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JULY 6, 2001

Amid opposition from Florida lawmakers and politicians from both parties, the Bush administration this week scaled back plans to allow oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

At a press conference on Monday, Secretary of Interior Gale Norton announced she would proceed with a heavily contested lease auction in area of the Gulf known as Section 181. But instead of the 5.9 million acres eyed by the administration, the sale will only cover 1.5 million.

"We have listened and worked carefully with officials and affected citizens around the 181 lease area," said Norton. "The outcome is a balanced and common sense proposal."

Off-shore drilling is a key part of President Bush's national energy policy. But lawmakers and officials in several states have bristled at the idea of opening their coastlines to development, even if the drilling occurs hundreds of miles away from the shore.

In Florida, the opposition was so large that it drew the attention of Governor Jeb Bush (R), the President's older brother. He pleaded with his brother not to move forward with a lease sale, fearing damage to the state's natural resources, but had been rebuffed in April by Norton.

Republican and Democrat Congressmen from the state then sprung to action. Through an amendment to an Interior spending bill approved by the House last month, they succeeded in prohibiting Norton from auctioning leases in Section 181 in the Gulf until April 2002.

As for the Senate, Bill Nelson (D), has been blocking the nomination of J. Steven Griles, Bush's pick as Deputy Interior Secretary. As a lobbyist for the energy industry and a former member of the Reagan administration, Griles has advocated for Florida drilling and once said the state's residents were "cutting their own throats" by supporting a moratorium on off-shore development

For now, though, the Interior will be moving forward with development adjacent to Florida. According to lease maps provided by the Interior, the sale area is at least 100 miles from Pensacola in northwestern Florida.

The Minerals and Management Service estimates the area contains 1.25 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 185 million barrels of oil -- enough to provide energy to one million families for 15 years or fuel their cars for six years, said Norton.

The sale would occur in December after a six-month comment period. Some of the world's largest oil companies including BP Amoco, Exxon Mobile, and Chevron, drill in the Gulf.

Lawmakers from other Gulf states who benefit heavily from oil and gas production -- Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama -- support development.

Although she has faced considerable opposition from Gwich'in Alaska Natives and a number of lawmakers, Norton recently reiterated her support for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Get a Map of the Area:
Eastern Gulf of Mexico and Sale 181 Area (MMS July 2001)

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House bans Great Lakes drilling (6/29)
House approves Interior spending bill (6/22)
Energy pal named to Interior post (3/9)