Bill Nelson Stands Firm Against Offshore Drilling
Barack Obama and the Senate Democratic leadership have been so busy filling this year’s energy bill (once referred to as a “climate bill”) with items to cater to Big Oil that they left their political position dangerously exposed to energy reality. Energy reality includes incidents like the deadly Upper Big Branch coal mine explosion and the deadly and disastrously polluting explosion of the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig.
A coalition of Democratic senators is now stepping into the gap between energy reality and the Obama energy bill, promising to block any bill that fails to remove current pro-industry measures providing favors to coal mining companies and expansion of offshore drilling. Bill Nelson, Senator from Florida, is aiming his efforts against offshore drilling expansion. Today, Senator Nelson made his position clear, stating that he will filibuster any energy bill that enables expansion of offshore oil drilling. He called the current bill, aimed more at pleasing Republicans than making sensible energy policy, “dead on arrival”, explaining that “If offshore drilling is a part of it, this legislation is not going anywhere.”
Joining Senator Nelson in pledging opposition to expanded offshore drilling in any energy bill were senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez. For more information on the expanding Deepwater Horizon oil spill and opposition to offshore drilling, see news from the Surfrider Foundation, Save Our Shores Florida, and Irregular Times.
[...] the Deepwater Horizon disaster, or to ensure that another Deepwater Horizon won’t take place. Unlike his senior colleague, Bill Nelson, Senator LeMieux has not developed any plan to block unsafe [...]
[...] growth of a new green energy manufacturing system. Piccillo also presented a position similar to that of Senator Bill Nelson, opposing the expansion of offshore drilling. “We need to make sure there is more oversight [...]