Trump Administration Drops Florida From Offshore Drilling Plan

NOT IN MY BACKYARD (the rest of you can suffer). Nice try!

Why, it’s almost as if the POTUS’ owns property and business down in Florida, but luckily that’s not the case so this clearly an individual decision by Mr Zinke... Oh wait...

Great way to encourage anti-Republican backlash in every one of the other coastal states. Of course, many of them are blue states and under the Republican's new tax law will be expected to pay for, but not benefit from, programs designed to allow the red states to revert to a nineteenth century economic model. But don't underestimate the potential for this to sway elections in competitive states . . . or to send progressive states that are succeeding in moving forward with 21st century policies into open rebellion.

The concept of the Florida governor bringing concerned about the environmental impact of offshore drilling is absolutely ludicrous! Unchecked building is putting a strain on the states natural resources as it is. Allowing waste from animal farms to seep into the waterways is a real problem. Fertilizer and insectides pose a risk as well. The Everglades have become a plain swamp, and the reef life of the keys is totally wiped out. All Mr. Trump knows about Florida is his obscenity of a resort, one of the most tasteless structures in the state. Tom Franzson Brevard NC

This should be the legal argument that California and other states should make in federal court. If there is a new "Donald Trump" rule, it should apply to all of the states without exception.

Not that I'm in favor of the expanded offshore drilling. But has anybody besides former WH ethics chief Walter Shaub considered that the Trump Admin's exemption for Florida might concede not to Gov. Scott, but to POTUS and his Mar-a-Lago resort? http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/368258-former-ethics-chief-on... Remember? Trump—who lost his appeals case with the UK Supreme Court—had pugnaciously opposed Scotland's development of wind energy, claiming it would destroy birds, "sully the landscapes"—"it would be disastrous and environmentally irresponsible." What force instilled in the man such depths of environmental concern—even as he was in the throes of ruthlessly damaging a 4000-year-old sand dune system and its wildlife habitat in Scotland's Aberdeenshire? It was the threat of the "adverse visual impact" of the wind turbines that would be visible from his new luxury golf resort in Aberdeen!! http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/311339-report-trump-railed-...

Trump's NIMBY... Mar-a-Lago Resort...

Could this have anything to do with Mar-a-Lago? Nah. Reminds me of the Kennedy's opposition to wind power turbines near Hyannisport.

And the governor of Oregon also demands that the coast be closed to drilling.

Read my lips: BUCK NAKED POLITICAL HYPOCRISY. Read my thoughts: No, on second thought, they are not printable in the NYT, a paper with real standards of ethics, dignity and respect. Read them on Twitter, where there are no standards, no ethics, little credibility and a lot of Trump for those very reasons.

Zinke apparently only supports raping the coasts of blue states. He is just one of many of Trump's bought and paid for cabinet appointments, making sure that the people who purchased their jobs for them get real value for their money. My question is: since this is how it works, how do we citizens buy into our government? How can we pay to play? Since money talks, and voting is rather irrelivant these days, thanks to Citizens United, gerrymandering and the Electoral College, maybe we should pool our pennies and buy our own government. Everyone can contribute the same amount, and then put those pennies in the jars we want, and avoid funding the jars we do not want. Something really needs to be done to fix our broken system, that is one thing we have the GOP to thank for. They have really exposed the flaws, in the most harsh and glaring way possible .

PS: Apropos Trump's alleged environmental concerns, debunked by the UK Supreme Court, see "Scotland Investigating Trump Resort’s Damage To Coastal Dunes. The golf club was supposed to protect the environment and boost the economy. It did neither." https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-aberdeenshire-dune-damage_us_...

No one wants this in their backyard but are willing to keep tearing up the Middle East on the taxpayer's dime? Also: when will the real conversation about consumption begin?

What a surprise! And how about Georgia and the Carolinas? Aren't they red states, too? When you are the President of Your Base, you must not discriminate! Maybe these other coastal red states can be placated by increasing the number of drilling leases in the blue states. Punishing others is a favorite distraction for The Base.

Funny, Trump owns land in FL, prolly the Kushner's and Mercer's do to.

Every coastal state relies heavily on its coast areas for tourism. I think this has much more to do with Trump not wanting oil rigs off the coast Mar-a-Lago.

