The subject of offshore drilling is once again in the news. According to Politico:

The Interior Department has removed the federal waters off the Atlantic coast from President Donald Trump’s upcoming offshore drilling plan after Republicans in the region pressed to keep oil and natural gas rigs away from their shores…

Senators Rick Scott and Ashley Moody in particular have sought to ban drilling near Florida. But they’ve not been entirely successful; Politico notes that under Trump’s proposal, new offshore drilling WOULD be allowed in the Gulf, but subject to “a zone of at least 100 nautical miles around Florida where Interior would not offer lease sales.”

In other words: a 100-mile buffer zone, beyond which drilling would be A-OK.

Will Floridians, particularly those on the Gulf Coast, be OK with this? How about elected officials, will they accept this — or fight it?

At VoteWater we oppose any new drilling that could impact Florida’s beaches, businesses, residents and wildlife. The proposal hasn’t even been officially released yet, so it’s not yet time for a freakout – but the call for mobilization is going out, even from those who aren’t always friendly to environmental causes.

So keep this on your radar screen — and we’ll keep you posted.