WASHINGTON — David Bernhardt is now officially the Secretary of the Interior after the Senate voted to confirm his nomination Thursday 56-41.
- Florida lawmakers address offshore drilling
- Current moratorium prohibits offshore drilling within 225 miles from most of coastline
- Memories of BP oil spill still fresh in minds
His confirmation could have major implications for Florida, as the administration is planning to open up most U.S. coastal waters to offshore drilling. Both Florida Republican Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott voted to confirm Bernhardt without any guarantees that Florida's waters would be excluded from offshore drilling.
However, both Senators say they believe ultimately that will be the case.
It's been almost nine years since the BP oil spill sent tar balls to Florida's shores. For members from the Sunshine State, those memories spark fears of a future spill.
"Even in places where the oil didn't get to the land, people had the perception that it was all over our State," said Rep. Charlie Crist (D) Florida 13th District.
"I don't think having oil rigs off the coast of Florida is a good idea," said Rep. Greg Steube (R) Florida 17th District.
Florida and a handful of other states have banned offshore drilling in their waters. However, states can only control up to three miles out from the coast. The rest of the waters are in the hands of the federal government.
"We are the most beautiful state in the union and we want to protect our quality of life," said Rep. Darren Soto (D) Florida 9th District.
The Senate's confirmation of David Bernhardt as secretary of the Interior puts the department's five-year off-shore drilling proposal in motion.
"There is no one in Florida, no one, on either side of the aisle at any level of government that supports offshore drilling. There's no constituency for it," said Sen. Marco Rubio (R) Florida in an interview with Spectrum News.
Rubio voted to confirm the new Secretary without knowing exactly what is in the proposal.
"If you make any decisions or announcements before you go through the comment period, someone is going to sue you and throw out the whole plan," he said.
After a comment period, the Trump administration can finalize the plan, without any formal input from Congress.
"By the time this thing comes out in three years, there might be someone else at Interior," Rubio said. "I'm very confident at the end of this process, there won't be offshore drilling in Florida."
While it's still unclear if the Eastern Gulf along the Atlantic Coast will be included in the proposal, Florida lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are sending a strong message to the President.
"I think the ramifications of that in 2020 would be very good for the Democratic nominee," Crist said.
"I think it's really important for the Republican party to show future generations and younger people, we are environmentally sensitive," said Rep. Francis Rooney (R) Florida 19th District.
There is currently a moratorium that prohibits offshore drilling within 225 miles from most of Florida's coastline that expires in 2022. Florida Lawmakers have introduced legislation to extend it or even make it permanent.