"Both of Florida’s senators, Marco Rubio, a Republican, and Bill Nelson, a Democrat, opposed the plan, along with 20 representatives from Florida’s 27-member congressional delegation." Who were the 7 congressional representatives in Florida supporting drilling in Florida waters?

Lucky Florida. I don't expect Trump to be so thoughtful of California since he does not like California.

If it's bad for Florida it's bad for the rest of the United States! Here in Washington — along with Oregon and northern California — we have a subduction zone off our coast. Offshore drilling here would be insane.

This administration's war on the environment continues. And what's more, the war is being directed specifically at "blue states", as "red states" are exempted from off-shore oil drilling. It strains credulity to believe that the federal government of our country could feel so comfortable blatantly weaponizing its policies against its own citizens to compromise the health and safety of their communities. This entire administration is reprehensible and must be removed. We need an Interior Secretary and an EPA Administrator who do not shill for the extraction industries, who can see the majestic, intrinsic worth of our lands and waters, and who care enough about all the people in this country to not jeopardize their health and safety.

So the attack on Blue States continues. Mar-duh-Largo and the other Florida Trump properties are protected but the coastlines of California, Rhode Island, etc., etc, etc, are not. This is just one of many examples of the utter and complete incompetence of the Trump administration. It made this offshore drilling decision without checking with the states or even caring what they think. When Gov. Rick Scott complains, the Trump administration immediately backs off. It didn't foresee this objection? Incredible. There's good in this. In a properly functioning world the Trump administration ought to be compelled to now hear from every coastal governor and if they object to the drilling, remove the state. That will likely end this nonsense. But that won't happen because this administration is incredibly incompetent and is driven by its hate and greed.

All people are created equal (Declaration of Indendence) but some are more equal than others ("Animal Farm" -- George Orwell).

We need to free our future from the dependence on a finite energy resource. We need to protect the natural habitat that supports us. We need to plan for the future long range. Florida isn't the only state that would suffer. What about the fisheries of Alaska and New England? What about "beach tourism" in California and South Carolina? At the same time we open up drilling and reduce regulation, we drop the special tax "Oil Spill Liability Fund" that would cover the inevitable oil spills. All so a select few can make obscene amounts of money.

And California? No action it seems is driven by merit. It is all politics.

My, this does seem entirely political. Scott weighed in, as any governor should, but a certain president also has major properties in the Sunshine State, doesn't he? Hate to think of Mar-a-Lago beach being soiled by an oil spill... Not sure how Zinke ever got permission to add Florida to the list; it seems like an oversight in their haste to throw open the doors wide to drilling. Now, California, on the other end of the political spectrum, will get no consideration - believe me, folks.

“I support the governor’s position that Florida is unique and its coasts are heavily reliant on tourism as an economic driver,” Mr. Zinke said in a statement after meeting Governor Scott in Florida. Well, Florida may not be geographically unique, but they certainly are in the way they bring hypocrisy to a new level. Of course the Governor wants immunity from offshore drilling in his state, it's a hazardous undertaking that will only lengthen the time our civilization stays dependent on fossil fuels. Since Florida will apparently be spared the burden of having their coast molested by oil rigs, why don't they take the initiative to substantially build out their solar and wind infrastructure? Floridians are especially aware of the problems that climate change pose to their livelihood, and should demand that their government do more to mitigate the existential threats of sea level rise and climate disruption.

What a scam. The only reason Governor Scott is caring about our coast line is because he is running against Democrat Bill Nelson for U.S. Senate. Scott has been detrimental to our environment in Florida throughout his very long tenure as governor. The minute he decided to run for the U.S. Senate he turned environmentalist because he knows that most Floridians will not vote for somebody who is actively participating in destroying our environment AND, with it, our tourism industry. Long-time Senator Bill Nelson, on the other hand, has a long career fighting oil drilling in our waters and protecting our environment. But then, Trump is endorsing Scott and Rebecca Mercer is throwing money into our state.

Sounds like your classic shakedown scheme. Want to keep your shoreline clean? Better get down in the dirt with the showman. How many rallies must he make with Trump to save FL from LA's fate?

"Interior officials had said they intended to hold nearly 50 lease sales between 2019 and 2024..." By 2018 the Senate and House will both be back in democratic hands and the Trump administration will be knee-deep in impeachment hearings, so my guess is those leases never see the light of day. And when a Democrat takes back the White House in 2020 (The Rock? Oprah?) we can roll back everything this ridiculous administration and criminal GOP-controlled congress have done.

