On September 11, 2019 the U.S. House of Representatives passed critical legislation to protect the eastern Gulf of Mexico from offshore drilling. The Protecting and Securing Florida’s Coastline Act (H.R. 205) was introduced by Representatives Francis Rooney and Kathy Castor to amend the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 (GOMESA) to permanently block offshore oil and gas leasing off Florida’s Gulf Coast. The current moratorium in the eastern Gulf is set to expire in 2022. This bill passed with bipartisan support as the nearly united Florida Congressional Delegation led the way and voted yes on H.R. 205. This bill is a major step forward in the fight to ensure that offshore drilling not get one inch closer to Florida’s gulf coast. Thank you to all the members of Congress who stood with coastal communities yesterday and voted to protect Florida’s Gulf coast.
Now Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio have the opportunity to champion this bipartisan effort and work to generate support in the Senate.
**Leading up to the vote, the Florida Gulf Coast Business Coalition was mentioned on the House Floor by Representative Grijalva – check it out!