Military advocates say offshore drilling could threaten training

Military advocates say offshore drilling could threaten training

By Deborah Nelson
September 11, 2009

A group that advocates for a strong military presence in the local economy is urging caution when it comes to drilling off Florida’s coast.

TEAM Santa Rosa’s Military Affairs Committee recently approved a draft policy position expressing concern that drilling could threaten military readiness. It notes that the Gulf of Mexico and the Eglin Gulf Range Complex are national test and training assets, whose “unique features cannot be replicated anywhere in the United States.”

“As weapons systems and aircraft become more sophisticated and long-reaching, this Test and Training Range becomes increasingly important to the national security of the United States,” the draft states.

The Committee will forward the statement to TEAM Santa Rosa’s Board of Directors for agency endorsement, officials said.

The statement opposes “any federal or state proposals that would encroach upon the Gulf should they have any negative impact on military Test and Training capabilities.”

“I think most people’s position is, we need to explore our own natural resources as long as it does not interfere with the military mission,” Military Affairs Committee Chair and Commissioner Don Salter remarked.

The draft notes that past drilling policies “have supported a Military Mission Line running from Hurlburt Field south into the Gulf, with oil and natural gas drilling restricted to the west of this line.”

The Committee is recommending TEAM officials state that the agency “understands and supports the drive for U.S. energy independence and supports a broad, multi-faceted approach that utilizes the most current technologies and conservation measures.

“However,” it adds, “sacrificing a key component of our national security must not be a part of that effort.”

Officials said the Gulf is especially key to training as newer weapons systems deploy longer range capacity.

The range of some systems exceeds the length of Eglin Air Force Base, Military Affairs Committee and TEAM Board member Ferd Salomon noted at Wednesday’s Committee meeting. That makes military access to unimpeded Gulf waters especially imperative.

“One oil rig in one location can basically stop you from using the entire area,” Salomon remarked.

“The eastern part of the Gulf is a strategic training range asset,” he added. “Anything that endangers that asset has an impact on all military readiness.”

Even underwater facilities can cause problems, officials say. Salomon cited the undersea gas line that runs from Mobile to Tampa as an example.

“You wouldn’t want to bump that,” he observed. “[Potential problem areas are] on the surface and it’s the undersea, too.”

A shadowy group of legislators, business interests and Texas oil companies called Florida Energy Associates stepped up lobbying in Tallahassee last December, according to an August 30 St. Petersburg Times report.

Drilling advocates have since sought leases as close as three miles offshore, the report says. The report notes that Florida Energy Associates has contributed $55,000 to political parties since May.

NAS Whiting Field pumps $473.3 million per year into Santa Rosa’s economy, according to TEAM Santa Rosa. The military contributes $1.2 billion to Escambia’s economy and $2.2 billion to Okaloosa.

Florida communities with an economic stake in the military may face disadvantages when it comes to state legislation.

“If you’re a legislator in Florida and you represent districts that have no military bases, you’re going to go, ‘absolutely, let’s drill,’” Salter observed.

In coming years, over 15,000 people are expected to relocate to the area as part of the BRAC 2005 base realignment decision. The influx to Eglin Air Force Base includes at least 59 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft as well as the Army’s 7th Special Forces Group.