News & Public Affairs

Environmentalists Fight Effort To Allow Oil Drilling Closer To Florida's Coastline

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Tags: oil drilling, Florida's coastline, Sen. Jeff Atwater, oil spills, south Texas beaches, tar balls

There's a move by a group in Tallahassee to get the legislature to allow oil and gas drilling in state waters, 3-10 miles off Florida's coast. An economist hired by Florida Energy Associates- a major backer of expanded drilling rights- predicted last year that the state could reap $2.3 Billion dollars a year in direct revenue from oil and gas drilling. Environmentalists are concerned because they are being out-spent in Tallahassee and they say there are reasons to believe that expanded drilli...