Hands Across the Sand: August 4th

Hands Across the Sand: August 4th

Background: 
        
In Florida on Saturday, February 13, 2010, a statewide gathering against offshore oil drilling occurred. 10,000 Floridians representing 60 towns and cities and over 90 beaches joined hands to protest the efforts by the Florida Legislature and the U.S. Congress to lift the ban on oil drilling in our coastal waters. The event was the largest gathering in the history of Florida against expanding oil drilling near our shores.

Then on June 26, 2010, in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, Hands Across the Sand went national and global. It became the largest gathering of people in the history of the world united against expanding offshore oil drilling and championing clean energy. Events took place in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Events were also held in 42 countries outside the U.S. Over 1,000 events were held worldwide.

The mission:

The first goal is to bring together like-minded individuals and organizations with the conviction to organize a global movement to promote a clean energy future for our earth and end our dependence on dirty fuel sources. These gatherings will bring thousands of people to our beaches and cities and will draw metaphorical and actual lines in the sand; human lines in the sand against the threats fossil fuels and offshore oil drilling pose to our present and future planet.

The coalition also hopes to convince our State Legislators, Governors, Congress, the President and other world leaders to adopt policies encouraging the growth of clean and renewable energy sources in place of oil and coal.

What to do on August 4:

STEP 1:
Find an event near you by clicking your state on the map located here.

STEP 2:
Go to the beach at 11 AM in your time zone for one hour, rain or shine.

STEP 3:
Join hands for 15 minutes at 12:00 PM in your time zone forming lines in the sand against oil drilling in your coastal waters.

STEP 4:
Leave only your footprints.

STEP 5:
Share pictures and press coverage of your event on our Facebook group.

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Risks Outweigh Benefits of Drilling

Risks Outweigh Benefits of Drilling

Map of Florida State Waters. Click to Enlarge.

As the debate continues over the potential of allowing offshore drilling in Florida's state-controlled waters, which extend 3 miles into the Atlantic Ocean and 10 miles into the Gulf of Mexico, it is important that the public be made aware of not only the environmental consequences of offshore drilling, but also potential economic implications.

These pocketbook issues tend to be a driving force behind voter opinion on the subject, so it is important for us to ensure the public is well-informed. Here we have laid out some of the basic facts about Florida's economy as well as the economic potential (both 'positive' and negative) from allowing drilling rigs near our shores.

Based on these findings, we can say with absolute confidence that the risk of damaging Florida's tourism and fisheries far outweighs any value that could be gained by lifting the current moratorium banning exploration and drilling in our state waters.

Florida's Tourism Industry:

• Tourism brings in nearly $60 billion to Florida each year, which amounts to $3.4 billion in state tax revenues, and directly employs over 900,000 people. It is the state's largest employer¹

• If Gulf Coast counties lost just 10 percent of their tourism and leisure jobs and spending, the estimated losses would be 39,000 jobs and $2.2 billion. If that number is increased to 50%, 195,000 Florida jobs would be eliminated and $10.9 billion lost – and that's just in the Florida Panhandle²

Florida's Fishing Industry:

• Florida is the nation's number one spot for sports fishing, attracting nearly 3 million anglers and accounting for nearly $5 billion in revenue annually³

• Commercial fishing off Florida's coasts generates over $6 billion annually and directly supports nearly 20,000 jobs³

Potential Economic Benefits from Offshore Drilling:

• There are an estimated 236 million barrels of oil and oil equivalents in Florida's state-controlled waters, according to a study commissioned by the Florida Legislature and conducted by the Collins Center for Public Policy⁴

• Global oil usage is approximately 86 million barrels per day, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration⁵ Based on that number, Florida's total oil and gas resources amount to little more than a 3 day supply (236 million/86 million).

• The United States uses over 20.8 million barrels of oil per day, while Florida uses nearly 360 million barrels of oil each year⁶ That means Florida's offshore oil and gas resources amount to only 11 days worth of oil nationally and less than a year's worth of oil supply to the state (assuming 100% of the oil came to the state, which is impossible since oil is an internationally traded commodity and there is no state-owned oil company).

• Texas, Mississippi, and Alabama combined bring in between $300-500 million from offshore drilling each year, and the total number of direct offshore drilling jobs comes to just under 12,500 for the entire Gulf of Mexico⁵ Florida could only expect to see a fraction of that number if we allowed rigs off our shores.

Resources:

¹ Florida Department of State. http://dlis.dos.state.fl.us/fgils/tourism.html

² University of Central Florida's Institute for Economic Competitiveness. http://www.iec.ucf.edu/post/2010/05/01/Gulf-oil-spill-could-be-disastrous-for-Florida-economy.aspx

³ Florida Wildlife Commission. http://myfwc.com/conservation/Conservation_ValueofConservation_EconSaltwaterImpact.htm

⁴ Collins Center for Public Policy. http://www.collinscenter.org/members/blog_view.asp?id=548214

⁵ U.S. Energy Information Administration. http://www.eia.doe.gov/

⁶ National Priorities Project Database. http://www.statemaster.com/graph/ene_pet_con-energy-oil-consumption

Picture Credit: Collins Center

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Save Our Seagrass

Save Our Seagrass

Seagrass habitat plays an important role in maintaining a diverse and healthy coastal ecosystem in Florida. Unfortunately, this valuable habitat is threatened by human activities. Coastal runoff from nearshore construction and agricultural projects, storm runoff from cities, dredging operations, and micro-algal blooms can reduce the amount of light reaching the plants and may even smother them. Additionally, off-course boaters may rip giant "blowholes" into seagrass formations.
                                                      
Why seagrasses are important:

Florida is estimated to have over 2,000,000 acres of nearshore seagrass. Florida's acres of seagrasses are important natural resources that perform many valuable functions:

1. They stabilize the sea bottom with their roots and rhizomes in much the same way that land grasses retard soil erosion (often important when storms approach our coastlines and threaten Florida beaches, businesses, and homes).

