Reporter William March has covered state and national politics since 1994. Email
Reporter Mike Salinero has covered Hillsborough County government for The Tampa Tribune since 2007. Email
Reporter Lindsay Peterson has been a general assignment reporter at the Tampa Tribune since 2005, focusing on higher education since 2009. Email
Posted Jun 20, 2008 by Catherine Dolinski, Tribune Tallahassee Bureau
Updated Jun 20, 2008 at 04:07 PM
That’s how the National Audubon Society is making it appear, anyway. The national conservation group just released a stack of quotes from governors of coastal states who are “reiterating concerns about offshore drilling” while Crist supports lifting the federal ban and considers allowing rigs off the Florida coast.
Here’s who’s on the no-drill side of the equation, according to Audubon – although we note that not all these quotes are tantamount to the “pledge to protect oceans from offshore drilling” that Audubon claims they are making:
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R): “California’s coastline is an international treasure. I do not support lifting this moratorium on new drilling off our coast.” US News and World Report
Washington Governor Christine Gregoire (D): “For 26 years, our coasts have been protected by that moratorium and I believe that it should remain in place in perpetuity. With soaring gas prices, there is no better time to end our dependence on oil. As a country, we should be pursuing clean energy sources and investing in alternative energy technologies.” Seattle Post-Intelligencer
North Carolina Governor Mike Easley (D): “It’s just too much squeeze for the juice when you’re looking at the real estate market that’s on the coast, recreational fishing, the tourism and other economic interests that would be adversely affected by some problem that could easily arise from off-shore drilling,” MSNBC
New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine (D): “Our $35 billion economy is driven by tourism and the use of the shore.” Associated Press
Oregon Governor Theodore Kulongoski (D): Lifting the ban would be “a short-sighted response to a long-term issue of creating a sustainable and secure domestic energy economy.” Associated Press
Maine Governor John E. Baldacci (D): “We need an energy policy that looks to the future for answers, not to the past,” Democratic Gov. John Baldacci’s spokesman, David Farmer, said in a statement. “We need to cut consumption and develop renewable, clean sources of energy.” Morning Sentinel (Maine)
South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford (R): Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer said “We would certainly have some hesitation just based upon tourism and the natural beauty along the coast. We certainly wouldn’t want to do anything that would kill the goose that laid the golden egg.” Greenville News
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