[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 117 (Saturday, July 30, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1457-E1458]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2012

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. BILL POSEY

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 25, 2011

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2584) making 
     appropriations for the Department of the Interior, 
     environment, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending 
     September 30, 2012, and for other purposes:

  Mr. POSEY. Mr. Chair, I filed an amendment to the 2012 Department of 
the Interior appropriations bill that would provide a 25-mile buffer 
along Florida's coast to ensure that new oil and gas drilling would not 
take place above the Outer Continental Shelf within 25 miles of 
Florida's coast line.
  After reviewing the Interior bill and current drilling policies in 
the Atlantic and the Gulf, I have decided to hold off offering the 
amendment on the floor for this particular bill, which covers only the 
next fiscal year. There is not an imminent threat of drilling near 
Florida's coast due to current restrictions on leasing and drilling.
  That said, going forward, I look forward to working with my 
colleagues in the future to tap more of our own domestic energy 
resources while taking common sense steps to preserve Florida's tourism 
economy.
  It is important to note, as the amendment is drafted, that 
directional drilling within 25 miles would still be allowed.
  The amendment make no changes--zero, nada, zilch--to the Gulf 
moratorium that is in place, or the Department of the Interior's 
current lease plans in the Atlantic.
  Tourism is Florida's number one industry. My amendment would ensure 
that beach tourism is not harmed. Obviously, neither you nor your 
constituents would prefer seeing a drilling platform in lieu of a 
sunrise.
  Just as fuel is important to our economy, so. are our beaches. The 
amendment encourages the best possible stewardship of both, while 
protecting beach goers' line of sight, and preserving the scenic vistas 
that tourists come to Florida to enjoy.
  Getting Florida's economy turned around is important. Our economy has 
already been harmed by the end of the Space Shuttle program. 
Agriculture, construction, and housing sectors continue to struggle.
  Preserving a 25-mile buffer would send a message to visitors, 
nationwide and worldwide, that we are protecting the pristine nature of 
our shores that have traditionally drawn hundreds of thousands of 
visitors each year. It says to millions of tourists that we remain open 
for their tourism business now and into the future.
  Preserving a 25-mile buffer would be an important step toward 
ensuring that tourism, a

[[Page E1458]]

bright and recovering sector of our economy, which brings an enormous 
amount of foreign dollars and tax revenue into the United States, 
continues to recover.
  Again, this amendment would pertain only to drilling above the Outer 
Continental Shelf. Directional drilling within 25 miles would still be 
allowed.
  I hope all of my colleagues would support this or a similar amendment 
in future legislation. This issue is ultimately important to every 
member of this House.
  I look forward to you, and your constituents, visiting our wonderful 
beaches. They are some of the best in the world, and--with your help--
they will remain that way.