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On Oil Spill, Why Obama Should Listen to Sen. Bill Nelson

1 year ago
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ORLANDO, Fla. -- Critics charge the Obama administration responded too slowly to the oil spill. Perhaps the administration should have listened more to Sen. Bill Nelson.
Since the spill began -- back when we believed only 5,000 barrels of oil a day were seeping into the Gulf of Mexico -- Florida's senior senator, a Democrat, has been on TV, calling for more leadership from President Barack Obama, for more accountability from BP. He was the first to publicly post images of the leaking well online, after he and Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer of California pressed BP for the footage, putting a dark and billowing face on the underwater menace threatening the Gulf Coast.
In the spill's early days, Nelson wrote to Obama, urging a moratorium on test wells and other offshore exploratory operations until a federal investigation could determine what caused the spill and how to prevent another one. The president later banned all new deepwater wells for six months, and he established a bipartisan national commission to investigate what caused the spill and recommend ways to improve federal regulations on offshore drilling. In his letter Nelson wrote that "each day the Deepwater Horizon test well gushes oil into the Gulf of Mexico, the oil industry's claims about modern, safe and environmentally friendly technology become more and more unbelievable."
Bill Nelson Capitol HillNelson and Sens. Frank R. Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, both Democrats of New Jersey, also introduced legislation expanding oil companies' liability in a spill from $75 million to $10 billion. At one point Nelson even urged the president to engage the Department of Defense in the crisis. But for Nelson, the spill is more than a crisis of political convenience. For decades he has ardently opposed offshore drilling near Florida, even when polling numbers indicated his position might be unpopular. He helped write the federal law that keeps rigs at least 125 miles from Florida's Gulf Coast. In 2008 he introduced unsuccessful legislation imposing new ethics and disclosure guidelines on the Minerals Management Service, which regulates oil drilling.
"Bill Nelson is the only thing that has stood between oil wells and Florida's coasts," said Eric Draper, executive director of Audubon of Florida and a lobbyist who has worked in Tallahassee for more than 20 years. "He has been the most dogged opponent of the oil companies, and the reason we even had an (unsuccessful) oil drilling issue in the (Florida Legislature) is because the oil companies thought if they could get Florida to eliminate the ban on drilling in state waters, that it would make it harder for Nelson to keep the federal line out in the deep water of the Gulf of Mexico."
Nelson's background puts him in a unique position now in a critical state as Obama assumes a more wartime stance toward the spill, which at this point is estimated to be spewing some 35,000 to 60,000 barrels of crude a day into the gulf. Nelson is a fifth-generation Floridian, somewhat rare in a state of transplants, born in Miami and raised in Melbourne, not far from where the shuttle launches on Florida's east coast. He is an Army veteran and career politician who was elected to the state Legislature in 1972 and Congress in 1978, serving six terms before running unsuccessfully for governor. He served on the state cabinet instead and in 2000 was elected to the U.S. Senate.
He orbited the Earth for six days in 1986 as a payload specialist on the space shuttle Columbia, an experience that "gave him a new perspective on the Earth's fragile environment and a greater appreciation of the importance of our nation's space exploration program," according to his website. Nelson has been outspoken against the president on plans to replace the retiring shuttle program with one that would send astronauts into space on private rockets. Florida's Space Coast is poised to lose thousands of jobs when the shuttle program retires later this year.
Meanwhile, the oil spill could cost Floridians nearly 195,000 jobs and $10.9 billion in spending, according to an analysis released by the University of Central Florida. The analysis reflects what would happen if Florida's 23 Gulf Coast counties lose 50 percent of their tourism and leisure jobs and spending. It covers all of Florida's Gulf Coast from the Panhandle to the Keys, although the east coast would be affected, too, if oil drifts into a loop current that would carry it around Florida and into the Atlantic Ocean. In a state so dependant on the tourism and space industries, it is no surprise Nelson is challenging the president on these issues, said Lance DeHaven-Smith, a professor of public administration and policy at Florida State University.
"He's one of Florida's most successful politicians," said DeHaven-Smith, an author of "Government in the Sunshine State: Florida Since Statehood" and "The Battle for Florida: An Annotated Compendium of Materials from the 2000 Presidential Election."
"Florida is a critically important state politically for the presidency, and it's the fourth-largest state in the country. It's the swing state in the election. It's not to be trifled with, and that's why I think maybe the president needs Bill Nelson."

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10 Comments

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plansmaker

Obama don't need anybody. If he had, thing won't be this dicy going into November...When BP spill made headlines after millions of gallons of crude gushed into Ocean, World governments and experts offered help and Obama turn them all down. He wants world to know that he, Obama is in total control of BP oil spills...His actions in the days followed are arrogant and immature and totally irresponsible.
If Democrats lose big this November, the fault rests squarely on the shoulders of Obama. He lack experience to manage national crisis, He is arrogant, incompetent and very stubborn to boot!!!

