Pinellas to oppose offshore oil drilling

Pinellas County legislative priorities will include opposing efforts to allow offshore drilling within 125 miles of the county's tourist-rich beaches, according to the list of lobbying priorities to be discussed at Tuesday's County Commission meeting.

The county will support "establishment of a special task force or study committee to study the short and
long term implications of oil and gas drilling and other alternative energy sources including effects on the economy of the state and its local governments, coastal communities, and fish and wildlife with a report of the findings to a future session of the Florida Legislature."

Commissioner Ken Welch has helped spearhead opposition to allowing drilling closer to the shores.

"Rather than risk Florida's clean, tourism-based economy and thousands of tourism-related jobs, in return for a Big Oil budget fix, I suggest that what Floridians really need is a stimulus of leadership in Tallahassee, and in local government," he said in a recent letter to the editor in the Times.

David DeCamp, Times staff writer

Comments

[Roger]

Of course Welch does not want to drill. He and the other libs like Rep. Janet Long would rather watch the price of fuel escalate so Americans can't even afford to drive to our great State to visit. I'm sick and tired of these Lib's (including the Lib in sheeps clothing, Charlie Crist) trying to make a case our tourism will suffer if we drill in the Gulf. Tourism will suffer when gas reaches $5.00 a gallon and nobody can afford to drive. DRILL you knuckleheads!

[Star]

Roger --- ever been to the beaches in Texas? Nastier than you could ever believe. People have to keep jars of kerosine to clean their feet when they leave. And if you think it won't happen here, think again, you knucklehead. As for the price of gas, whether or not we drill has nothing to do with it. We have no refineries in the state anyway ! No tourist wants to come and see gobs of tar on the beach and that's just exactly what will happen. Once it's spoiled, it's FOREVER. Get yourself educated.

[Roger]

Star: Keep sipping that kool-aid! I love you Lib's...............

[Angela Rouson - Dumb as a Rock]

Peter crook

Barry crook

Angela bankrupt

Foster idiot

What a team!!!

[TO ANGELA ROUSON - DUMB AS A ROCK POSTER]

To "Angela Rouson - Dumb as a Rock":

Please quit posting this garbage. Everybody here already knows that she is not a good candidate. You are not helping Steve by relentlessly posting this.

He is the stronger candidate and everybody on this blog knows this. You do not need to stoop so low anonymously. By doing so, you are undermining his candidacy.

--- A Kornell Supporter

[Steve Kornell will allow taxpayer dollars to be spent on transgender sex operations]

Which one of Steve's supporters will be first to take advantage of his plan to allow taxpayer dollars to be spent on transgender sex change operations?

[GOP Investor]

I produce a product - I can sell it domestically for $2.98 or I can sell it in a foreign market for $6.50.

Where do you think I should sell my product?

That's why increased domestic oil production makes for great political discussion, but poor economic sense.

Want more proof? Look at coal - we produce more coal in this country then anyone else on the planet, but our prices aren't signifigantly lower than anyone else's, in fact they're HIGHER then some places - why?

Because the domestic inventory is shipped overseas.

Coal companies then have more volume to sell where there is more demand at a higher price - earning them a higher profit. Meanwhile the resulting relative scarcity in the domestic market drives the domestic price up - boosting profits here.

It's a great scam and why I own stock in coal companies. If you own stock in oil companies you should defintely push for domestic supplies to open - but don't argue for it because you think gas prices will drop. They won't.

[Zen Master]

Oil is a dead end highway anyway. Roger obviously is getting paid to say good things about something that is clearly wrong for Florida. So just ignore his illogical non-sense

[Mike]

Here is a video talking about on the beaches protest Feb 13th

http://30atelevision.com/play.php?vid=936

[Tina]

Take a look out in the gulf now! Do you still think off shore drilling is a good idea?? If we allow it this will only be the beginning of many disasters to come. Wake up and protect our environment. This environment should be there for future generations. It is up to us to protect it. We can invest more into renewable energy. In the long term it will only be good!!!!