Trump Administration Drops Florida From Offshore Drilling Plan

But the move to lift the ban on drilling also put the Trump administration at odds with a number of coastal states. The governors of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, California, Oregon and Washington have all opposed offshore drilling plans.

“My top priority is to ensure that Florida’s natural resources are protected,” Governor Scott said last week.

Both of Florida’s senators, Marco Rubio, a Republican, and Bill Nelson, a Democrat, opposed the plan, along with 20 representatives from Florida’s 27-member congressional delegation.

Mr. Nelson criticized the move as political posturing, and said he did not believe Mr. Zinke would fully exempt Florida from the plan. Governor Scott is expected to challenge Mr. Nelson for his Senate seat in November.

“I have spent my entire life fighting to keep oil rigs away from our coasts,” Mr. Nelson said in a statement. “But now, suddenly, Secretary Zinke announces plans to drill off Florida’s coast and four days later agrees to ‘take Florida off the table’? I don’t believe it. This is a political stunt orchestrated by the Trump administration to help Rick Scott.”

Florida lawmakers of both parties have long opposed offshore drilling, saying it could harm the state’s tourism industry, which was hit hard after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico sent waves of oil to the state’s shores in 2010.

Environmental groups accused Mr. Zinke of currying political favor with Governor Scott while pushing ahead with opening up coastal waters elsewhere.

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“Such a quick reversal begs the question: Will the Trump administration give equal consideration to all the other coastal governors from both parties who overwhelmingly reject this radical offshore drilling plan?” said Diane Hoskins, a spokeswoman for the ocean conservation group Oceana.

In a post on Twitter addressed to Mr. Zinke, Xavier Becerra, California’s attorney general, demanded that drilling also be banned off his state’s shores.

.@SecretaryZinke: California is also “unique” our “coasts are heavily reliant on tourism as an economic driver.” Our “local and state voice” is firmly opposed to any and all offshore drilling.

If that’s your standard, we, too, should be removed from your list. Immediately. https://t.co/T6W6JaPCPh

—
Xavier Becerra (@AGBecerra)
Jan. 10, 2018

Interior officials had said they intended to hold nearly 50 lease sales between 2019 and 2024, including 19 off the coast of Alaska and 12 in the Gulf of Mexico. Seven areas offered for new drilling would be in Pacific waters off California, where drilling has been off limits for decades.

But finalizing the new plan could take as long as 18 months, experts said, and challenges are expected in the courts and in Congress.

The National Ocean Industries Association, which represents the offshore drilling industry, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The move to open America’s coastal waters to drilling is the latest in a series of efforts to reverse restrictions on energy production. The Interior Department has also repealed offshore drilling safety regulations that were put in place after the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

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Magnitude 7.6 earthquake strikes off Central America, USGS says

One of the strongest earthquakes to hit the Caribbean in modern times struck off the coast of Honduras on Tuesday night, shaking the mainland and setting off tsunami warnings that were canceled about an hour later.

There were no early reports of serious damage or casualties on land after the quake struck shortly before 10 p.m. EST. Officials in Honduras said shaking was registered across much of the nation and there were some reports of cracks in homes in Colon and Atlantida provinces along the northern coast and Olancho in eastern Honduras.

Tsunami centers issued advisories and warnings for Puerto Rico, the Cayman Islands, Cuba, Jamaica and other Caribbean islands as well as on the coasts of Mexico and Central America, cautioning that sea levels could rise from a foot to 3 feet above normal, but no tsunami materialized. 

The United States Geological Service (USGS) said the 7.6 magnitude quake struck in the Caribbean Sea between the coast of Honduras and the Cayman Islands.  The quake was centered about 125.4 miles north/northeast off the coast of Barra Patucca, Honduras, and located about 25 miles from Honduras’ Swan Islands — which are not populated except for a small navy post.

USGS said the quake was very shallow (6.2 miles) which amplifies its effect.

The National Weather Service in Puerto Rico earlier in the night urged “persons located in/near the ocean” to move away from the water, off the beach and away from the harbor:

PTWC officials are in the process of canceling a tsunami advisory for Puerto Rico and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.

11:22pm Recommended actions: persons located in/near the ocean should move out of the waters, off the beach and away from the harbor.

Acciones recomendadas: personas cerca o en el agua deben alejarse de las aguas, fuera de las playas y alejados de los puertos.

— NWS San Juan (@NWSSanJuan) January 10, 2018

The Associated Press writes that the northern coast of Honduras closet to the epicenter is sparsely populated — much of it covered by nature reserves. Some in the capital of Tegucigalpa said they did not feel the quake.

President Juan Orlando Hernandez wrote on Twitter that Honduras activated its emergency system and asked people to remain calm.

AP writes that Puerto Rico’s public safety secretary Hector Pesquera said that authorities were monitoring the coastlines of 46 municipalities on the U.S. territory.

“It’s important that people do not go into the water and stay away from the shoreline,” Pesquera said.

USGS originally documented the earthquake as magnitude 7.8.

This is a developing story, please check back for latest updates.

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