Item O8BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
Meeting Date: September 16 2009
Bulk Item: Yes X No
Division: BOCC
Department: DIST 3
Staff Contact Person/Phone #: C.Schreck x 3430
AGENDA ITEM WORDING:
Approval of a resolution of the board of county commissioners of Monroe County, Florida, supporting
efforts to protect Florida from offshore drilling and exploration
ITEM BACKGROUND:
During the recent 2009 legislative session, the Florida House of Representatives passed a bill to allow
Florida to consider opening its waters to off shore energy exploration. The bill will allow the Governor
and Cabinet to receive, review, and then accept or reject in the Cabinet's sole discretion, proposals for
exploration and production of oil and natural gas in Florida's state water. Florida Association of
Counties (FAC) is seeking county input from county members.
PREVIOUS RELEVANT BOCC ACTION:
Resolutions # 223-2008 and #139-2006 supporting efforts to protect Florida from offshore drilling &
exploration
Resolutions # 178-1988 and 203-1987 expressing opposition to any offshore drilling in and about the
Florida Keys
CONTRACTIAGREEMENT CHANGES:
STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
TOTAL COST: 0 INDIRECT COST: 0 BUDGETED: Yes No
COST TO COUNTY: 0 SOURCE OF FUNDS:
REVENUE PRODUCING: Yes No AMOUNT PER MONTH Year
APPROVED BY: County Atty CK OMB/Purchasing Risk Management
DOCUMENTATION: Included Not Required
DISPOSITION:
Revised 1/09
AGENDA ITEM #
RESOLUTION NO. -2009
RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS OF MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA,
SUPPORTING EFFORTS TO PROTECT FLORIDA
FROM OFFSHORE DRILLING AND EXPLORATION
WHEREAS, Florida's coral reefs, mangroves, sea grasses, beaches, fisheries,
endangered species, tourism and quality of life depend upon clean ocean waters; the impacts of
drilling muds and spills caused by offshore oil development can be carried by great distances by
the Gulf Loop Current onto Florida's coasts; routine drilling mud releases thousands of pounds
of toxic chemicals into the environment, harm fish, corals and marine mammals, and place
Florida at risk of a large or catastrophic spill; and
WHEREAS, historically considered and managed as isolated environments, recent
discoveries have documented important biological linkages between these underwater
communities that are maintained by the clockwise motion of the Yucatan Loop and Florida
currents; individual reef and banks, some of which are connected by bathymetric ridges and
scarps, provide a nearly -continuous corridor from Belize and Mexico, then into the Gulf itself;
even though separated by large expanses of ocean water, the fishes, corals, and invertebrates
common to these reefs and banks demonstrate that the health and vitality of resources
downstream are linked closely to those located upstream, and they are dependent on one
another for the continued biological recruitment and replenishment of the biota; and
WHEREAS, Floridians and especially residents of the Florida Keys have been unified
in their opposition to offshore oil drilling and exploration for many years; and
WHEREAS, the area south of 26 degrees North Latitude, approximately where Marco
Island, Florida, lies, and all waters outside of Lease Sale 181, are under a Congressional
moratorium for oil and natural gas exploration and development, thanks to years of past efforts;
and
WHEREAS, the effort to open Florida up to oil drilling began with the Interior
Department removing Florida's jurisdiction and giving Louisiana authority over Lease Sale
181, via publication of a revised "Seaward Boundary Lines Extension" in the Federal Register
in January of 2006, that occurred without public review or comment; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Interior Department's Five Year Plan for Oil and Gas
Development and Exploration undermines current protections for Florida's coral reefs; and
WHEREAS, Florida Senators Mel Martinez (R) and Bill Nelson (D) worked diligently
to make permanent the drilling moratorium in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, including most of
Lease Sale 181, to keep drilling as far as 260 miles off Florida's west coast and 150 miles off
the Panhandle and the east coast; and
WHEREAS, the eastern Gulf is a military training zone and in which drilling should be
banned as well as a buffer alongside it for at least five years; and
WHEREAS, as more threats to bring oil drilling closer to Florida's shores emerge in
Washington; and
WHEREAS, the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners previously passed
Resolutions #223-2008 and #139-2006 supporting efforts to protect Florida from offshore
drilling & exploration and Resolutions #178-1988 and #203-1987 expressing opposition to any
offshore drilling in and about the Florida Keys; and
WHEREAS, the Florida House of Representatives passed a bill during the 2009
legislative session which would have allowed the Gogvernor- and Cabinet, in their sole
discretion sitting as the Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, to receive, review and
accept or reject proposals for exploration and production of oil and natural gas in Florida's state
waters; and
WHEREAS, it is a matter of grave concern that the issue may be raised once again at
the State legislature during the 2010 legislative session;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS OF MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA:
1. We support the strongest possible protection for Florida and other fragile marine
environments from the impacts of offshore oil and gas exploration and development, including
additional efforts to expand exclusionary zones, extension of Presidential and Congressional
moratoria, and defeat of legislation to open up our coast to offshore oil.
2. We encourage the Interior Department Minerals Management Service, our Florida
Congressmen and Florida Governor Charlie Crist to work in support of these goals.
3. We oppose oil drilling near Florida; we oppose any new offshore oil and gas leasing,
exploration, drilling activity and seismic inventories affecting Florida's coast and support new
Congressional moratoria against offshore oil drilling near Florida and other fragile coastal
areas; and we encourage extension of the Presidential Executive Order that bans leasing off
America's east and west coasts and parts of Alaska from 2012 to 2020.
4. We support a permanent cancellation of the 90+ existing and active leases, some as close as
11 miles from our coast, compensating the holders of those leases through rents due and royalty
forgiveness for other current drilling activity, and canceling any activity in Lease Sale 181 and
establishment of a 150 mile buffer zone against drilling on Florida's east coast.
2
b. Honorable Senator Bill Nelson, 716 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510
c. Honorable Senator George LeMieux, 317 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC
20510
d. Honorable Representative 17eana Ros-Lehtinen, 2160 Rayburn Building, Washington, DC
20515
e. Governor Charlie Crist, The Capitol, Tallahassee, Florida 32301.
f FL Representative Dean Cannon, 422 The Capitol 402 South Monroe Street Tallahassee,
FL 32399-1300
g. FL Representative Ron Saunders, 1402 The Capitol, 402 South Monroe Street, Tallahassee,
FL 32399-1300
IL FL Senator Larcenia Bullard, 218 Senate Office Building, 404 South Monroe Street,
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1100
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County,
Florida, at a regular meeting of said Board held on the day of 52009.
Mayor George Neugent
Mayor Pro Tem Sylvia Murphy
Commissioner Heather Carruthers
Commissioner Mario Di Gennaro
Commissioner Kira Wigington
(SEAL)
Attest: DANNY L. KOLHAGE, Clerk
By
Clerk
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
OF MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA
By
Mayor/Chairperson
A i€�VE AST
SZY 1 �;. l IiJ°!"�€� �.