June 18 2010 at 11:06 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
earljphx

I have an idea on how to stop the oil leaking from the well in the Gulf of Mexico. Weld on a flange to a joint of pipe the same size as pipe that is leaking.Then install a valve above the flange. Now you have a joint of pipe,with a valve and a flange on the bottom. Leaving the valve open,lower the pipe down to where an existing flange is shown. Attach the flanges together securely. The oil is now flowing up through the new pipe. Now close the valve!!!!!

June 18 2010 at 8:56 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
vobox3343

Until Republicans admit to their many falures with respect to economic and environmental issues, nothing will be changing. The first thing a recovering alcoholic has to do is admit that he's an alcoholic. The GOP must quit using deceit, innuendo and propaganda to try and win elections. They're in a vicious cycle - creating new lies to cover up the old ones.

June 18 2010 at 2:19 PM Report abuse +3 rate up rate down Reply
xxo1984

yeah, yeah, Nelson calling for president to demonstrate leadership (finally) and accountability of BP, which had Already agreed to pay damages Before the "shakedown" of the 20 billion for the dem-controlled "escrow account".

Hey Bill, it was a done deal from the beginning, and the Gulf States Should have taken charge & protected themselves, instead of whining "Obama won't let us".. But meanwhile we realize that politicians like Nelson still have to get in their face-time & their dem talking points..

June 18 2010 at 1:52 PM Report abuse -2 rate up rate down Reply
charleskre

This is all well and good, but it doesn't negate the fact Bill Nelson voted for and supported ObamaCare.

Note: Wind turbine are outlawed in Florida.
What's up with that Senator?
Question: Senator, way are you and others in Florida denying alterntive energy to million of Floridians with the natural wind power to produce clean energy right here at home.

I urged him with many letters to oppose ObamaCare as did the majority of citizens in Florida and all we got for our efforts were letters from his office for total support of ObamaCare.

This man is still a progreesive leftist in BO's pocket.
Don't be misled by this one article.

June 18 2010 at 1:33 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
Koz

Ok so we stop drilling in the Gulf. Are you ready for the great damage it would cause. A depression so deep that it will turn this country and other into a war zone of survival of the most armed.

Try going into rehab and see what happens when you quit cold turkey.

June 18 2010 at 10:13 AM Report abuse +4 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Koz's comment
glers

we cant stop drilling until we decrease over all consumption and we need to start decreasing oil consumption now

June 18 2010 at 11:36 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
alfredschrader

I was born in Miami too. Unless you have visited Florida you would not know what a perfect place it is. I don't oppose offshore drilling, I oppose offshore spilling. Any technology can be updated. Those rigs need to be made safer & esthetically appealing (not an ugly conflagration of collaginous superfluity)....Al-

June 18 2010 at 9:57 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
ettu

Heard Geraldo bashing BP this morning. Odd how he differentiates between the horror of Katrina, and the current catastrophe. One was all the fault of GWB, the other all the fault of BP. Cool the way he can sort out the good guys from the bad...........no blame for the La Gov/Nagin, for their delay in requesting Fed assistance........no blame for MMS failure to do their jobs, and for the diddling of the Obama administration. Cool, Geraldo.

June 18 2010 at 8:36 AM Report abuse +6 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to ettu's comment
glers

one way to differentiate is that 1500 Americans died due to Katrina most with in 24-48 hours of when the hurricane hit

June 18 2010 at 9:51 AM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
mspski

Well, Nelson makes some good points....but we have to stop the leak....now.

I would like to see a "joint" task force of several of the large oil companies with off shore expretise work together on a method of capping or at least stopping the excessive flow so that 99-100 percent of the oil goes up the casing(pipe) to tankers. Then at least part of this oil should go into the strategic reserve salt caverns to bring the reserve up to 100%. I cant believe that is not being done..vs. burning off this finite resource. Then, a task force of 50-100 boats with Kevin Costner's new purification system should start sweeping the Gulf to clean up the oil. I can visualize this task force with even more boats added, sweeping the Gulf for several years as more and more of the oil comes to the surface.

June 17 2010 at 11:17 PM Report abuse +12 rate up rate down Reply
jhinds6056

We need to plug every oil well right now for the good of the country. We also should ground every commercial jet, because people could die and they pollute. Stop all cars and trucks from spewing hydrocarbons and quit driving. We should all walk around with beanies on with windmills out of the top to power our i-pads while wearing birkenstocks and quit showering. Yes, this is the progressive way.

June 17 2010 at 10:58 PM Report abuse +15 rate up rate down Reply

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