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McCain Supports Limit On Drilling
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Published: June 26, 2008
TAMPA - Even though he created a stir last week by advocating ending a moratorium on offshore oil drilling, John McCain supports continuing the current ban on drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, his campaign advisers said this week.
McCain campaign senior adviser Doug Holtz-Eakin said McCain supports prohibitions passed two years ago that keep large areas of the eastern Gulf off limits to exploration.
The aim of that law, sponsored by Florida Sens. Bill Nelson, a Democrat, and Mel Martinez, a Republican and a strong McCain ally, was to protect Panhandle and Gulf Coast beaches.
McCain "supports the Nelson-Martinez compromise that reflects the wishes of Florida," Holtz-Eakin said in an interview Tuesday.
"If the people of Florida view that as something that should be off limits, it remains off limits."
McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential candidate, created a sensation in Florida and national politics last week when first he, and then Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, another McCain loyalist, switched their past positions and said they favor ending the federal moratorium on offshore drilling.
Opponents Pounced
That led to a storm of criticism from environmentalists, Democrats and supporters of McCain's likely Democratic opponent, Barack Obama. Some political observers speculated that McCain might have hurt his chances in Florida.
In interviews this week, McCain aides seemed to be seeking to limit any political damage by emphasizing his support for continuing the eastern Gulf protections and his view that states should have control over drilling closest to their coasts.
Crist's press aides didn't return calls for comment Wednesday on whether he agrees with McCain that the eastern Gulf protections should be maintained.
But he addressed the subject of drilling in a speech opening his summit on climate change in Miami.
"Only when we are able to do so far enough from Florida's coast, safe enough for our people and clean enough for our beaches, should we consider increasing our oil supply by drilling off Florida's shores," he said.
During his 2006 campaign for governor, Crist said he opposed expanded drilling in the eastern Gulf.
When he sided with McCain last week, Democrats and others accused him of flip-flopping to back up his presidential candidate against Florida's interests.
Neither advocates nor opponents of increased oil and gas exploration and drilling are likely to be entirely satisfied with McCain's stance.
Some drilling advocates, although they applaud McCain's willingness to end the moratorium, think he should go further.
"It's a positive first step, but there are some problems with it," said Michael Kearns, director of external affairs for the National Ocean Industries Association.
He said McCain's willingness to let states veto drilling near their coastlines would "give a coastal state the veto right over resources intended for the entire country," oil resources located in national waters.
In Florida, the dominant business trade group Associated Industries has advocated increased offshore drilling and exploration for several years, even while many political leaders opposed it.
"I'm appreciative that McCain is willing to put the exploration question on the table for national discussion," said Barney Bishop, Associated Industries president. He said there's no reason to prevent drilling more than 25 miles off Florida's shores, out of visual range of beaches.
His organization, he said, is about to release polling information that will indicate Floridians favor increased offshore drilling and exploration.
He said McCain "will be encouraged to know the people of Florida support exploration off the coast."
The bans on drilling that McCain advocated lifting includes two different moratoriums: one imposed by Congress, and one by a presidential order that has existed through several administrations.
Both prohibit exploration and drilling on most of the outer continental shelf, an area of shallow water extending from a few miles to 250 miles from land. The eastern Gulf also has special protections under the Martinez-Nelson legislation.
They sponsored their compromise legislation in the Senate two years ago after another bill passed the House that would have opened up parts of the eastern Gulf to exploration and drilling.
The legislation prohibits drilling in most of the eastern Gulf through 2022. It applies to areas within 125 miles south of Panhandle beaches, and 234 miles west from Tampa Bay area beaches.
President Bush said last week that he thinks the outer continental shelf moratoriums should be lifted, but called on Congress to lift its moratorium before he will lift the presidential one.
Lifting the moratoriums would create the possibility of drilling on Florida's Atlantic coast, though it wouldn't affect the eastern Gulf, as long as the Nelson-Martinez legislation remains in effect.
Any Step Seen As Too Much
For hard-line opponents of eastern Gulf drilling such as Nelson, however, any lessening of the protections is too much.
"If you lift any part of the moratorium, it opens up the crack in the door for the oil industry to start drilling off Florida," Nelson spokesman Bryan Gulley said.
He said Floridians repeatedly have had to fight off legislative attempts to loosen the Gulf restrictions over the years. As recently as two weeks ago, a House committee voted down a bill that would have allowed drilling 50 miles from Florida's Gulf coast.
"Alaska, the Eastern Gulf and California - that's where the oil is the industry wants. They've been after the eastern Gulf for a long time. Any talk of lifting any moratoriums puts the eastern Gulf in jeopardy."
McCain says even if the outer continental shelf moratorium is lifted, he would still let states decide whether there should be drilling near their shores, though he hasn't set a specific mileage limit.
"His policy on offshore drilling has always been to have states have the final say," Holtz-Eakin said.
Holtz-Eakin said McCain also thinks states should receive a share of the proceeds of drilling off their shores.
One proposal in Congress now, said Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., a McCain backer, would allow states to ban drilling within 50 miles of their shores.
Reporter William March can be reached at (813) 259-7761 or wmarch@tampatrib.com.
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