Editor: The war on the beaches rages again in Congress. The Senate got it wrong recently when the Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed its version of clean-energy legislation, the American Clean Energy Leadership Act of 2009.
It forgot to promote energy efficiency to save us all big money in maintaining homes and businesses. It missed the chance to create millions of new jobs in renewable energy. Instead, it supports energy sources like liquid coal and tar sands, oil, two of the dirtiest fuels on earth.
But worst of all is how the bill opens up our Florida Gulf beaches to offshore oil drilling. The current protection, passed by 75 senators just three years ago would be slashed from 234 miles of Tampa Bay to just 45. Sure, you might not be able to see rigs that far out, but you’d surely step in tar balls that would result from normal, accident-free operations.
Sen. Bill Nelson is our beaches’ champion, determined to filibuster to prevent this disaster to our state’s tourism economy. But he needs help. Ask our out of state visitors and your friends up north to tell their state’s senators to pull drilling out of this bill. We’d like our friends to be able to keep coming back to America’s best beaches and enjoy walking on our clean white sugar sands – our state’s #1 economic resource.
Phil Compton Sierra Club, Florida Regional Office St. Petersburg
