Bill Text: FL S0550 | 2018 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Gulf of Mexico Range Complex
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2018-02-08 - Adopted [S0550 Detail]
Download: Florida-2018-S0550-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2018 (NP) SR 550 By Senator Broxson 1-00784-18 2018550__ 1 Senate Resolution 2 A resolution supporting an extension of the current 3 moratorium on drilling in the Gulf of Mexico east of 4 the Military Mission Line. 5 6 WHEREAS, the Florida Legislature represents the military 7 bases and personnel that maintain, manage, and use the Gulf of 8 Mexico Range Complex (GOMEX Range Complex) which provides for 9 the common defense of this state and the nation, and 10 WHEREAS, defense is the State of Florida’s fourth largest 11 industry, accounting for more than 775,000 jobs, $80 billion in 12 economic impact, and 65 percent of the regional economy of 13 Northwest Florida, and 14 WHEREAS, testing and training activities conducted from 15 Florida’s air and sea bases are considerably dependent on 16 unconstrained access to the Eastern Gulf of Mexico airspace and 17 seaspace, and 18 WHEREAS, the GOMEX Range Complex is a unique national 19 resource, and 20 WHEREAS, the range is larger than all other training ranges 21 inside the continental United States combined, stretching from 22 the Florida Panhandle south to Key West and encompassing the 23 Eastern Gulf of Mexico, and 24 WHEREAS, surrounding the GOMEX Range Complex are numerous 25 United States Department of Defense installations, ranges, and 26 airspaces, which make the complex unique, and 27 WHEREAS, originally a place to practice air-to-air 28 engagements and air-to-surface bombing and strafing, the GOMEX 29 Range Complex has served the nation for over 60 years, and 30 WHEREAS, after World War II, the GOMEX Range Complex was 31 used to test surface-to-air rockets against drones and, with the 32 advent of fifth-generation aircraft at Tyndall and Eglin Air 33 Force Bases, has been used extensively to test future weapons 34 systems, and 35 WHEREAS, the military missions require day and night access 36 to the airspace, from the surface up to 60,000 feet, for high 37 speed flying and maneuvering, as well as day and night access to 38 the seaspace, from the sea surface to the subsurface areas, for 39 use by ships and submarines, and 40 WHEREAS, the military uses live ammunition and missiles 41 against remotely piloted full-scale targets and drones, 42 resulting in large debris fields of dangerous objects, and 43 WHEREAS, for well over a decade and through two 44 presidential administrations, the United States Department of 45 Defense policy has been to keep the Eastern Gulf of Mexico free 46 from obstruction, and 47 WHEREAS, oil exploration and offshore platforms placed in 48 the Eastern Gulf of Mexico could jeopardize military missions 49 and severely reduce the state’s appeal in keeping military 50 installations, and 51 WHEREAS, without access to airspace in order to test modern 52 and emerging weapons systems and train the aircrews that support 53 such systems, Florida would lose its primary reason for hosting 54 the GOMEX Range Complex, and 55 WHEREAS, the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) of 56 2006 restricts oil and gas leasing in all areas east of the 57 Military Mission Line established at 86°41’ W. longitude and 58 bans oil and gas leasing within 125 miles of the Florida 59 coastline in the Eastern Planning Area and in a portion of the 60 Central Planning Area until 2022, and 61 WHEREAS, attempts to reduce restrictions on oil and gas 62 exploration and production arose in 2013 and 2015, when the 63 members of the United States Senate and the United States House 64 of Representatives developed and introduced bills to change 65 GOMESA without addressing the military need to maintain the 66 GOMEX Range Complex, and 67 WHEREAS, in 2013, the Offshore Energy and Jobs Act was 68 introduced by United States Representative Doc Hastings of 69 Washington to propose changes in oil and gas drilling and 70 exploration locations, and 71 WHEREAS, the Offshore Energy and Jobs Act of 2015 was 72 introduced by United States Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, 73 to increase oil and gas exploration and production, most notably 74 through reducing the exclusion area east of the Military Mission 75 Line from 125 miles to 50 miles offshore and through shortening 76 the time limit of the moratorium from 2022 to 2017, but the bill 77 ultimately did not advance past committee, and GOMESA remained 78 intact for the time being, and 79 WHEREAS, the United States Secretary of Defense, the Chief 80 of Staff of the United States Air Force, and fifteen members of 81 the United States Congress from Florida have written letters 82 requesting an extension to the moratorium, which is essential 83 for developing and sustaining the military’s future capabilities 84 and for guaranteeing long-term capabilities for future test 85 missions that may enable new technologies such as hypersonic 86 fifth-generation fighters, advanced subsurface weapons systems, 87 and other projects that require enlarged testing and training 88 footprints well beyond 2022, and 89 WHEREAS, without the certainty of an extension to the 90 moratorium, investment in upgrades in telemetry, tracking, and 91 other important improvements are at risk, and 92 WHEREAS, in March 2017, twenty local county commissions, 93 chambers of commerce, local economic development councils, and 94 military affairs committees drafted resolutions in support of 95 the moratorium and submitted them to the Florida Legislature, 96 NOW, THEREFORE, 97 98 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida: 99 100 That the State of Florida must maintain a united front in 101 supporting an extension of the current moratorium on drilling in 102 the Gulf of Mexico east of the Military Mission Line. 103 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that to allow drilling east of the 104 Military Mission Line would mean loss of range areas and 105 possible relocation of aircraft and bases to other unrestricted 106 range areas. 107 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Florida Senate supports an 108 indefinite extension of the restriction, specified in the Gulf 109 of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006, oil and gas leasing in 110 all areas east of the Military Mission Line established at 111 86°41’ W. longitude and indefinite extension of the Act’s ban 112 oil and gas leasing within 125 miles of the Florida coastline in 113 the Eastern Planning Area and in a portion of the Central 114 Planning Area.