An oil drilling proposal near Florida’s coast has stirred concern among environmental experts and residents. The Trump administration’s five-year plan, announced Thursday, aims to boost U.S. oil production in offshore areas, including locations just 100 miles from Florida’s shoreline.
Dr. James Douglass, a professor and scientist at FGCU, warned about the risks.
“This proposal would allow oil drilling in waters much closer to the coast of Florida, and would put Florida at greater risk of more oil spill disasters,” Dr. Douglass said.
Past oil spills in the Gulf have already harmed Florida’s ecosystem, raising alarm about future impacts. Dr. Douglass stressed the danger to marine life.
“We have many bottlenose dolphins and other marine mammals in Florida, including the Florida manatee, one of our most beloved animals here,” he said. “One of the reasons that Floridians have year after year refused to allow oil drilling on our coast is because of our concern for our unique Florida wildlife.”
Long-time Fort Myers Beach resident Justina Johnson shared similar concerns.
“We were sitting and watching the sunset, and the dolphins were, you know, jumping out of the water,” Johnson said. “We’d hate for them to be affected, and any of the other wildlife or the sea life that’s out there.”
Dr. Douglass encouraged the state to consider greener energy alternatives.
“Florida has a ton of sunshine, and yet we’re kind of behind on solar energy development compared to other states like California and Texas,” he said. “I think exploring some of those green energy options would make a lot more sense for us in Florida than risking drilling off of our coasts.”
Although some argue that offshore drilling could create jobs and strengthen U.S. energy supply, Dr. Douglass expects strong opposition to the proposal.
Leave a Reply