Associated
Industries Advocates for Limited Offshore Drilling
at
Department of Interior Public Hearing on Gulf Drilling
April
6, 2006
TALLAHASSEE —Associated Industries offered public support today to allow
for limited offshore drilling for oil and natural gas in the
Eastern Gulf of Mexico during a public hearing sponsored by
the U.S. Department of Interior and its Minerals Management
Service. AIF commended the MMS for allowing a wide spectrum
of Floridians to voice their opinion on the very volatile issue
of energy and how this nation is going to keep up with the supply
and demand and pricing problems.
“Florida is an enormous
consumer of energy. As a result, we have a responsibility to
help this nation find a way to ensure that our future energy
needs can be met while preserving our state’s natural beauty
and our economic viability,” said Barney Bishop, President/CEO
of Associated Industries of Florida .
Members of AIF and
other business leaders appeared at today’s hearing in favor
of
limited off-shore exploration and drilling. Last fall, AIF first
announced its support of the Pombo compromise legislation, negotiated
by Governor Bush, after weighing the facts and recognizing that
a balance had been reached to provide a much needed energy source
as well as protection of Florida’s environment.
“High energy prices
and supply uncertainties pose a serious long-term threat to
the economy in Florida. The cost to operate a business in this
state has become enormous. Over the last five years, wholesale
natural gas prices have more than tripled and we have the highest
natural gas prices of any industrialized country in the world,”
said Bishop. “We must begin increasing the energy supply to
curb the unacceptable energy prices that are crippling so many
business and their employees. One part of the solution is tapping
into the proven energy supply in the Eastern Gulf waters in
a safe and environmentally-sound manner.”
AIF also endorses
exploring all energy alternatives including more nuclear power
plants, ethanol, hydrogen, solar, wind and other renewable sources
of energy. |
