Fightin' words on drilling

With Congress set to take up a host of new energy bills that could move drilling rigs closer to Florida's West Coast beaches, Bill Nelson, D-Fla., is threatening to go to the mat.

"I want everybody to know -- including the senator [Saxby Chambliss] that’s just walking onto the floor -- that this senator is not going to allow Florida to be a sacrificial lamb for whatever is struck as an energy compromise," Nelson said in a floor speech this afternoon.

The House is expected to take up a comprehensive bill this week that would open more of the Outer Continental Shelf, including waters off Florida, to oil and gas exploration. The details are still being worked out, but one version puts rigs as close as 100 miles. It would let the state Legislature vote to allow drilling as close as 50 miles offshore.

The Senate, meanwhile, will address three measures next week. Two would open the eastern Gulf of Mexico -- by how much is still unclear -- and a third would open most of the U.S. coast, but leave the eastern gulf off-limits through 2022, which is currently the law of the land.

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Comments

Allow drilling if they create National Cat Fund

I want T Boone's plan that includes "everything American" including "Drill, baby Drill"!

[Donald Lance]

Drilling sounds like a great idea if Bill Nelson is against it! Where did his brilliant plan to socialize homeowners insurance get us? I wonder why he voted for amnesty as well? Did you hear the one about Bill Nelson signing a petition to prevent an American citizen from excersizing his 1st Amendment right? Bill's track record says he still is in space! Come back to earth Bill so you can study the Constitution!

Bill Nelson is a complete dud. Mac Stipanovich hit the nail on the head nearly twenty years ago when he called him an empty suit. And that was after he bent over on his space travel boondoggle to tie his moonboots and the gravity from the moon sucked his brains out of his butt.

Nelson's time has passed. Hopefully there will be a decent Repbulican or Independent running against him next time.

The next four years of Nelson representing Floridians is going to be painful.

The clinton/richardson/envirofascist energy plan from 10 years ago did not work. This nation needs a proactive energy production plan now or we will be in dire straits like we have never known 10 years from now.

DRILL HERE, DRILL NOW

We need an American Energy Policy that includes drilling with other forms like solar, nuclear, wind, ect..

John McCain & Sarah Palin has the right idea.

DRILL BABY DRILL!

$4.00-$5.00 GAS IS OUTRAGEOUS.

Drill Baby Drill!

Barack Obama & Nancy Pelosi likely would not mind $10/gal gas.

They are so out of touch with Americans

While they are at it, someone needs to drill a hole in Bill Nelson's head to see if he is growing a new brain. From a bipartisan perspective, why does our state have to suffer with Dumb and Dumber as our United States Senators? Surely we have some Sarah Palins in our state somewhere. Check out the PTA's and the soccer moms. Maybe Sarah's sister will move to Florida.

Sarah is one of us. Obama & Biden are Washington elitists who are out of touch w/ middle class Americans.

[Bill]

I hope you folks realize what you are asking for.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvNgjTOFhv4

[Bill]

I hope you folks realize what you are asking for.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvNgjTOFhv4

[Donald Lance]

Bill@7:01, please understand. It's not the message. It's the messenger! Look at the posts above and tell me I'm wrong! If Bill "The Human Fence Post" Nelson is for something, each citizen of this state should automatically be against it. I know that's a blanket statement, but it always comes out to be true! Go to his web-site and see some of the crap this guy has sponsored. We don't need anymore feel-good legislation from this guy or anybody. We need leadership and Bill Nelson isn't on the list. Is it possible for him to simply admit defeat and quit? That would be doing what is right for Florida.

[Gator(R)]

7:01 - I personally wasn't particularly asking for that, but I actually think it looks pretty cool.

Amazing how close 50 miles looks from the beach. I sort of figured that would put the rigs pretty much over the horizon, but YouTube doesn't lie.

Maybe if you could get some pictures of the million gallon oil tankers that regularly pull into Tampa and paste a couple of those in the background - it would really add to the ambiance.

[get-smart]

St Petersburg "The RoughNeck Towne"
We have Honky Tonk bars 24/7 -
We have downtown Baseball -
We have room rentals by the hour -
We have a 'Niche' Theater for your pleasure -

I don't know what you are so worried about Bill. Most of Forida's "pristine" beaches have been closed at one time or another this year because of E-coli pollution or red tide. I wonder if oil kills
E-coli? Why is it that libs can't figure out how to post only once?

can't "W" make bill ambassador of something so we can all get him out of our hair?

[George]

Why would Floridians want to ruin their beaches, fishing and tourism industry to allow oil companies to drill for oil they can sell to China. We dont have a federal oil company that will drill oil for us. Its crazy. Nelson is right and we should be happy someone is standing up for our state.

