Gulf drilling proposal divides Florida GOP

The president supports allowing drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
LOS ANGELES TIMES
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Even as energy companies and his own administration call for more aggressive oil and gas exploration in U.S. waters, President Bush told drilling opponents in this politically crucial state Friday that they should "rest easy."
But despite the reassuring language, Bush in fact was embracing the very drilling expansion proposal that already has riled environmentalists and Florida politicians of both parties.
Bush said he was committed to preventing oil drilling within 100 miles of the state's Gulf coast. But that stance would allow a dramatic encroachment by oil rigs, which under an administration proposal would be permitted to move into parts of the eastern Gulf of Mexico that currently are off limits.
"I made a commitment that nothing is going to happen within a hundred miles of this coastline, and I'm honoring the commitment," the president said Friday.
"When we say 100 miles off the coastline, we don't mean 99 miles or 89 miles, we mean 100 miles," he added, addressing audience questions during a daylong visit to Florida. "So rest easy."
Citing rising gas prices and the need to reduce dependence on foreign oil sources, some Republicans are backing legislation that would shrink protected areas off the Florida and California coasts.
Democrats in California and Florida -- and even Sen. Mel Martinez, a Florida Republican who served in Bush's Cabinet until the president hand-picked him to run for Senate -- say Bush's 100-mile limit is not enough.
Reneging on pledge?
Bush and his brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, have come under fire in recent months for appearing to back away from their 2002 commitment to keep the entire eastern Gulf of Mexico rig-free -- a pledge that came as both faced re-election in the state that decided the 2000 election by just 537 votes.
Bush's remarks, delivered to a friendly crowd in Tampa before he helped raise $3 million for Florida Republicans at a Disney World resort here, underscored the pressure points of his new pledge to alleviate the country's "addiction" to oil.
Bush made that promise during his State of the Union address earlier this month. But since then, administration officials have continued to push for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and exploration in other areas.
Hot issue
The issue has quickly emerged as a major topic in this year's congressional and state-level campaigns -- a particular concern in Florida, where the GOP is hoping to pick up a Senate seat and retain the governor's mansion as Jeb Bush leaves office. The Republican candidates for governor have avoided the issue, while Democrats plan to paint the Bush-led GOP as favoring oil companies over the environment.
Environmentalists and other drilling opponents in Congress -- including Florida's two U.S. senators -- were critical earlier this month when Bush's Interior Department unveiled a plan to permit drilling in 2 million acres of Gulf waters that were previously protected -- including as close as 100 miles to Florida's shores. Republican senators, led by Energy Committee Chairman Pete Domenici of New Mexico, would go even farther -- causing alarm among drilling opponents in California, as well.
The state's overwhelmingly Republican congressional delegation has grown divided, with some, citing rising energy costs and the need to become less reliant on Middle East oil, backing a compromise on Gulf drilling.
Opposed
But Martinez and Sen. Bill Nelson, a Democrat facing re-election, are opposing both Bush and Domenici. They have said the administration plan would jeopardize Florida's vital tourism industry by putting its beaches at risk, and they have proposed a plan that would prohibit drilling within 150 miles of the coast.
Unlike the administration plan, the senators are also calling for a permanent buffer to protect the state once a series of moratoriums begin expiring next year.
Martinez appeared Friday night with Bush at the GOP fund-raiser, but said in an interview that he was troubled by the president's position.
"He's about 50 miles off," Martinez said. "I'm very interested in permanent protection, finding a permanent buffer. Obviously 150 miles is much better for Florida than 100."