Every member of the Florida congressional delegation signed a letter spearheaded by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and U.S. Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL) seeking Defense Department (DOD) Secretary Jim Mattis’ support in making sure that a recent Department of Interior proposal does not impair military readiness and training off Florida’s coasts.
The lawmakers expressed their concern that drilling and seismic testing could go forward under Interior’s draft National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program (National OCS Program) for 2019-2024 despite Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s recent statement that Florida is “off the table” for new drilling.
Florida’s Eastern Gulf of Mexico (EGOM) Planning Area, South Atlantic Planning Area, and Straits of Florida Planning Area “are all home to strategically-vital military activity and training areas that will only become more important with future advancements in aircraft and weapons technologies,” the letter said.
The delegation requested that DOD assess the three areas and collaborate with Interior on an interagency agreement so that areas that should be avoided in geological and geophysical activities can be identified for exclusion prior to the proposed five-year program periods.
According to the letter, this process would enable DOD to proceed with “its long term investments in the military ranges off of Florida’s coasts that are vital to our military readiness and national security.”
The letter highlighted the three planning areas of value to DOD. An existing restriction on EGOM allows “unique testing and training of military capabilities” afforded DOD within the 180,000 square mile Joint Gulf Range Complex, along with 17 miles of adjacent dedicated shoreline and 724 square miles of nearby land ranges, the letter said.
The South Atlantic Planning Area encompasses a stretch of the Atlantic that Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Kennedy Space Center use to conduct space launches. Space is “a vital but underappreciated commodity in this time of relative global peace,” the delegation wrote. “While this range is essential to national security space missions, it is equally essential for NASA and commercial space missions as well.”
The Straits of Florida Planning Area includes the Naval Air Station Key West, which the lawmakers pointed out affords the nation “a realistic environment for combat readiness capabilities.”