Florida Senators Rick Scott (R) and Ashley Moody (R) have teamed up to introduce legislation that would halt oil and gas projects along a pivotal military readiness range.
The “Protecting Florida’s Offshore Military Readiness Act” aims to strengthen and maintain U.S. military readiness in the Gulf of America by blocking oil and gas development and production activities within the Eglin Gulf Test and Training Range (EGTTR).
EGTTR Is Necessary For National Security
“The federal government’s first priority is to keep American people safe.” Sen. Scott said. “That means our military needs the irreplaceable value that the Eglin Gulf Test and Training Range provides to our warfighters.”
“The Eglin Gulf Test and Training Range is a national military asset that can’t be replicated anywhere else in the country, and the work done there directly shapes the lethality of our military future,” Sen. Moody said.
Trump Administration's "Unleashing American Energy" Efort
The Senators’ joint effort responds to the U.S. Department of the Interior’s (DOI) recent initiative to identify potential lease sales along the Gulf Coast for oil drilling.
The DOI’s initiative aligns with President Donald Trump’s “Unleashing American Energy” executive order, a directive tackling high energy costs by promoting energy exploration and production in the U.S.
Energy Costs and Military Readiness Can Co-Exist
According to both Senators, the range’s protection and the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce energy costs can be done simultaneously.
“I look forward to working with President Trump and his administration to use every tool we have to deliver more abundant, cheap energy while ensuring our military remains the most lethal fighting force on earth,” Sen. Scott said.
The Range's Purpose
The EGTTR is the largest military test and training range in the continental U.S., covering roughly 120,000 to 180,000 square miles of Department of War (DOW)-controlled airspace across the eastern Gulf of America.
The range – which spans from the Panhandle to Key West – is used for activities such as air-to-air and air-to-ground missile testing, high-altitude supersonic air combat training, and hypersonic weapons and drone testing.
