5th District Democrat Comes Out Strong On Deepwater Horizon
posted 5th May 2010 in Economy, Election 2010, Environment, Politics, State and Local by jclifford
On the issue of offshore drilling, comparing the candidates for Florida’s 5th district seat in Congress is like comparing night and day. On the side of night, we have the incumbent, Republican Ginny Brown-Waite, who is both literally and figuratively retiring. Neither Representative Brown-Waite nor her hand-picked replacement, Richard Nugent, have said or done anything about the rapidly expanding crisis provoked by the destruction of the Deepwater Horizon.
Such inaction is a problem in any congressional district, given the extreme nature of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. These particular Republicans’ apathy is especially shocking, however, given that their district is right in the path of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Disagreements about the landfall of polluting sludge from the offshore drilling catastrophe are a matter of when the slick will come, not if it will come. When Deepwater Horizon oil hits the shores of the 5th district, it won’t just be a problem for endangered species. The economy of the area will also suffer tremendously, and just when we’re all struggling to pull out of an economic recession.
The residents of the district are lucky that not all the candidates in this year’s race are so casual about the fate of the local seafood and tourist economy. While Ginny Brown-Waite and Richard Nugent are pretending that there isn’t any problem, Democratic candidate Jim Piccillo has taken a clear and strong position that recognizes the economic realities of 5th district communities and refuses to compromise the right of local residents to be sure of the security of their area’s natural treasures.
Speaking on the issue of the Deepwater Horizon and on the intersection of renewable energy and economic sustainability, Piccillo writes,
“This is not only an environmental disaster, with America’s last living coral reef being threatened as well as natural habitats for untold amounts of marine life, it is also an economic disaster. Our off shore fishing industry is threatened. Our tourism industry is threatened. This could have been prevented with more oversight as well as more prudence from BP. Unfortunately, we are in a reactionary situation. We have to deal with the clean up at this point, for which there is no short-term answer. The burden of this clean up should be the sole responsibility of British Petroleum. As both of my grade school children know, you make the mess, you clean the mess. Taxpayers shouldn’t have to foot a cent when it comes to the clean up bill…
…We need to make sure there is more oversight of companies that get access to our coastal treasures. I don’t believe that we need to open more offshore drilling in order to supplement our national energy policy. I have said from DAY ONE that my vision is to make the 5th District the Silicon Valley for renewable energy manufacturing. We don’t have to put a wind turbine on every roof but we sure can make them here.”
Jim Piccillo is showing the kind of leadership the 5th district of Florida could use in Congress, rather than sticking his head in the sand… and these days, the Gulf of Mexico is the last place where any sensible person would be sticking his head in the sand.
