NorthWest Florida Republican

Just before the summer break of Congress, I sent an email to Congressman Allen Boyd (D) about his stance on the current dispute about drilling for oil on the Outer Continental Shelf and the Gulf of Mexico.

Yesterday, I received a reply in answer to my question from his office.

Dear Mr. Kennedy:

Thank you for this opportunity to address drilling off our coasts with you. Your views, as a member of the North Florida family, are important to me.

First, let me say that I believe that drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf must be done carefully. Many resolutions that come before me for a vote would open the entire OCS up with little concern for other uses. For example, it is important to note that both Eglin AFB and Tyndall AFB use the Eastern Gulf to conduct live fire exercises, fire experimental weapons, and to conduct military training. The Secretary of Defense wrote me stating that drilling was incompatible with the military exercises that take place in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico. I believe that missiles and oil rigs would not mix well, and I think that we must protect this area for national security and environmental reasons.

Therefore, I am against the overall notion that we open the whole thing to drilling. Two years ago, I did support a measure that would open up nearly 8.3 million acres of the OCS about 150 miles off the Florida Gulf coast. This area, known as Section 181, contains nearly 1.25 billion barrels of oil and 8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Even though this was approved two years ago, industry still estimates it will take up to 7 more years for this oil to hit our markets.

Drilling, however, is not the answer to our energy problems. I have always advocated for a balanced energy policy and I do support more domestic drilling, especially in places such as ANWR. The United States holds up to 4% of the worlds oil supply, but we consume 27% of the oil available. We must begin to work on finding a more permanent solution in alternative fuels. I am hopeful that within a decade hybrid cars will become more efficient and affordable, and research into hydrogen and other fuels will be just as effective as gasoline is today. I will continue to support research into these domestic fuels and know that our nation must do so to become more secure and economically well off.

Congressman Boyd is partly right. Drilling is not the only answer to our energy problems. There needs to be a comprehensive plan that includes not only drilling but investment into alternative energies. Something that Governor Christ has been working on for Florida for quite some time.

Here in Northwest Florida, we know all about the test ranges and the ability to drill for oil. We also know that there are other areas that are not part of the test ranges that are still closed.

Unfortunately, Congressman Boyd has a history of voting the party line when it comes to voting on Energy. But he isn’t quite as rigid in his statements and actions as Senator Bill Nelson. It will be interesting to see how he votes on the upcoming bill.

Via Hot Air:

Steny Hoyer announced that Democrats would allow a vote under normal rules on a bill that would expand domestic drilling, a move that would allow Republicans to offer their own version of an energy bill with more robust options for increasing domestic supplies of petroleum: