VIDEO RELEASE: Sen. Moody on the Senate Floor: I’ll Keep Fighting to Protect Florida’s Coast from Off-Shore Oil Drilling, Secures Commitment to Move American Shores Protection[...]

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WASHINGTON, D.C.-Today, Senator Ashley Moody took to the Senate Floor to request unanimous consent on her American Shores Protection Act - continuing her fight in keeping oil drilling off Florida's coast. In October, Senator Moody announced the introduction of her American Shores Protection Act to prohibit oil drilling and natural gas exploration and development near Florida's coastline. This legislation would extend Florida's drilling moratorium from 2022 to 2032, and would codify President Trump's September 2020 executive action that protects Sunshine State beaches. Senator Rick Scott, the bill's cosponsor, joined Senator Moody in this request.

While the legislation did not pass by unanimous consent today, Senator Mike Lee, the objector and Chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, gave his commitment to bring the legislation up in its committee of jurisdiction and move forward on the lawmaking process.

Excerpts from Senator Moody's remarks:

"I rise today to move for unanimous consent on the American Shores Protection Act. This would codify President Trump's 2020 moratorium on drilling off Florida's Gulf of America and Atlantic Coasts. Florida has worked with President Trump for years to keep these operations off our pristine coasts…because our coasts are a vital component of our state's economic success. In fact, Florida's beaches alone generate more than $127.7 billion a year in tourism spending and support more than 2.1 million related jobs…"

"However, these great resources are vulnerable to risks posed by new offshore drilling. We all saw the devastating harm caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010-that disaster wiped billions of dollars from Florida's industries and caused horrific damage to our environment and coastal communities…"

"Our coasts also play an important role in securing our nation. The Gulf Test Range, a big part of the Department of War's training to ensure mission readiness, is supported by multiple military bases in Florida's panhandle. More than 50,000 jobs in the Panhandle depend directly on operations at military facilities in this area…"

"As a fifth-generation Floridian, preserving our state's natural beauty is deeply important to me and…the millions of those who call the Sunshine State home-as well as those who come to visit and vacation. It is my mission to protect our state's coastline-from Pensacola Beach where the Blue Angels fly to Duval Street in Key West. From the iconic South Beach, Miami to Fernandina in the very tip of Northeast Florida-all for our next generation…"

BACKGROUND:

The American Shores Protection Act would codify the Eastern Gulf of Mexico Moratorium (EGOM) President Trump issued through 2032. The U.S. House in 2019 voted 248-180 on a resolution (HR 205) to make the drilling moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico permanent. Later that year, nearly 70% of Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment that reinforced a ban on drilling in state waters off the coastlines. Senators Rick Scott and Lindsey Graham have cosponsored the legislation.

See bill text HERE.

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