In the fight to prevent expanded offshore drilling off the Gulf coast of Florida, Congressman Francis Rooney has led the way. This past week, Rooney testified before the U.S. House Rules Committee in favor of his bill (H.R. 205) to permanently protect the eastern Gulf of Mexico from offshore drilling. In his testimony, the Congressman spoke of the eastern Gulf’s importance to United States’ national security.
“The Eastern Gulf is home to the Gulf Test Range, a 120,000 square mile range that stretches from the Florida panhandle to Key West. This unimpeded training and testing area is of critical importance to our military now and will become even more important in the future, as hypersonic and drone testing increase.”
He also noted the importance of an oil free coastline to Florida’s tourist economy. Florida’s Gulf Coast supports more than 609,000 jobs and generates over $37.4 billion in GDP annually.
Congressman Rooney is not alone in his opposition to offshore drilling. In Florida, elected officials from both sides of the aisle, including Governor Ron DeSantis, are united in their opposition to offshore drilling because of the threat it poses to our country’s national security and Florida’s clean coast economy.
For more on Congressman Rooney’s testimony, read Sunshine State News article here.