Should the Moratorium on Oil & Gas Exploration Off Florida’s Coast be Extended? (H.R. 5014)

What is H.R. 5014?

(Updated May 22, 2019)

This bill — known as the PROTECT Florida Act — would extend the moratorium on oil and gas leasing and exploration off the coast of Florida by seven years, pushing back the earliest time that such activities could occur from 2022 to 2029. It would include a new moratorium on drilling and exploration in the Florida Straits and South Atlantic off Florida’s coast.

The bill’s full title is the Preserving Recreation, Oceans, Tourism, Environment, and Coastal Towns in Florida Act.

Argument in favor

Floridians don’t want offshore oil and gas drilling along their coast, so the existing moratorium on leasing and drilling should be extended by seven years through 2029.

Argument opposed

There’s already a moratorium on leasing and drilling for oil or gas off the Florida coast, let lawmakers reevaluate it as it gets closer to expiring in 2022.

Impact

Floridians; oil and gas companies; and the federal government.

Cost of H.R. 5014

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Sponsoring Rep. John Rutherford (R-FL) introduced this bill to extend the moratorium on drilling and exploration for oil and gas off Florida’s coast. He and nine other House Republicans from Florida wrote in a joint op-ed in the Tampa Bay Times:

“As the Eastern Gulf moratorium nears its expiration in 2022 and actions are underway to expand seismic work in the gulf and the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf, legislative action, like passage of the PROTECT Florida Act, is needed now more than ever. Floridians must unite to protect our clean and healthy Florida beaches, ocean ecosystems and coastal communities.”

This legislation has the support of nine cosponsors in the House, all of whom are Republicans from Florida.

Media:

• Tampa Bay Times Op-Ed
  
• The Wildlife Society (In Favor)