Lessons from an oily Gulf

Much remains to be learned about the oil spill that could be one of the nation's greatest environmental disasters, even if the oil company succeeds in stopping the leak. But some lessons already are obvious:

• The plan to drill in state waters immediately off Florida's coast - from three to 10 miles - is sheer lunacy. Even a minor accident would result in immediate harm to the coast and, as the blowout off Louisiana demonstrates, the industry's ability to contain a spill is far from foolproof. The winds blew oil over boons. Some broke apart. Weather kept cleanup crews from being deployed.

An independent review of the Florida drilling proposal found that the amount of oil likely to be found was modest. It makes no sense to jeopardize the state's economy and beautiful beaches for such a feeble return.

And as this incident in the Gulf of Mexico underscores, there is significant risk even from rigs several hundred miles away.

Scientists say the Gulf Loop Current could easily carry oil from this spill to the Florida Keys and East Coast beaches. A worst-case scenario could have the oil damaging coastal businesses in much of the Southeast, further weakening the economy.

• State Rep. Dean Cannon, the Winter Park Republican who has championed near-shore drilling, has lost all credibility, and representatives should revisit his selection as the next House speaker.

Voters should not forget that Cannon orchestrated the House's approval of near-shore drilling last year. The surprise drilling push was launched in the closing days of the session. Only the oil industry was allowed to participate in the bill's development. The public, environmentalists and scientists were largely shut out.

Fortunately, Senate President Jeff Atwater blocked the effort. For insisting on an independent review, he deserves the gratitude of all Floridians.

But Sen. Mike Haridopolis, the Melbourne Republican scheduled to succeed Atwater, is a near-shore drilling cheerleader who plans to help Cannon next year. Florida needs leaders with better judgment.

• Despite this disaster, the nation cannot abandon all offshore oil drilling, which provides close to a third of its domestic supply. Major deposits remain untapped far offshore.

The nation needs to aggressively pursue alternative energy sources, but advancements are unlikely to ever eliminate the need for oil, which is used in numerous products other than fuel.

The oil industry's drilling safety claims clearly are exaggerated, but it would be a mistake to dismiss all progress. Major accidents are uncommon. Additional safeguards could further diminish the risks.

The Wall Street Journal, for instance, reports rigs in Norway and Brazil have remote control devices that can activate a blowout preventer, a large valve that chokes off the flow of oil, when the hard-wire connection to the blowout preventer doesn't work. The United States doesn't require the backup device, so Louisiana rig workers had no options when the well surged out of control.

Regulators need to scrutinize every aspect of this disaster and adopt every reasonable precaution. That should include maintaining reasonable buffers off the coast.

• President Barack Obama is correct to delay his proposal to expand offshore drilling, allowing rigs as close as 50 miles to the Atlantic Coast and as close as 125 miles to Florida's Gulf Coast.

U.S. Reps. Bill Young and Kathy Castor, both vigorous defenders of Florida's environment, want Obama to maintain the current 235-mile Gulf buffer, and they may be right. But the president should await more evidence before abandoning what seemed to us - before the blowout - a judicious approach to drilling.

•Sen. Bill Nelson, another consistent defender of Florida's coastline, is correct to seek to eliminate the $75 million cap on economic damages that oil companies must pay. Even BP executives concede the spill's damage to fishermen, seafood companies, hotels and other businesses will far exceed that amount.

Oil remains essential to our economy. But the Louisiana calamity shows that offshore drilling remains a difficult and dangerous undertaking that can quickly destroy resources and local economies.

Florida residents, blessed with the best beaches in the nation, should remember the high stakes involved the next time they are urged to make a "safe" bet on drilling just off our shores.