A.G. Gancarski
The specter of offshore drilling is real. And Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown wants to do something about it.
A release from the Mayor’s office states that “after previously informing the U.S. Department of the Interior of his opposition to seismic testing off the Atlantic Coast, Mayor Alvin Brown today announced that he will file a proposed resolution with City Council to have the City of Jacksonville formally oppose a practice [seismic testing] that is considered a first step toward oil drilling and could carry economic and environmental risks.”
The Obama Administration’s Interior Department announced plans for seismic testing from Delaware to Florida last year; when those plans were announced, Mayor Brown wrote to them in May 2014 of his opposition to the proposal.
“Jacksonville’s beautiful beaches and other natural treasures are a source of visual, recreational and environmental enjoyment for our residents and visitors, and we are naturally concerned about the possibility of any activities that could damage those treasures,” Mayor Alvin Brown said in the statement. “Given the potential destructive impact seismic testing can have on our economy, marine wildlife, coastal ecosystems and beachside communities, I strongly oppose the federal government’s decision to permit this activity off of our coastline.”
If this resolution goes through, and why wouldn’t it, Jacksonville and Duval County would join a coalition of NE FL governments that oppose this, including St. Johns County and the Cities of Atlantic Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach, St. Augustine, St. Augustine Beach and Fernandina Beach.
The resolution also endorses S.1171, a bill filed last week by U. S. Senator Bill Nelson to ban seismic testing, which the Senator called “unwise and impractical.”
The proposed resolution will be introduced at City Council next Tuesday; expect this to be played up by the Campaign during Early Voting. From there, according to the statement, it is expected that the resolution will be considered by Council committees during the week of June 1 and the full Council on Tuesday, June 9.
On behalf of the Lenny Curry campaign, Brian Hughes questioned the timing of the announcement.
“This is more proof that Alvin Brown will talk about anything except the plague of violent crime that Jacksonville faces due to his failure to take public safety seriously. Issues he ignored for years are suddenly the new publicity stunt of each day. And, by the way, Brown’s blurred lines between official and campaign news are still blurry,” claimed Hughes in a written statement.
