Gov. Rick Scott has supported drilling in and around Florida throughout his political career — repeatedly endorsing offshore drilling and drilling in the Everglades.
Today, American Bridge is releasing a new report detailing Rick Scott’s drilling hypocrisy, a record eight years in the making. Read American Bridge’s research report on Rick Scott’s Offshore Oil Drilling Hypocrisy here.
As Scott considers a bid for U.S. Senate, his cronies in the Washington Swamp are pulling out all the stops. On Tuesday, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke made an unannounced trip to Florida to announce the Trump administration’s sudden reversal on their offshore drilling policy — just for Florida, and just as Rick Scott is reportedly making his final decision on running for Senate.
“Rick Scott does whatever is best for his wealthy cronies and big corporations, and that’s why he’s spent his entire political career fighting to expand oil drilling off Florida’s coast. Rick Scott’s latest lie is nothing more than a shameless attempt to whitewash history to further his personal political ambition,” said American Bridge spokesperson Joshua Karp.
A close look at Rick Scott’s record on oil drilling shows that he’s no friend of Florida’s environment:
- Under Scott, Florida was the only state not to take a position when briefed on the Trump Administration’s offshore drilling plan in 2017.
- A dozen other states requested exclusions from the plan. Scott “refused to join” nearly all east coast governors urging Trump to continue the ban on offshore oil and gas leases in 2017.
- Scott supported offshore drilling, saying it was necessary for energy independence. Scott opposed a moratorium on drilling near Florida, saying it was “not realistic.”
- After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Scott was “absolutely” opposed to President Obmaa’s moratorium on drilling near Florida.
- Scott supported drilling in the Everglades, then reversed himself after public outcry. A Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times investigation later revealed that Scott himself was invested in a company that sought to drill in the Everglades.
- Rick Scott’s record is one of consistently fighting for offshore oil drilling and drilling in the Everglades, only to be beaten back by public outcry and the Obama Administration.
Scott and Zinke’s announcement is a partisan ploy designed to boost Rick Scott’s image as the Trump administration attempts to woo Scott to run for Senate.
Gov. Scott’s election-year environmentalism won’t fool Floridians — because they’ve lived his real record. Read American Bridge’s research report on Rick Scott’s Offshore Oil Drilling Hypocrisy here.
Published: Jan 10, 2018