Florida’s biggest economic driver is not tourism, or agriculture, or even development. The most important engines in our economic system remain the vast military bases that call our Florida coastlines home, helping to train men and women across the Navy, Air Force, Army, and more. In fact, the military is directly responsible for nearly $85 billion in economic impact annually. Expanded drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico not only threatens our marine resources and wildlife populations, it also threatens to drive base closures and impact America’s military readiness, which is already under duress from rising sea levels.

In an op-ed, Congressman Francis Rooney explains: “The Eastern Gulf is home to the Gulf Test Range, a 120,000 square mile range that stretches from the Florida Panhandle to Key West. This unimpeded flight training and testing area is of critical importance to our military now and will become even more important in the future, as hypersonic planes and drone testing increase. Our military has no better location to carry out these exercises and there is no compelling reason to place drilling interests ahead of military necessities.”

Initially enacted by President George W. Bush, the moratorium halts drilling in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico until 2022. Safeguarding the waters closest to the Sunshine State, the moratorium protects the open Gulf, critical to the safe operation of military planes, in addition to our thriving seafood, charter, and tourism industries. Beyond the moratorium’s boundaries, more than 2,500 active leases and 3,200 active drilling platforms operate, providing a solemn window into the future if the moratorium is not extended past 2022.

Most Floridians support a ban on offshore drilling. In the 2018 election, 68% voted to ban offshore drilling as part of Amendment 9. However, without an extension of the moratorium, rigs and wells could be drilled as close as nine nautical miles to Florida’s shoreline.

In 2019, the United States House of Representatives passed HR 205, which extends the moratorium indefinitely east of the Military Mission Line. By a vote of 248 to 180, the House made clear its commitment to protecting the vast resources of the Gulf of Mexico from the ever-present danger that oil exploration brings in its wake. As the United States is now an oil exporter, there is no need to disturb fragile habitat and military readiness for the sake of additional exploration and extraction.

Now the Senate must take up the case, and needs 60 votes to extend the moratorium before the measure can land on the president’s desk. Both senators from Florida are leading the charge on this legislation, with state representatives, municipalities, nonprofits, and concerned citizens creating the momentum for permanent protection.

Looking Towards the Future Along the Gulf of Mexico

As Audubon looks to the future and continued recovery from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, we are working across the Gulf coast to realize a new vision: Healthy, resilient coastal and marine ecosystems that support viable populations of birds and people from south Texas to the Florida Keys.

Audubon is dedicated to seeing the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem made whole and resilient in the wake of past disasters and future obstacles. We have made a long-term commitment to this invaluable ecosystem and have dedicated significant resources and staff to the recovery of the Gulf for people and birds.

Through sound science, policy leadership, and habitat conservation and restoration, Audubon and partners are protecting and revitalizing ecosystems battered by man-made and natural disasters and advancing measures to protect birds in the face of overdevelopment, pollution, extreme weather events, sea level rise, and other climate change impacts.