This first oil rig should have been right off of Mar-a-Lago's beach.

good news for Mar-a-Lago.

Why should Florida ger better treatment thsn other coastal states? I am glad, but the lack of national, patriotic feeling for coastal areas, from sea to shining sea, is horrible.

no one would ever think that the Trumpster would allow his beach in Florida to be drilled!...

Raise your hand, if you're surprised. Mar-a-fraudo is SAFE. All the other coastal states, good luck. Thanks, GOP. And, NOVEMBER.

Once again the current administration acts capriciously and with partisan politics. Why Florida ? One can't help but know that the current president owns waterfront property and other investments in the state... not mention it voted for him. It is also punitive to states like California, Oregon & Washington who have banned off shore drilling and also have big tourist business - just like Florida. Coastal tourism is true for Massachusetts, New jersey, Maine... on and on. The order defies what the American people want, and what they need...it is a gift to the oil industry. America needs to look to the future for energy alternatives and grow the tech and business to support those resources.... Not fossil fuels.

Remind me, please - where is Trump's palatial Mar-a-Lago compound located??

Could this in fact have anything to o do with Michal Moore's plan to build an oil rig in the waters right off Mar-a-Largo ????

Can we please do something to block drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge now? The caribou are getting anxious.

NIMBY friends get what they want. NIMBY California gets "Drill baby drill."

This will impact my lottery plans of buying the biggest, ugliest, and loudest drilling platform and parking it in front of Mar-A-Lago, regardless if there's any oil there.

If this doesn’t blatantly demonstrate that every decision this administration makes is driven by politics and not policy, I don’t know what does.

And if a Governor who is a democrat objects, what will Zinke do? This is truly the most politically corrupt administration ever. They do not even pretend to be working for all of America. It truly is party first. Sickening.

Lets see how many Democratically leaning states get the same treatment as Florida. I live on Long Island, and our pristine beaches are also important to our economy. Or consider California. Will they be exempted? After the tax bill, which hurt Blue states (who already subsidize Red states in Federal dollars), this is minor.

The most effective response to this act of environmental pillage would be to crush the oil industry and its shareholders by making sure your next car is not one powered by an internal combustion engine and by reducing if not eliminating new consumption of plastic, including water bottles, and other products based on petrochemicals. It's time to make the market work against these companies and the Members of Congress and Administration who owe everything to them.

I am not surprised that Florida is being dropped from the administrations offshore drilling plan. One has to wonder if it was due to efforts by Governor Scott when so many other governors are seeking exemptions, or is it because Trump has his "winter white house" Mar-a-Lago and wants to be sure there are no offshore rigs near there. If the Trump administration truly feels that all of our offshore waters should be open to drilling perhaps they should start with the waters off Mar-a-Lago. That way we will see whether Trump is willing to prove he is doing something on principal as opposed to doing something in his best interest. I think we all know where his priorities lie...

Florida (Republican) no, but California (Democrat) ok. It's good to see that the Trump Administration is interested in equality.

Wait, I know we in NC elected a democrat to be governor, but NC did go for Trump. So can the ban on offshore drilling be extended to NC. We have tourists too just like FL. Oh, and SC is Republican and has tourists - think Myrtle Beach! Billions of dollars spent on the coast every year. But, then logic never entered Zinke's mind.

"The Interior Department has also repealed offshore drilling safety regulations that were put in place after the Deepwater Horizon disaster." What a stupid decision. Does Secretary Zinke understand the word "catastrophe?" According to the Center for Biological Diversity... "In total, we found that the oil spill has likely harmed or killed approximately 82,000 birds of 102 species, approximately 6,165 sea turtles, and up to 25,900 marine mammals, including bottlenose dolphins, spinner dolphins, melon-headed whales and sperm whales. The spill also harmed an unknown number of fish � including bluefin tuna and substantial habitat for our nation�s smallest seahorse � and an unknown but likely catastrophic number of crabs, oysters, corals and other sea life. The spill also oiled more than a thousand miles of shoreline, including beaches and marshes, which took a substantial toll on the animals and plants found at the shoreline, including seagrass, beach mice, shorebirds and others." This is only one out of a list of the ten largest US coastal oil spills. We can't reverse the catastrophic effects, but we can permanently erase offshore drilling!

This does look suspiciously like a play or pay deal from the Trump administration-very like the tax overhaul.