Florida lawmakers urge Trump to reject drilling off state’s western coast

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Dec 4 (Reuters) – Florida’s entire U.S. congressional delegation on Thursday urged President Donald Trump to leave their state out of a plan by his administration to expand oil and gas drilling to new coastal areas, saying it would threaten the state’s military and tourism industries.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

The letter to Trump from Florida Senators Rick Scott and Ashley Moody and the state’s 28 members of the House of Representatives was a rare bipartisan pushback against the Republican president’s policies. Most of Florida’s members of Congress are Republicans.

KEY QUOTE

“The risks posed by new offshore drilling far outweigh any short-term gains,” the lawmakers said in their letter.

BY THE NUMBERS

More than 50,000 jobs in the Florida Panhandle are tied to operations at military facilities connected to the Gulf Test Range, a vast area over the Gulf of Mexico where advanced weapons and air combat tactics are tested, the letter said, noting that drilling would result in encroachment of the Gulf Test Range.

Florida beaches generate $127.7 billion a year in tourism spending and support 2.1 million jobs.

CONTEXT

The Interior Department last month unveiled a proposal that opened the door to future leasing in the eastern portion of the Gulf of Mexico, which has long been protected from energy development because it is used for military testing and training. Florida officials, including Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, have opposed changes to that policy.

Trump’s Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago, is on the eastern side of the state.

THE REPLY

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Leslie Adler)