Broxson Files Resolution Supporting Gulf Drilling Moratorium

October 19, 2017

A decades-long moratorium against oil drilling in an area of the eastern Gulf of Mexico used by the military for air and sea training should remain in place, according to resolution filed Wednesday by state Sen. Doug Broxson, R-Gulf Breeze.

The resolution (SR 550), introduced amid debates in Washington about expanding offshore drilling, asks Congress to maintain the moratorium, which is in place from east of the Military Mission Line, which runs south of Hurlburt Field in Okaloosa County to Key West. The moratorium is set to expire in 2022.

The north-south military mission line off the Florida Panhandle was established in 1983, but Broxson’s resolution said the Gulf of Mexico Range Complex, or “GOMEX,” has been used since the end of World War II to test surface-to-air rockets and future weapons systems.

“The military missions require day and night access to the airspace, from the surface up to 60,000 feet, for high-speed flying and maneuvering, as well as day and night access to the seaspace, from the sea surface to the subsurface areas, for use by ships and submarines,” said Broxson’s resolution, filed for the 2018 legislative session.

Rep. Mel Ponder, R-Destin, filed an identical House version (HR 319) last week.

Comments

Comments are closed.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News