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Politics

Explore Offshore Leaders: 'Millions of Floridians ...Very Supportive of Us'

August 20, 2018 - 6:00am
Jim Nicholson and David Mica
Jim Nicholson and David Mica

After showcasing the “Explore Offshore” campaign promoting more energy exploration off Florida’s coasts, two of its leaders talked to Sunshine State about why they are supporting this effort. 

In Tallahassee, on Wednesday, the American Petroleum Institute (API) showcased its “Explore Offshore” campaign, being led by former U.S. Veterans Affairs Sec. Jim Nicholson, who led the Republican National Committee (RNC), and former U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in the 2016 election cycle. 

After the event, Nicholson and David Mica, the executive director of the Florida Petroleum Council, talked to Sunshine State News about their efforts. 

Sunshine State News asked Nicholson if more offshore production would reduce gas prices in Florida. 

“Absolutely,” Nicholson replied. “The market’s an honest place. Supply and demand works. That’s one of the strong arguments on this among many. Taking a long term view, we need a sustained source of domestic oil and gas for this country. We continue to grow 1 to 2 percent -- another three to five million (people) every year. We’ve done extraordinarily  well in our use of new technology and discoveries ... but it’s not going to last forever. 

“The demand is going to increase,” he added. “We have to be able to look out for these new sources.”

Nicholson insisted energy exploration won’t hurt the tourism industry in Florida. 

“They are not mutually exclusive,” Nicholson noted.  “They’re complimentary.” He noted that many tourists come to Florida by automobile and insisted lower gas costs will ensure that more families use their discretionary income to head to the Sunshine State. 

Continuing on the impact of tourism, Nicholson and Mica stressed that changes in technology made energy exploration “invisible.”

“It’s not an either/or situation,” Mica said.  

Nicholson also said energy exploration won’t impact military operations and naval training in the Gulf. 

“It’s already being done,” Nicholson said, pointing to maps showing military training areas and energy exploration zones in the Gulf. He noted that some of the areas where military training is taking place are in places where the U.S. Interior Department would not allow energy exploration. 

Both Nicholson and Mica agreed that international companies were growing more active in energy exploration in the region, including off the Straits of Florida, dividing Cuba from the Sunshine State, but said it was way too early to consider where offshore energy will be found. In a media event Wednesday, former Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp, one of the “Explore Offshore” state chairmen, said ,“We’re not talking ‘drill, baby, drill.’ We’re talking ‘explore, baby, explore.” Nicholson and Mica agreed with that assessment. 

“We’re having a conversation about starting to look at what’s out there," Mica said. “We need to see what’s out there. The data is 30 years old.” Mica said the first step would be seismic testing, pointing to “cutting edge technology” which makes energy exploration easier. Having said that, he noted that the federal government had to open up more areas for exploration for that to happen. 

“It’s not an overnight process,” Mica added, noting the federal government has to reassess and evaluate areas for energy exploration, including environmental impact studies before even considering more exploration. Mica also said there is a “marked increase” in Mexico approving offshore exploration. 

Nicholson insisted there was a “strategic need” for more domestic energy exploration before “economic and military disruptions.”

Turning to Florida, Mica said he hopes to rally more residents of the Sunshine State behind energy exploration.  

“There are millions of Floridians who are very supportive of us,” Mica said. “We want to give them the general knowledge of the importance of what we’re doing.”

Mica noted support of more energy exploration often changes with gas prices. “Prices can change with a world event, a crisis,” Mica said. “A lot of the popular talk would immediately change.”

However, Mica stressed that short term price fluctuations should not be the main rationale behind more energy exploration. 

“We can’t do that as an industry.” Mica said. “We’ve got to look at this long term and exploring offshore is a part of that for the United States’ energy and security interests.”

Sunshine State News asked Nicholson and Mica if energy can join other sectors like tourism, home construction and agriculture as a foundation of Florida’s economy.

“I believe my industry saved us from a depression as opposed to  a recession,” Mica said. “The advances in exploration that were made, mostly shell development, changed the face of America and probably saved us from a disastrous time.”

