Yesterday, Trump’s Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke surged into the national spotlight when he announced that, on the heels of the Trump administration’s decision to expand offshore drilling rights off of the entire U.S. coast, he would exempt the state of Florida.
Read my full statement on taking #Florida off the table for offshore oil and gas. Local voice matters. pic.twitter.com/fJhv0p0CDC
— Secretary Ryan Zinke (@SecretaryZinke) January 9, 2018
The announcement, which came after a meeting with Florida’s Republican governor, Rick Scott, was instantly lambasted by governors from other coastal states that sought the same exemption.
As a result, Zinke was forced to walk back his impending drilling expansion plans.
“I will no doubt talk to every governor,” Zinke said. “It doesn’t matter to me whether you’re Republican or Democrat. This is going to be a long process. This is going to be at least a year with public comment. We have to get it right, look at the geology, look at the science.”
The difference between Florida and other states, of course, is that Governor Rick Scott is a Republican and, given the fact that he is term-limited, he will be seeking election to the U.S. Senate to unseat Democratic Senator Bill Nelson. In need of a political win – which this “waiver” for the decidedly unpopular offshore drilling expansion certainly is – Zinke’s exemption is just that.
“I have spent my entire life fighting to keep oil rigs away from our coasts,” Sen. Nelson said. “But now, suddenly, Secretary Zinke announces plans to drill off Florida’s coast and four days later agrees to ‘take Florida off the table’? I don’t believe it. This is a political stunt orchestrated by the Trump administration to help Rick Scott, who has wanted to drill off Florida’s coast his entire career. We shouldn’t be playing politics with the future of Florida.”
It did not escape public scrutiny either that Florida is the home of Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s infamous “Winter White House.” In other words, offshore drilling is fine, just not in Trump’s backyard.
Of course, other states quickly picked up on this glaring double standard.
Last year, 12 states specifically requested to be excluded from any offshore drilling expansion.
Florida was not one of those 12 states.
So why was it the only state granted exclusion now? It's also the only state where Trump has beachfront property. pic.twitter.com/ZMbJrUomph
— Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) January 10, 2018
Pacific Coast Governors Condemn Federal Decision to Expand Offshore Drilling: https://t.co/V8s9jT7H7h pic.twitter.com/QRhhcVzRH2
— Gov. Brown Press Office (@GovPressOffice) January 4, 2018
Governor Roy Cooper says no to #offshore drilling off the North Carolina coast. #protectourcoast /2 https://t.co/XdMJROSboO
— Clean Water Action (@cleanh2oaction) January 10, 2018
Governor-elect Phil Murphy doesn't want #offshore drilling polluting the Jersey shore. #protectourcoast /3 https://t.co/iTRbDU2qjn
— Clean Water Action (@cleanh2oaction) January 10, 2018
Governor Kate Brown says no to #offshore drilling off Oregon's coast. #protectourcoast /4https://t.co/Ba7ZP8mzeG
— Clean Water Action (@cleanh2oaction) January 10, 2018
Governor-elect Ralph Northam would like to talk to Sec. Zinke about a waiver on #offshore drilling for Virginia also. #protectourcoast /5https://t.co/3wFgipXviq
— Clean Water Action (@cleanh2oaction) January 10, 2018
Governor John Carney does not want #offshore drilling off Delaware's coast. #protectourcoast /6 https://t.co/9Gvaq9DVMC
— Clean Water Action (@cleanh2oaction) January 10, 2018
Governor Jay Inslee says no to #offshore drilling off the coast of Washington state. #protectourcoast /7 https://t.co/HxcDA7b9aa
— Clean Water Action (@cleanh2oaction) January 10, 2018
Governor Gina Raimondo doesn't want #offshore drilling putting Rhode Island's fishing, tourism, and recreation economy at risk. #protectourcoast /8https://t.co/PBdMHIL3oU
— Clean Water Action (@cleanh2oaction) January 10, 2018
Governor Andrew Cuomo of NY, says no to #offshore drilling. #protectourcoast /9https://t.co/jZKJULvwCa
— Clean Water Action (@cleanh2oaction) January 10, 2018
Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland is also already on the record opposing #offshoredrilling off MD's coast. #ProtectOurCoast /11https://t.co/O6EeLd7afO
— Clean Water Action (@cleanh2oaction) January 10, 2018
Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy is also opposed, says #offshoredrilling will "hurt Connecticut’s economy, our natural resources, and our coastal communities." #ProtectOurCoast /12https://t.co/qotKFggIIs
— Clean Water Action (@cleanh2oaction) January 10, 2018
South Carolina's GOP governor calls for Trump admin to remove state from offshore drilling expansion https://t.co/NTDUmPAV8r pic.twitter.com/M5ew6eEhCl
— The Hill (@thehill) January 10, 2018
In the tumultuous aftermath of Zinke’s misguided and blatantly politicized decision, he is now forced to contend with the predictable fallout. Judging by such swift and vocal backlash, the road ahead promises to be ugly.
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