Besides, they have oil rigs off of Liuisiana. What damage has that done? And when the oil wells run dry, nature will re-asserts herself as she always does. BFD.

As long as a compromise to protect Florida and yet still drill for oil is what the ultimate objective should be.

[George]

You cannot totally protect against oil spills. They happen all the time. Go ask people in California if they enjoy their brown oily sand. I've seen it. There have been many spills in La. including several hundred following Katrina. Fox news reports to the contrary are false. Google it if you must.

A barrel of oil hasn't fallen over $40 by accident. It was speculation.

Drilling off of Florida, if there is any oil there, won't effect price at all.

does anyone go to the beach in Louisiana? No. It's black.

[Becky]

Bill, we've got your back. Protect our pristine shores from grandstanding politics and big-oil greed!!!!

No the beaches in Louisiana are not black. Will someone please teach these ignorant libs how to use Google.

[Lyin' words on drilling]

What has happened to our common sense, Florida? Will we allow the GOP to endanger our tourism when it WILL NOT MAKE A BIT OF DIFFERENCE IN THE PRICE OF GASOLINE?

[GOP lies and misdirection on drilling]

Please realize that that focusing on oil platforms is GOP misdirection. After the platforms come the refineries. Nasty, polluting, dangerous, built right on the coastline. Ask yourself how long after they approve drilling will they be telling Florida we need to build refineries? George Bush knows how that works; refineries have been polluting Texas for half a century.

hey 10:28 do you need an extra set of plastic sheets on the bed or what?

You act as though you are the one pious soul in Florida that does not use any energy.

Get real the rest of us have had enough of this envirofascism. If you want to have a positive influence then join the rest of us in asking that all energy production be done in the most environmentally sound manner possible.

Drill Here, Drill Now

DRILL BABY DRILL!!

Along with other energy sources.

http://tinyurl.com/5b9gvp

[donald]

People with brains understand there is no quick fix. They also understand there must be a beginning before there can be an end. We need every technology that can help to help, more oil is one of those. Nelsons foolishness must go. I'm for drilling right on the sand if necessary or Pelosi and Reids head. Nelson don't slow down I'd drill yours too. There is no single solution, let the drilling begin. The rigs are a boon to fishermen or women. Drill baby Drill!!!

[donald]

Some one show us a beach ruined by oil. one just one.

Only an actual retarded person would think drilling will lower gas prices now.

[Bryan]

Hey 10:20... There are no beaches in Louisiana. The entire coastline is a marshy delta. If you don't know what that is, look it up. If you people want drilling so badly, move to Alaska and join the folks up there who don't care about spoiling their pristine ecosystem. LEAVE OUR BEACHES ALONE!!!!

8:31... Just google "Exxon Valdez".. not a rig spill, but an oil spill nonetheless. See what that did to Alaska's coastline!

DRILL, DRILL, DRILL… and sell it to China… DRILL, DRILL, DRILL… and sell it to China… DRILL, DRILL, DRILL… and sell it to China…

What a bunch of dopes you lackeys are!

What you people should be demanding is affordable solar panels for our homes. These should be subsidized by Progress Energy. They can own the excess energy and put back on line. It would save us the surcharge for yet another power plant and substantially reduce our power bills.

But, you cannot fit that idea on a bumper sticker so I guess it is too complicated to be understood.

'Demand Affordable Solar Panels'

That wasn't so tough. Of course I'd prefer.

'Buy your own Da*n Solar Panels'

[Gator(R)]

I knew the Exxon Valdez would come up. At least the poster had the decency to note it wasn't an oil rig. I've been to Los Angeles and San Francisco - nice beaches. I haven't a clue if there are oil rigs out there. I've also been to Pensacola, also very nice beaches. Oil rigs within 50 miles. Someone from Pensacola must read this crap. Let us know if the rigs off Mississippi have turned your beaches black.

I know drilling now won't drop prices in and of themselves. However, taking the initiative might impact speculators, which as someone noted earlier may be impact the recent drop. Even if it doesn't it would be nice for Florida and the US to benefit from the $100+ price per barrel, rather than some other country.

Some liberals accuse the Republican party of running a campaign of fear (terrorists, illegal immigrants). Fair enough, but the Democrats also are also running a campaign of fear (global warming or climate change - whatever they are calling it now, Florida's beaches turning black if we drill, killing a tourist industry and other equally horrible things - as if they are pouring into Florida now).
Both parties want to win so bad they become ridiculous parodies of themselves. It's really pathetic that we buy it or at least pretend to buy it.

$4.00-$5.00 gas is ludicrous.

Obama & Nancy Pelosi most likely wouldn't mind $10/gal gas.

How out of touch are they with the middle class.

DRILL BABY DRILL

May we drill in your frontyard, backyard and bedroom?