Gabby Brown, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC -- This morning, in a hearing before the House Natural Resources Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Acting Director Walter Cruickshank testified that, despite Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s earlier claims, Florida’s waters would in fact be considered in the administration’s offshore drilling plan.
Last week, just days after the draft plan was released, Secretary Zinke announced on Twitter that Florida would be exempted from the plan, in what was widely seen as political move made to aid Florida Governor Rick Scott’s ambitions. Today, Dr. Cruickshank said that Zinke’s statement “stands on its own and is not an official statement.”
In response, Sierra Club Florida Director Frank Jackalone released the following statement:
“The administration’s latest flip-flop on the fate of Florida’s beaches is not just an embarrassment for Secretary Zinke and Governor Scott. It also makes a mockery of the entire offshore planning process and this administration’s ability to do its job and responsibly manage America’s public lands and waters. Zinke’s promise to take Florida ‘off the table’ was never anything more than a PR stunt to greenwash Governor Scott’s record, but Floridians won’t be fooled. We will continue to fight to ensure that Florida’s coasts are protected from this disastrous administration and their reckless approach to our nation’s waters.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.