Reply #50: Not likely ... [View All]

[flashl]

Fight Over Florida Coast Oil Intensifies Around Energy Bill

July 29, 2005 – The congressional push to drill for oil off Florida's Gulf coast reached a climax this week as House and Senate negotiators worked to meet a compromise on a massive energy legislation package. While lawmakers worked to hammer out an agreement that could pass both chambers of Congress, the White House was pushing for new rules that would change Florida's state boundaries at sea, opening a controversial area up for drilling despite major homegrown opposition to throughout the state.

Last Friday, Florida Senator Bill Nelson, a Democrat, released a leaked White House email that urged negotiating lawmakers to adopt a Bush administration's plan to redraw offshore state boundaries in the Gulf of Mexico and grant Louisiana control over waters currently controlled by Florida.

The New Standard

Last time I checked, changing a state's boundary required U.S. constitutional amendment.