[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 10 (Wednesday, February 1, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S453]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. MARTINEZ (for himself and Mr. Nelson of Florida):
  S. 2239. A bill to prohibit offshore drilling on the outer 
Continental Shelf off the State of Florida, and for other purposes; to 
the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. MARTINEZ. Mr. President, I rise today to join my colleague from 
Florida, Senator Bill Nelson, in introducing the Permanent Protection 
for Florida Act of 2006.
  I believe this bipartisan legislation will provide Florida's pristine 
coastline, beaches, and our critical military training area with 
strong, permanent protections--while at the same time providing limited 
oil and gas exploration in areas that have traditionally been under 
Presidential moratoria.
  Our Nation is struggling with crippling energy prices and the growing 
pressure to explore off Florida's coast has never been greater than 
now. Instead of sitting on the sidelines and waiting for others to 
dictate the terms of oil and gas operations on our coast, we felt 
compelled to offer an alternative that will protect our State's 
interests in perpetuity.
  This legislation offers historic protections that would create a 
Florida Exclusion Zone--a buffer area extending 150 miles south of the 
Panhandle that would also place the Florida Straits and Atlantic Coast 
permanently off limits to oil and gas exploration.
  All leases inside the Florida Exclusion Zone would be relinquished or 
removed in exchange for royalty forgiveness on active leases in the 
Central and Western Gulf of Mexico. These relinquished leases must also 
be environmentally restored to their original condition. In addition, 
the Permanent Protection for Florida Act would remove the mandatory 
inventory of the Outer Continental Shelf and extend the current 
Presidential moratorium through 2020.
  This bill sends a message that is loud and clear--Florida's waters 
are off limits. Florida's leaders have worked too long and too hard on 
building up these protections just to have them disappear during a 
brief moment of high energy prices. We have a lot at stake and it is 
time to solidify our protections into law.
  I believe these historic protections will garner significant support 
from our State's congressional delegation and coastal members of 
Congress that are concerned with resource exploration off their coasts.
  I urge those that are looking for bipartisan solutions to energy 
exploration to join with me and my colleague Senator Nelson in 
supporting this legislation.
  Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce with 
my fellow Senator from Florida, Mel Martinez, legislation we believe 
will enhance our Nation's military preparedness, while also protecting 
the State of Florida's economy from harm by oil drilling.
  It could be said that debate on this issue began 37 years ago last 
month. It was in January 1969 when an explosion at an offshore drilling 
site caused a 200,000-gallon crude oil spill off California's coast. 
While small in comparison to other spills, that incident dealt a 
devastating blow to neighboring beaches and aquatic life.
  As tides brought an 800-square-mile slick ashore, oil coated 35 miles 
of the coastline, blackening beaches and killing thousands of birds, 
dolphins, seals, fish and other wildlife. A national outcry followed, 
and sparked a movement that led to legal bans on drilling on the Outer 
Continental Shelf, including the eastern Gulf of Mexico off of Florida.
  Unfortunately, this past year has seen a number of legislative and 
administrative attempts to undo this longstanding ban--without a cause 
that is worth the risk.
  In fact, Senator Martinez and I have been fighting an almost daily 
battle to protect our State's tourism economy, which is heavily 
dependent on our beautiful beaches and abundant fisheries. At the same 
time, we have been fighting to preserve our military's vital testing 
and training sites there in the eastern gulf.
  The Martinez-Nelson Permanent Protection for Florida Act will forever 
safeguard the State's tourism-dependent economy from offshore drilling, 
while also removing active drilling leases in the eastern gulf. It 
creates the Florida Exclusion Zone, which will extend out at least 260 
miles off much of the State's west coast, and at least 150 miles off 
the Florida Straits and all the way around the entire east coast.
  In short, our proposal will protect Florida's economy and its 
environment; and, at the same time, enhance our Nation's military 
preparedness. We, therefore, expect to receive strong support from the 
Florida Congressional Delegation.
  We also expect to receive support from our fellow Senators 
representing other coastal States. That is because we are fighting not 
only to protect Florida, but many other environmentally fragile areas 
along our Nation's coastline. In fact, a key provision of our bill 
extends the Outer Continental Shelf moratorium from 2012 to 2020.
  Senator Martinez and I speak as one on this issue, and, together, we 
believe we can accomplish great things for Florida and the country. We 
ask our colleagues to recall with us the words of former President 
Teddy Roosevelt, who, in essence, said, ``A nation that destroys its 
environment destroys itself.''
  We look forward to working with the Chairman and Ranking Member of 
the Energy Committee, and the rest of our colleagues, to enact this 
legislation as soon as possible.

                          ____________________