“That’s right,” Nicholson said. “This has the potential to help us in so many ways.” Pointing to the Sunshine State, Nicholson said energy exploration could lead to 150,000 new jobs in  Florida over the next two decades and an extra billion in revenue for the state government. “The average salary of these workers is $101,000. A lot of these jobs don’t require a college degree. They require a trainable, technical competence.” Pointing to his service as U.S. secretary of veterans affairs, Nicholson said he was proud to note that one out of ten of employees in the energy sector are veterans. 

Mica noted that local governments across the state could benefit from more revenue in the Federal Land and Conversation Fund.

In conclusion, Nicholson said more exploration can greatly impact the nation’s future. 

“I think this is a very important new endeavor,” Nicholson said. “I feel very strongly about it’s importance to our country. In the near term, I think it’s important to start quantifying what’s out there which has virtually no risks at all and makes so much sense for us to know what is out there. 

“We’ve got so much coast in this country," Nicholson said. “We ought to know what’s out there.”

Comments

I know of no native Floridians voting for this, they remember the Gulf oil disaster. It is always somebody from somewhere else like Scott...

Fugeddaboudit! It's absurd that South Florida hasn't become 'The Solar Capitol' of the world! NO MORE ocean drilling after the Deepwater Horizon debacle!

Yeah right!!!!!!.... I can see all those "Illegal Alien Invaders" in South Florida up on their roofs now,....installing solar panels !

I'd rather have tax paying aliens in S. FL. than large, freeloading oafs from NY tiny. Head back to NY and get a job...

These Gulf drilling folks are relentless…………… Comes from intense focus, big money, a strategy to win the day and a very loose grip on the truth!!!! After reading this latest babble, a few thoughts come to mind: • These paid, out of state folks claim “offshore production would reduce gas prices in Florida”. o How does that work? Are they suggesting they would bring oil ashore in Florida and that they could get oil refineries permitted in Destin or St. Pete Beach or Sarasota or Naples or Crystal River? • These history revisionists claim “Nicholson insisted energy exploration won’t hurt the tourism industry in Florida. They are not mutually exclusive” o How did that work out after the BP Deep Horizon event? o Great……maybe we could change the name of the Emerald Coast to the Sludge Coast! That should sell well!! o How about marketing the Sludge State vs. the Sunshine State! • These geniuses state “energy exploration won’t impact military operations and naval training in the Gulf” and refer to some old maps and documents. o Drilling may not impact have impacted our old Army Air Corp dropping hand grenades out the side windows to test accuracy or even some more recent test missions, but shouldn’t we be looking to the future where hypersonic aircraft and weapons will need the entire Gulf Range to test. o Oh, by the way, the Gulf Range provides test capabilities found no where else in the United States! o And….. “Explore Offshore” leader Jim Webb served as a United States Senator from Virginia, Secretary of the Navy, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, Counsel for the United States House Committee on Veterans' Affairs and a Marine Corps officer. WOW! • A real protector of our state (not), former Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp, one of the “Explore Offshore” state chairmen, said ,“We’re not talking ‘drill, baby, drill.’ We’re talking ‘explore, baby, explore.” Nicholson and Mica agreed with that assessment o I must have missed the economics class that taught that exploring without drilling was profitable! Let’s run this argument by some 6th graders • More miracle math: o Nicholson said energy exploration could lead to 150,000 new jobs in Florida over the next two decades and an extra billion in revenue for the state government o The 2016 state military and defense economic impact was $84.9 billion with employment topping 800,000 jobs, per the Florida Defense Support Task Force.  The Florida Defense Support Task Force is a legislatively-mandated council (created by Florida Statute 288.987) whose mission is to preserve, protect, and enhance Florida’s military missions and installations.  Tourism’s numbers far exceed these.  Apparently I also missed the “Risk/Reward class”. Even if defense spending stays static, $85 billion a year for 20 years equals $1,700,000,000,000 vs the speculative $1,000,000,000 from drilling. Those interested in supporting our military and it ability to test for the future need to step up their game, folks!!! Just sticking to the truth will win the day!!!

