[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 6]
[House]
[Pages 8633-8634]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       EXTEND FLORIDA'S GULF COAST OIL DRILLING BAN TO YEAR 2027

  (Ms. GRAHAM asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. GRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak in support of new 
legislation I am cosponsoring with my friend Congressman David Jolly to 
extend Florida's Gulf Coast oil drilling ban to the year 2027.
  The drilling ban currently extends 125 miles off much of Florida's 
Gulf Coast and as far as 235 miles in some areas, but it is set to 
expire in 2022. There are some in the Senate trying to

[[Page 8634]]

reduce the ban to just 50 miles as soon as next year.
  This legislation reaffirms our commitment to protecting Florida's 
precious Gulf Coast beaches and will protect the environment, our 
economy, and military operations in the Gulf.
  An oil spill like Deepwater Horizon just 50 miles off of northwest 
Florida's beaches would be devastating for our region. We can't allow 
that to happen and should pass this legislation to extend the drilling 
ban and protect Florida's Gulf Coast beaches.

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