Block the latest attempt to open state for drilling

A White House plan that would give control over drilling in Florida waters to Louisiana, Alabama and oil companies threatened late last week to make its way into the federal energy bill, which could go to a vote in the Senate as early as Tuesday. The plan would be terrible for this state.

The proposal would lift offshore oil drilling bans in two areas of the Gulf of Mexico. It would allow oil companies to put the state's west coast beaches at risk to extract about 2 billion barrels of oil -- three months' worth of U.S. consumption. On Friday, Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., urged members of a House-Senate conference committee preparing the energy bill to oppose the plan, which was revealed in an e-mail from a White House official listing what President Bush wants in the final bill.

The plan is similar to one proposed in June by Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La.. It would redraw state boundaries in the gulf to give Louisiana control over Florida waters in the Eastern Planning Area. That extends from the Florida-Alabama line south to a point parallel with the southern tip of Florida. Changing state boundaries would erase bans on oil drilling in Florida waters that extend to 2012 in some areas.

Interior Secretary Gale Norton had outlined a similar plan to Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla. The Landrieu plan was dropped after Sen. Nelson's filibuster, which won a pledge from Senate leaders not to allow drilling off Florida's coast. The president's plan seeks to circumvent that promise, Nelson aide Dan McLaughlin said, and some senators may be reneging on their public commitment to protect the state's coastline. The proposal also would allow drilling in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska.

The White House end run could "blow up" the energy bill, Mr. McLaughlin said. Sen. Nelson has told Sen. Pete Domenici, R-New Mexico, and others that if they break promises to honor a ban against drilling, he will try to block passage of the final bill. Senators from other coastal states, including California, North and South Carolina and Michigan, which has blocked drilling in the Great Lakes, could join Sen. Nelson. The pressure then would be on Sen. Martinez, who once agreed with Ms. Norton's plans, then backed Sen. Nelson to defend Florida's coasts.

Gov. Bush had supported a ban on drilling 100 miles off Florida's entire coastline. His decision, however, gave Sen. Landrieu's proposal room to grow, since the governor's design would not affect the waters she hopes Louisiana will control. Unlike in Florida, oil is a major industry in Louisiana, which hasn't objected to offshore drilling.

According to the White House e-mail, President Bush's plan would bring the oil companies about $680 million in nine years. For Florida, where tourism still drives the state's economy, the risk of damage to beaches from drilling or tanker mishaps remains unacceptable.