U.S. Congressman Jimmy Patronis led a group of Congressmen who appealed directly to President Donald Trump, who hand-picked Patronis to run to represent Northwest Florida. The two are pictured in the Rose Garden at the White House back in September.
Back on Nov. 18, Okaloosa County voted to send a letter seeking to remove the military’s Gulf Testing Range from the upcoming Dec. 10 Big Beautiful Gulf Lease Sale, a proposed oil drilling plan which could allow leases further east in the Gulf of America. The City of Destin followed suit on Monday, and Santa Rosa County Commissioners are expected to follow suit.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump, during his first term in office, signed a moratorium prohibiting drilling in the Eastern Gulf. However, his current administration is pushing to expand U.S. oil production. Subsequently, the proposed five-year plan proposes new drilling leases to be sold at least 100 miles off the Florida coastline.
“By moving forward with the development of a robust, forward-thinking leasing plan, we are ensuring that America’s offshore industry stays strong, our workers stay employed, and our nation remains energy dominant for decades to come,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stated.
But U.S. Congressman Jimmy Patronis and seven fellow Republican members of Congress signed a Nov. 20 letter to Trump, asking that the Gulf Testing Range, formally called the Eastern Gulf Test and Training Range (EGTTR), be removed from the plan.
“A new proposed drilling map moves oil drilling leases much further East into the Gulf of America which risks military readiness and Florida’s economy. Today, we issued a letter to the President so Interior changes course,” Patronis said on Nov. 20.
“While we wholeheartedly support your push for American energy independence and expanded domestic oil and gas production, the EGTTR is critical to advanced weapons development, flight testing, and joint exercises essential to maintaining America’s military superiority,” stated the letter, specifically noting how the range is critical for missions at Eglin AFB, Hurlburt Field, NAS Pensacola and Tyndall AFB.
U.S. Senator Rick Scott, who was Florida’s Governor during Trump’s first term, successfully fought a similar plan in 2018 and says Florida’s coastline “must remain off the table for drilling.” Scott and fellow Senator Ashley Moody last month introduced legislation to keep that moratorium in place.
LEARN MORE: https://www.boem.gov/oil-gas-energy/big-beautiful-gulf-1-bbg1-oil-gas-lease-sale