Truth! Jim, your truth is biased and absurd. As if drilling off of Florida's coast would stop defense spending or tourism. LIES! Even if drilling would have a detrimental financial impact on both of those industries, it would not be as large as the financial benefits. For you to suggest otherwise is wrong and misleading. Sludge Coast...scare tactic BS! The pasted economic statistics are meaningless because your premise is false. There are many of us from NW Florida now working in the oil field because of the jobs you dismiss as being insignificant. As Americans, we should absolutely continue to develop sustainable energy, no doubt about that. Still, the benefits of sourcing petroleum at home vs importing from abroad should be clear, especially to someone that claims to know economics. What good is the Gulf Range if we don't have the fuel to operate the aircraft? Have you seriously considered your own carbon footprint? We are nearly energy independent...let's continue to work together and make it happen.

People who hide behind anonymity can easily call other people liars. I work in the Defense Test and Evaluation community and have read the in-depth reports from the Department of Defense. Oil exploration east of the Military Mission Line is incompatible with military operations there. There are no other places in the Continental United States to test what we test out in the Gulf. There are other places to obtain fossil fuels.

The fossil fuel gang kneecaps alternate clean energy, predates the "lock her up" crowd with it's own "drill baby drill" morons. Figures that Nicholson, who led the RNC, would now lead the polluters. There are millions of poorly informed Floridians, but if Rick Scott and others were honest about their feelings on offshore drilling they would never be elected to anything, even by Republicans.

I wonder how much SSN got paid for running this PR piece of lies?...………….First there is no shortage of NG in the US as in many places. Right now the price about $3/MMBtu equals about 7 gals of gasoline or about $.45/gal equivalent...…………..Just how are they going to undercut that price?...…………….Certainly not off Florida as no worthwhile amounts have ever been found...…………..And they already have tract 181, the best tract of all they fought tooth and nail for 15? yrs ago. …………..They have yet to drill a single well there...…………….Fact is they have 100ks of leases they won't develop but they want to do off Florida they say...……….As for Florida it's time we switched to far cheaper solar, east coat wind, biomass, wastes, EVs because they cost 50-75% less /kwh. ..................….Just who wants to pay more for polluting power?...…………..And let's not forget the unreliability of powerlines like Irma when 50% of the state was out of power for a week average makes your own solar, etc power more reliable as mine was...………….And when gasoline ran out for 4 days the only reliable vehicle fuel was EVs like mine and Teslas were the only vehicle without fuel restrictions with free fuel and those making their own solar, etc for 50% less than utility power..

Wanna reduce gas prices? Simple, clean out your Democrat politicians on election day and cut off their endless tax money, then their replacements will also learn a lesson.

Stay away from our beautiful beaches! I've seen what you did to the Texas coastline.

It makes sense to be able to licenses American Oil Companies and feed the Florida treasury with new revenue stream to provide even lower taxes. In addition it would be to our benefit to allow at least two new refineries. It is a matter of national security but NIMBY seems to be in force.

Pay attention to who really owns the licenses and oil rigs. This year, the largest semisubmersible platform in the Gulf was towed out. The ownership is 79% to Shell Oil (owned by Royal Dutch Shell) and 21% owned by Nexen Petroleum Offshore USA, a wholly owned company by CNOOC Ltd who is Chinese National Offshore Oil Company owned by the People's Republic of China. Not exactly "American Oil Companies." Just because a holding company says USA in the title does not mean the owner of the holding company is American. They just buy Americans to be the face of the company. How does having an oil servicing rig owned by China sitting right next to where we test our most advanced weapons fit into National Security? Feed the Florida Treasury? The Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 specifically excludes Florida from revenue sharing. And if you talk to the Congressional Delegation from Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, they will tell you that they already have the capacity in their states to service any wells in the Gulf no matter where they are placed, so you can kiss away any thought of additional jobs in Florida.

I love accurate information "Jim"; but it's even worse than that... After "BP"; all those moveable platforms that were towed out to the Mexican and South American coastlines were owned by Soros, Buffet and their ilk.... to maintain profits...

sure they were tiny, where's your proof on that? they probably own your trailer too, right?

Morgan & Morgan speaks.

Nope. It's Florida's worst nightmare - after Rick Scott. "Feed the Treasury"....? No, line the pockets of the dirty industrial oligarch crowd - like the Koch's - then leave the detritus behind.

Comments are now closed.

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