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Floor Speech
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Mrs. MOODY. Mr. President, I rise today to move for unanimous consent on the American Shores Protection Act, and this would codify President Trump's 2020 moratorium on drilling off Florida's Gulf of America and Atlantic coasts.
Florida has worked with President Trump for years to keep these operations off our pristine coast and not just for a sunny day to enjoy the gulf but because our coasts are a vital component of our State's economic success. In fact, Florida's beaches alone generate more than $127.7 billion a year in tourism spending and support more than 2.1 million related jobs.
However, these great resources are vulnerable to risks posed by new offshore drilling.
We all saw the devastating harm caused by the Deepwater Horizon oilspill in 2010. That disaster wiped billions of dollars from Florida's industries and caused horrific damage to our environment and coastal communities. Places like Panama City Beach, Pensacola, and Destin all saw dramatic drops in tourist revenues that summer, following the catastrophe. Even places like Clearwater, St. Petersburg, and Miami Beach suffered a decline in visitors after the oilspill.
Our coasts also play an important role in securing our Nation. The Gulf Test Range, a big part of the Department of War's training to ensure mission readiness, is supported by multiple military bases in Florida's Panhandle. More than 50,000 jobs in the Panhandle depend directly on operations at military facilities in this area. Eglin Air Force Base, in Okaloosa County, alone employs 20,000 people and provides the country with $11 billion in economic impact every year.
If there were new offshore drilling in the Gulf Test Range, these activities that support national security would have to be reduced, meaning job cuts in an area that depends heavily on military activities.
As a fifth generation Floridian, preserving our State's natural beauty is deeply important to me and all Floridians and the millions that call the Sunshine State home, as well as those who come to visit and vacation. It is my mission to protect our State's coastline, from Pensacola Beach, where the Blue Angels fly, to Duval Street in Key West; from the iconic South Beach in Miami to Fernandina in the very tip of Northeast Florida, all for our next generation.
I appreciate my colleague's support as we work together to ensure oil drilling stays off our beaches and we pass the American Shores Protection Act.
And if I may defer to my fellow Senator from Florida, Senator Rick Scott.
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Mrs. MOODY. 3082 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration; further, that the bill be considered read a third time and passed, and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
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Mrs. MOODY. Mr. President, I thank my colleague for taking the time to come down here today. I will note that he spent a lot of time talking about the long bureaucratic process; that this must go through every single step; and that we must get the policy right and going through the things that might take years, as we have seen happen in the Senate. It is what the American people are tired of, and I did not come here as the newest U.S. Senator to do business as usual. In fact, do you see where my desk is? It is on the very last row, almost to the edge of the Senate, because I am one of the newest Senators. We need to do things different. We need to get things done.
In respect to the pristine beaches of Florida, we have to act with a sense of urgency. As far as getting policy right, this simply codifies President Trump's 2020 moratorium on drilling off Florida's Gulf of America and Atlantic coasts. This policy has been negotiated and talked about, and it is already in a moratorium. This would simply codify that.
I so appreciate my colleague offering to set this on the agenda, and I appreciate that. I hope my other Senate colleagues recognize the urgency to get this done. I can't think of anything more top of mind for Floridians right now.
I am proud to be here, along with my colleague Senator Scott, to fight for Floridians and fight for Florida's livelihood, our pristine natural resources.
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Mrs. MOODY. Thank you. I appreciate my colleague's willingness to work in the next week or few months. Thank you so much.
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