Majority of Congressional Delegation Opposes Offshore Drilling

Senator Bill Nelson got 24 of 27 members of the Florida Congressional delegation to oppose offshore drilling. The delegation signed a letter addressed to Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnell and John Boehner. Members not signing the letter are John Mica, Bill "Gator" Posey and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

According to a Nelson spokesman, that would mean not altering the current limits that forbid drilling within at least 100 miles of Florida’s Gulf coast, and farther out—more than 200 hundred miles—from Tampa Bay.

A Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University discovered lifting all oil bans would produced only 18 billions barrels of oil. The bans include Alaska and Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Nelson explained, on the Senate floor, the oil companies want the leases not necessary to drill. The lease values will potentially boost stock prices. F-22 pilots will train in the Gulf. Nelson explains rigs will pose potential safety hazards to pilots.