Buchanan, Castor Want Permanent Drilling Moratorium

Florida Reps. Vern Buchanan (R) and Kathy Castor (D) have announced new bipartisan legislation. Rep. Buchanan, who is the co-chair of the bipartisan Florida delegation, announced legislation that would make permanent current drilling moratorium.

In a statement, Buchanan discussed the legislation, saying that “allowing drilling off of Florida’s coast would be a colossal mistake.”

“As we learned from the devastating Deepwater Horizon oil explosion in 2010, our state cannot afford another spill that would threaten our economy, our environment and our way of life,” Buchanan noted, adding that “as co-chair of the 30-member bipartisan Florida congressional delegation, I will continue working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to protect the state’s pristine coasts and beautiful waterways.”

Rep. Castor also praised the bill, commenting that “in the Sunshine State, clean water and our beautiful beaches are central to our way of life and the cornerstones of our economy, and we know that oil and gas drilling can devastate both our environment and economy.”

Castor added that the bill provides Congress with the “opportunity to permanently protect our coastal beaches and communities from dangerous offshore drilling.”

The previous moratorium on drilling in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico expired last year, which prompted President Donald Trump (R) to issue an executive order that would protect both of Florida’s coasts from drilling through June 2032. However, Buchanan warns that this can be undone by the current or by future administration. In turn, the effective response would be for Congress to enact a permanent ban.

Castor was the chairwoman of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, and at the end of 2022, she announced that the committee would pursue environmental efforts. Though the committee is no longer standing, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) has voiced his support for signing environmentally friendly legislation that would preserve Florida's environment.