Nelson says Gulf drilling could curb military training

Drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico could harm Florida's economy by interfering with military training and testing in the Gulf and cutting activity at Florida bases, Sen. Bill Nelson told the Tampa Chamber of Commerce on Monday.

The Gulf, Nelson told chamber members at a lunch speech, is "the largest testing and training area for the U.S. military in the world."

Nelson said many of the activities at Florida military bases, including testing missile and drone systems and training pilots, depend on the vast open stretches of ocean, much of it restricted airspace.

"Should it be jeopardized? ... My answer is no," he said.

Drilling advocates say what they hope to do in the Gulf wouldn't interfere with military use of the area.

"We believe this could be done in a way that's compatible; if it's not compatible, we wouldn't support it," said Ryan Banfill, a spokesman for Florida Energy Associates, an organization that won't reveal its membership but is advocating opening Florida waters for drilling.

Nelson asked chamber members to consider questions about the military and effects on tourism when asked to support drilling near Florida shores.

However, Nelson used incorrect figures when he discussed the potential effect on tourism.

He told the group that a 1992 spill from a tanker that tarred Pinellas County beaches resulted in two years of 45 percent-a-year declines in tourism revenue.

In fact, no such declines occurred. The figures, from a Sierra Club report in August, are hypothetical figures on the possible effects of a severe spill. The Sierra Club incorrectly cited the figures as actual but then acknowledged the error.

Nelson spokesman Dan McLaughlin said Nelson "had not been made aware of the Sierra Club's clarification, but it doesn't change the point of fact he was making: Oil drilling off the coast of Florida will damage the state's economy and environment."

"The reality is the ... oil spill caused a significant two-year hit to Tampa Bay area tourism, according to the state. "

In 2005, when Nelson conducted a filibuster to stop Senate legislation that would have opened up much of the eastern Gulf for oil and gas exploration, he obtained a letter from then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld saying oil rigs were incompatible with military testing and training.

Nelson said he expects to obtain another such letter from current Defense Secretary Robert Gates in a few days.

He said the current thrust for more drilling in state waters comes from legislators eager for revenue to close the state's budget deficit. That's a false hope, he said, because of the time it takes to develop wells.