Florida Congressional Representatives Back Review of Seismic Testing in Atlantic

More than 30 members of Congress, including ten representatives from Florida, sent a letter to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) calling for an environmental review of seismic testing in the Atlantic Ocean.

U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford, R-SC, and U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Virg., rounded up congressional representatives from both parties to sign the letter. 

 “The current basis for issuing seismic testing permits is incomplete,” Sanford said on Thursday. “It does not take into account the long-term effects that seismic testing will have on marine life or the impact on the economy due to industrialization of the coast. Accordingly, we don’t think testing that could profoundly affect our coastal communities should be allowed to proceed based on an insufficient study.”

  “Over 85 cities and counties along the Atlantic coast have spoken out against seismic testing or offshore drilling, but current protocols don’t allow them access to the testing data to determine whether the risks of seismic testing outweigh the potential benefits from offshore drilling,” he added. 

The representatives from Florida who signed the letter are Republicans Curt Clawson, Ron DeSantis, Bill Posey and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Democrats Kathy Castor, Ted Deutch, Lois Frankel, Alan Grayson, Alcee Hastings and Patrick Murphy.