 
State's largest industry. Tourism supports, directly or indirectly, 
millions of jobs all across Florida, and the industry generates 
billions of dollars every year.
  The Florida coastline boasts some of the richest estuarine areas in 
the world. These brackish waters, with their mangrove forests and 
seagrass beds, provide an irreplaceable link in the life cycle of many 
species, both marine and terrestrial. Florida's commercial fishing 
industry relies on these estuaries because they support the nurseries 
for the most commercially harvested fish. Perhaps the most 
environmentally delicate regions in the gulf, estuaries could be 
damaged beyond repair by a relatively small oil spill.
  Over the years, we have met with some success in our effort to 
protect Florida's OCS. In 1995, the lawsuit surrounding the 
cancellation of the leases around the Florida Keys was settled, 
removing the immediate threat of oil and gas drilling from what is an 
extremely sensitive area. While I believe strongly that a long-term 
strategy is needed for the entire Florida coastline, the legislation we 
are introducing today focuses on a more near-term goal: to cancel six 
leases in an area 17 miles off the coast from Pensacola. The bill 
provides a mechanism for leaseholders to seek compensation under 
section 5 of the OCS Lands Act. Both Senator Mack and I believe the 
leaseholders have the absolute right to just compensation from the 
Federal Government in order to recover their investment.
  As the member of the Florida delegation who serves on the Energy and 
Natural Resources Committee--the committee with jurisdiction over this 
issue--I anticipate a difficult and precarious road to enactment. But 
the Florida delegation as a whole has no other choice than to pursue 
with all our combined abilities the goal we envision: to take another 
major step toward ensuring the wellbeing of the Outer Continental Shelf 
offshore the State of Florida.
  In addition to introducing this legislation today, Senator Mack and I 
intend to write to Chairman Frank Murkowski of the Energy and Natural 
Resources Committee to request a hearing on this bill as soon as 
possible. Floridians will have our very best effort to make the Florida 
Coast Protection Act Federal law.
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