Senate President Jeff Atwater said Monday that the debate on oil drilling in Florida waters should be shaped by a recent report that said that new drilling would “have no discernible impact” on gas prices.
Atwater has never appeared to be a strong proponent of oil drilling, saying last year when the proposal appeared late in session that it needed more vetting and then calling for a lengthy review when the plan seemed to be shaping up to top the agenda this year.
Still, the only legislation on the issue this year so far has been filed in the Senate.
But on Monday, Atwater again indicated that the proposal (SB 2622), sponsored this year by his successor Senator Mike Haridopolos, R-Melbourne, would be a tough sell in the Senate while he has the gavel.
With the report projecting no real probability of lower gas prices while the talk is about drilling close to shore, the debate has to focus on “is this the right possible return for the risk?” Atwater said Monday. “I think from what we’ve seen everybody has said with the technology, the risks might be few and far between, but the fact is it could be catastrophic events.
“And when you’re talking this close to shore and so much of this economy is still built on the fact that these are extraordinary shorelines for tourism, for property investment, do you take that risk knowing now that the framework is built on this kind of availability of these kind of natural resources?” Atwater said.
Atwater’s comments came as the House Select Policy Council on Strategic & Economic Planning, which has been workshopping the drilling proposal, met Monday to be briefed on the Senate-commissioned report by the Collins Center for Public Policy. Members of the panel who have said they are in favor of allowing new drilling said again during the meeting that the report should not spike the proposal altogether.
“If in general there is cause to believe there may be significant oil and gas deposits…it occurs to me that if you have any reason to believe it’s there, you probably won’t know until you drill,” Rep. Bill Proctor, R-St. Augustine, said. “The question is how much do you drill.”
The Collins Center report found that the state’s estimated oil reserves – less than 100 million barrels – would only satisfy the U.S. demand for oil for less than a week. However, the report, which studied the potential impact of drilling in state waters within 10.3 miles of the Florida Gulf coast, did agree with another argument sometimes made by proponents of drilling: that it would help the state’s cash-strapped wallet.
The report did not give tax revenue estimates for oil and gas produced in Florida waters, but said other Gulf states have seen annual revenues from $52 million to $200 million over the past several years.
The Senate bill, which was filed early this month, has been assigned to three committees. Legislation has yet to emerge in the House.
By Keith Laing
The News Service of Florida