2. They help maintain water clarity by trapping fine sediments and particles. Bottom areas without seagrass are more often stirred up by wind and waves decreasing the water clarity and affecting marine animal behavior and recreational quality of coastal areas).

3. They provide habitat for many species of fishes, crustaceans, and shellfish. Research has shown many species are dependent on seagrass meadows for habitat.

4. Seagrasses and the organisms that grow on them are food sources for many animals, including wild manatees.

5. They are nursery areas for much of Florida's recreationally and commercially important marine life.

Operating a boat in water that is too shallow can result in propeller scars and blowholes. Propeller scars are created when the metal propeller, spinning at thousands of revolutions per minute, cuts deep into the root and rhizome system of the plants, leaving a furrow that can stretch across the grass bed. A depression called a blowhole forms when the boat operator grounds the boat and then tries to "motor off" using the engine. The engine not only digs in a circular shaped blowhole, but forces sediment into a pile or berm that covers and harms nearby grasses.

Blowholes and prop scars can take as long as seven to ten years to heal, primarily because seagrass plants are not capable of growing downward, away from light, into the damaged area. Currents can also wash away loose sediments and prevent the establishment of new plants. Repeated damage from boaters over time can result in habitat fragmentation and the erosion of the entire banktop. 

To address the loss of seagrass habitat due to boating impacts, scientists have developed techniques to repair damaged areas. The first step in the restoration process is to fill the scar or hole so that it is level with the surrounding area. Small rocks and gravel are used to fill the holes and scars first and a layer of finer sediments is placed on top. Shoal grass shoots are then carefully transplanted to the site. In time, this fast-growing species stabilizes loose sediments and promotes the establishment of the slower-growing climax species like turtle grass. 

In some sites, "bird stakes" are used in the restoration process. The relatively small T-shaped stakes, which are attractive bird perches, are pounded into the sediments along the length of the prop scar. The use of stakes to attract birds provides a natural way to fertilize seagrass beds as bird feces are high in nutrients needed by the growing seagrass. After one or two years, when the grass plants have established themselves, the stakes are removed to prevent over-fertilization of the site. Rather than leaving the site to recover on its own, restoration activities have significantly reduced the amount of time required for damaged seagrass beds in the monitoring area to recover.
                                                                             
Help Us Protect Restoration Efforts:
                                                                         
There are currently more than 30 seagrass restoration projects are underway across Florida, many of them in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The Marine Sanctuary protects over 2,900 square nautical miles of critical marine habitat, including coral reef, hard bottom, seagrass meadow, mangrove communities and sand flats.
                                                                          
With the newly elected administration in Florida threatening to make severe cuts to environmental restoration projects as well as a legislature that is largely apathetic to environmental causes, it is important for citizens to let their voices be heard. Please sign the petition and consider Becoming a Member of Save Our Shores! Florida today.

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Join Hands Across the Sand on June 25

Join Hands Across the Sand on June 25

In Florida on Saturday, February 13, 2010, a statewide gathering against offshore oil drilling occurred. 10,000 Floridians representing 60 towns and cities and over 90 beaches joined hands to protest the efforts by the Florida Legislature and the U.S. Congress to lift the ban on oil drilling in our coastal waters. The event was the largest gathering in the history of Florida against expanding oil drilling near our shores.

Then on June 26, 2010, in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, Hands Across the Sand went national and global. It became the largest gathering of people in the history of the world united against expanding offshore oil drilling and championing clean energy. Events took place in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Events were also held in 42 countries outside the U.S. Over 1,000 events were held worldwide.

The mission:

The first goal is to bring together like-minded individuals and organizations with the conviction to organize a global movement to promote a clean energy future for our earth and end our dependence on dirty fuel sources. These gatherings will bring thousands of people to our beaches and cities and will draw metaphorical and actual lines in the sand; human lines in the sand against the threats fossil fuels and offshore oil drilling pose to our present and future planet.

The coalition also hopes to convince our State Legislators, Governors, Congress, the President and other world leaders to adopt policies encouraging the growth of clean and renewable energy sources in place of oil and coal.

What to do on June 25:

STEP 1:
Find an event near you by clicking your state on the map located here.

STEP 2:
Go to the beach at 11 AM in your time zone for one hour, rain or shine.

STEP 3:
Join hands for 15 minutes at 12:00 PM in your time zone forming lines in the sand against oil drilling in your coastal waters.

STEP 4:
Leave only your footprints.

STEP 5:
Share pictures and press coverage of your event on our Facebook group.

Read More