Idea of Offshore Drilling Seems to Be Spreading

MIAMI — Gov. Charlie Crist stepped on the third rail of Florida politics this week when he abandoned his opposition to drilling offshore for oil and natural gas. But surprise, surprise, he did not die. Skip to next paragraph Related News Analysis: Will $4 Gasoline Trump a 27-Year-Old Ban? (June 19, 2008) Bush Calls for End to Ban on Offshore Oil Drilling (June 19, 2008) Dearth of Ships Delays Drilling of Offshore Oil (June 19, 2008) His call for cautious reconsideration, in fact, is spreading. In the Capitol and along the coast here minds once closed to offshore drilling have been cracked open by the prospects of safer drilling technology and an awareness that dependency on foreign oil has heavy costs. “It’s something we need to do because of the bigger picture,” said State Senator Burt L. Saunders, chairman of the Senate Environmental Preservation and Conservation Committee. “We need more energy independence.” Governor Crist’s position appears to line up with Senator John McCain’s call for an end to the federal moratorium that prevents coastal drilling. With President Bush now in support, Democrats say the proposal is a gimmick that will blow back against the Republicans. But the public debate over drilling suggests that the political landscape has changed. Several elected and appointed Florida Republicans have publicly shifted their positions in the past week. Senator Mel Martinez said Tuesday that he would consider drilling as long as it is at least 50 miles off the coast. Nicki Grossman, vice chairwoman of the Florida Tourism Commission, said Wednesday that the high price of gasoline might be more of a threat than drilling. Mr. Saunders, a Republican from Naples, said his opinion started to change after oil rigs near Louisiana survived Hurricane Katrina without major spills that reached the shore. He did not mention that Hurricanes Katrina and Rita did cause 124 smaller spills that released more than 700,000 gallons of petroleum products, according to Coast Guard estimates. But, he said, the cost-benefit analysis has changed because current proposals would push drilling up to 150 miles offshore. “Initially, we were talking about drilling very close to the Florida coastline and we were talking about technology that had not necessarily been proven,” he said. “Not anymore.” Most of the discussion about Florida drilling has centered on the Gulf Coast. The National Petroleum Council estimates that beneath the Gulf of Mexico’s eastern edge, there might be 36.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 5.2 billion barrels of oil — numbers that would require extensive exploration to verify. In the area’s beach communities, opposition to drilling has been a constant. Environmentalists have long predicted a catastrophe, with ruined beaches and marine ecosystems. But some people wonder whether the conventional wisdom has become outdated. Dan Rowe, president of the Panama City Beach Convention and Visitors bureau, said, “You can no longer just dismiss it out of hand” because gasoline prices and drilling technology have changed. In Mexico City Beach, a three-mile strip of sand and water with about 1,200 residents, some were unsure. “Before, it didn’t seem like the way to go,” said Jason Adams, 38, the owner of Marquardt’s Marina. “Now I have to think about it a little bit more.” Mr. Adams said he knew it would take years for drilling to produce results. A 2007 Department of Energy study found that access to coastal energy deposits would not add to domestic crude oil and natural gas production before 2030 and that the impact on prices would be “insignificant.” But Mr. Adams said he was studying the issue because when it comes to energy “we need to be more independent.” Similar views could be heard in California, where 33 offshore oil operations are part of the daily vista for residents of the south and south-central coast. “I work at the beach, I wouldn’t want anything to jeopardize that,” said Pat Kennedy, 23, a lifeguard on the Buena Ventura State Beach south of Santa Barbara. But, he said, “we probably need to drill here to be less dependent on foreign countries.” The shifting opinions may reset if oil prices drop. Ms. Grossman at the Florida Tourism Commission said many business owners still fear that drilling will ruin the state’s beaches. “Now, the only possible mitigating factor is that we’re also afraid of losing business because of gas prices,” she said. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and some other Republicans opposed to drilling have also held their ground. Ray Sansom, who is in line to become speaker of the Florida House, representing the coastal town of Destin, said Wednesday that he still opposes drilling. And former Gov. Jeb Bush, in an e-mail message, said that while he supported Mr. Bush’s efforts to develop domestic energy sources, “this does not diminish the long-term need to conserve and develop alternative sources of energy.” Democrats, meanwhile, have pounced. The Florida Democratic Party said Tuesday that Governor Crist switched sides because he is “desperate to be Mr. McCain’s running mate.” Then on Wednesday the state’s Democratic delegation in Congress released a statement accusing Republicans of pandering to the public’s frustration with gasoline prices and selling out to “big oil.” Representative Kathy Castor, a Democrat from Tampa, said drilling could become a reality because the Republicans are breaking ranks. “It used to be a unified front,” she said. “What’s particularly frustrating is there is now a crack in the armor.”