A band of alternative energy activists staged a rally on the steps of the Old State Capitol on Monday, urging Gov. Charlie Crist to follow through with a decision to call for a special session of the Legislature to consider a ban on oil drilling.
Crist has indicated that if he does call such a special session on a constitutional ban -- which other state leaders say is unnescessary since such a ban already exists -- he would also be inclined to add consideration of alternative energy issues to the session.
As she stood on the steps of the Capitol building in the oppressive May heat Monday, activist Kim Ross spoke of serenity to a loud, bustling crowd that had just finished chanting, Stop the drilling."
For Ross, who represents Energy Action Calition, Destin Beach in North Florida is a place of relaxation and beauty.
Although, to date, no oil has washed up on a single Florida beach, Ross says Destin's serenity is threatened by more than 200,000 gallons of oil unleashed daily into the Gulf Of Mexico since the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon oil rig sank April 22.
We didnt make that threat, said Ross. We didnt ask for it. And now, were stuck with it.
More than 50 people rallying in Tallahassee called for a state constitutional ban on drilling in Florida waters, and many shouted their message with signs with slogans like Seize BP, "Spill Baby, Spill," and America: Your Crude Awakening.
The rally, organized mainly by Ross, was sponsored by three groups opposed to offshore oil drilling: Save Our Shores! Florida, Energy Action Coalition and 1 Sky.
The main members of Save Our Shores, a primary sponsor of the rally, are alternative energy activists with backgrounds in grassroots organizing. Judson Parker, executive director of Save Our Shores! Florida, in 2007 helped launch Environment Arizona, a Phoenix-based group that successfully pushed Arizona to enact a renewable energy standard of 15 percent. His wife, Amanda Parker, worked for Environment Florida in 2008, which sought to win $78.6 billion from Congress for Alternative energy through the federal stimululs act. She has worked as mass media manager for the American Grassroots Action Network, her husbands other alternative energy advocacy group. She is also a former member of the Florida Public Interest Research Group (PIRG).
The group's show of support for Crist on Monday was geared to support the argument for a special session. Crist has said he would like the public vote on whether to ban oil drilling through a vote on a constituional amendment.
But Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Destin, argued that pusing for a constitutional amendment is little more than political grandstanding. Drilling is already forbidden in state law, Gaetz said, and the amendment wouldnt go far enough to prevent oil from reaching Florida shores. Offshore drilling would still be permitted in federal waters, leaving the state open to spills like BPs.
We havent really had a lot of time in Northwest Florida to worry about the politics of this, Gaetz said of the rally and the call for a special legislative session. We leave that to Gov. Crist.
Ross urged Gov. Charlie Crist to demand a special session on offshore drilling. Such an amendment would need to advance through the state House and Senate on a three-fifths vote. It would then need to be passed by 60 percent of the states voters.
BP has failed time and again to stop the oil spill completely, and frustration is growing. The oil giant started last week siphoning tens of thousands of gallons from one of the three leaks in the well 5,000 feet underwater, but the amount it has captured daily has varied from 47,000 to 97,400 gallons. Its newest attempt to contain the leaks with heavy fluids and cement is delayed until at least at least Wednesday.
Amanda Parker said President Barack Obama has failed to understand the need to move away from oil and toward alternative energy sources.
I urge you, Barack Obama, to quit thinking about your ratings and start thinking about your legacy, she said.
Meanwhile, Visit Florida, the state's tourism arm, has launched a multi-million-dollar drive to show America that Florida's beaches and its waters immediately offshore are clean and clear, and that tourists should not cancel plans to vacation in Florida.
Reach Alex Tiegen at Alex.Tiegen@gmail.com or (561) 329-5389
