Gov. Charlie Crist is asking the state legislature to allow voters to decide the future of drilling for oil off Florida’s coast.
A special session is scheduled to convene at noon Tuesday, July 20, and continue through 5 p.m. July 23.
In his proclamation, Crist said the special session “is convened for the sole and exclusive purpose of considering the following:
“The passage of a joint resolution to revise the Florida Constitution to prohibit the exploration for, the drilling for, the extraction of and the production of oil beneath all Florida waters located between the mean high water line along the coastline of Florida and the seaward limit of Florida’s boundaries.”
In his proclamation, the governor points to recent events that show the “magnitude of damage oil spills can cause to ecosystems and communities” and the need to protect “coastal communities, natural resources, beaches, ecosystems and the general welfare of the state.”
Crist said, “The voters of this state should be able to collectively decide, at their earliest opportunity, whether they want to ban the exploration for, drilling for, extraction of and production of oil in Florida territorial seas.”
He is asking that the legislature provide “voters the opportunity to amend their constitution to prohibit such activities during the November 2010 general election.”
Local impact
Thus far, no oil from BP’s Deepwater Horizon well has affected Pinellas County or the west coast of Florida, although weathered oil is coming ashore in the panhandle.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently released models projecting the long-term likelihood of surface oil affecting shorelines along the gulf and east coast.
According to the model, much of the west coast has a low probability – 20 percent or less. The model shows Pinellas County’s threat at 20 percent.
Rachel Wilhelm, NOAA public affairs specialist, said the models plot the oil's trajectory based on 500 scenarios and 15-years' worth of historical weather and current information.
The models assume that oil began flowing on April 22, and project where the oil might go 120 days thereafter, she said.
“The models show what is likely to happen,” she said. “This isn’t short-term predictions for current conditions.”
NOAA releases daily trajectory maps that show where the oil might be within 24, 28 and 72 hours. Those maps are based on current conditions. NOAA’s models indicate that it would take oil from the spill site about 20 days to reach Florida’s west coast.
The purpose of the long-term models is to assist with planning for possible future affects, Wilhelm said.
“The long-term model shows the worst case scenario for planning purposes,” she said. “This is what could be expected, not necessarily what will happen.”
The model assumes a 90-day oil flow rate of 33,000 barrels a day, which is the net amount of the flow rate ceiling of 60,000 barrels a day minus the daily estimated amount being skimmed, burned and/or collected by the Top Hat mechanism. The model also accounts for the natural process of oil weathering or breaking down.
Wilhelm said the models consider oil a threat to the shoreline if there is enough to cause a dull sheen within 20 miles of the coast.
Plans still called for a relief well to be complete by mid-August; however, if the oil spill is not contained by that time, Wilhelm said modelers would recalculate and new models would be released.
Help available
Although Pinellas County remains free of oil, many local industries have sustained losses, particularly tourism and those related to fishing. Help is available for those in need.
Pinellas County Economic Development staff offer free assistance to businesses including help with submitting federal loan applications such as U.S. Small Business Administration loans.
The SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans are available to Pinellas County businesses. The loans at 4 percent interest rates have terms of up to 30 years.
BP has opened a local claims office at 2551 Drew St. in Clearwater. To file an oil spill-related claim, it is recommended that a business first visit www.BP.com/claims or call the BP hotline at 800-440-0858 to request a claim number.
