Over the years, the issue of oil drilling off the coasts of Florida has been resuscitated in an attempt to open up more areas to drilling, which many believe would lead to a better chance for the United States to become energy-independent.
Recently, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Florida) spoke on the Senate floor to address what he thought might happen during a Donald Trump presidency. During his speech, Nelson offered the following:
Donald Trump said during the campaign that he intends "to open up additional areas off the coast to oil drilling."
Our partners at Politifact took a look at this claim to see if it was accurate. PolitiFact reporter Allison Graves says that Nelson's statement rates MOSTLY TRUE on the Truth-O-Meter. Graves says that Trump had indeed made those promises on the campaign trail.
"Donald Trump's 'American First' energy plan contained a lot of campaign-style pledges, and all were aimed at slashing regulations and opening up restricted areas for more domestic drilling," said Graves. "The problem here is that, while Trump wants to do these things, he's going to have a bit of a tough time getting it done. That's because some of the bans and moratoriums that have been placed on drilling extend into the next decade."
Graves notes that Nelson had a hand in passing some of the bans and moratoriums that are in place. "Some of the bans that Nelson helped pass will restrict drilling in some parts of Florida until 2022," said Graves. "Add to that the fact that President Obama banned drilling in the Arctic, which means that even though President Trump wants to increase oil production in the United States, he's going to have a tough time doing it."
PolitiFact rated Nelson's claim as MOSTLY TRUE on the Truth-O-Meter.
SOURCES: Trump to expand oil drilling?
- PolitiFact ruling
- Sen. Bill Nelson, "Sen. Nelson vows to block oil drilling bill," Nov. 16, 2016
- Congress.gov, "S.3110 - American Energy and Conservation Act of 2016," Nov. 17, 2016
- Congress.gov, "S. 1276 Offshore energy jobs act of 2015," Introduced May 11, 2015
- Congress.gov, "S.1430 - Marine Oil Spill Prevention Act," Introduced May 21, 2015
- President Elect Donald Trump, Energy Independence, November 2016
- Donald Trump, "An America first energy plan," May 26, 2016
- Donald Trump, Fact sheet, Sept. 15, 2016
- Donald Trump, Speech at Shale Insight conference, Sept. 22, 2016
- MIT Technology Review, "Donald Trump’s "America-First Energy Plan" Shows He Knows Virtually Nothing About the Issue," May 26, 2016
- Washington Post, "Arctic drilling banned in 5-year plan," Nov. 19, 2016
- Washington Post, "On its way out, Obama administration moves to slam the door shut on Arctic drilling," Nov. 18, 2016
- NPR, "After Big Promises, Where Do Trump's Plans For Economy Stand?" Nov. 12, 2016
- Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Letter to Committee on Armed Services, Nov. 30, 2005
- Naples Daily News, "U.S. Sen. Nelson of Florida helps keep Gulf of Mexico oil drilling bill from floor vote," Nov. 17, 2016
- McClatchy, "Clash over drilling off Florida coast heats up in Congress," June 4, 2015
- PolitiFact Florida, "Sen. Bill Nelson said his battle for BP video allowed scientists to calculate Deepwater Horizon flow," Oct. 26, 2011
- PolitiFact Florida, "Democrats mislead in attack on Carlos Curbelo's record on climate change, drilling," Sept. 29, 2016
- PolitiFact Florida Scott-O-Meter, "Explore expansion of domestic drilling in a safe, environmentally sound way," Oct. 2, 2013
- Miami Herald, "What will a Trump presidency mean for Florida's environment?" Nov. 18, 2016
- Miami Herald, "Congress sends oil drilling legislation to President Bush," Dec. 9, 2006
- Sen. Bill Cassidy, "American Energy and Conservation Act of 2016 Legislative Overview," November 2016
- The Hill, "Senate rejects bill to boost state revenue from offshore drilling," Nov. 17, 2016
- Miami Herald Naked Politics, "Sen. Nelson wants to try to block oil-drilling bill," Nov. 16, 2016
- Interview, Ryan Brown, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson spokesman, Nov. 21, 2016