Florida remains in federal offshore oil, gas plan: US Interior chief
US Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said Tuesday that federal waters offshore Florida remain in the Trump administration's proposed 2019-2024 offshore oil and gas leasing plan.
"Florida is still in the process," Zinke said during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing.
Following a meeting with Florida Governor Rick Scott, a Republican, on January 9, Zinke announced he was "removing Florida from consideration for any new oil and gas platforms," in regards to the draft proposed program his agency released the week before. That proposed plan calls for 47 sales in federal waters, including 12 sales in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, three in the South Atlantic and one in the Straits of Florida, over a five-year period.
Zinke has offered no details on exactly what federal waters he plans to remove from the plan. Walter Cruickshank, the head of Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, has said no formal decision has been made on the proposed five-year program.
More: https://www.platts.com/latest-news/oil/washington/florida-remains-in-federal-offshore-oil-gas-plan-21568086
