No! You can’t drill in Sarasota County, Florida because I say so.

On September 29, 2009 there was a joint meeting of local Florida elected officials from Sarasota County, the City of Sarasota, the City of Venice, the City of North Port and the Town of Longboat Key, also known as the "Convocation of Governments". At this meeting the Board/Commissioners/Council Members discussed the 2010 Legislative priorities of the County and area Municipalities. One of the major concerns of all assembled was drilling off the beaches in Sarasota County. It is now certain that the Florida Legislature will address off shore drilling during their regular session, which beings on March 2, 2010. The question is will legislation be passed that allows exploration and drilling within the thirty mile limit that belongs to all Floridians or not.

The Convocation of Governments voted to, “Prohibit offshore drilling in Florida waters, preserve the tourism economy by protecting our clean beaches and shores." Of course we all know the Convocation of Governments cannot prohibit off shore drilling but they are unanimous in their “not in my back yard” ideology. I call the Convocation the “Five Lessees” for wanting us to have less energy rather than more.

Watching this discussion was most enlightening and it helped me understand the real reason local elected officials are against off shore drilling – they simply don’t trust the Florida Legislature to give them their fair share of tax revenues.

Sarasota County Commissioner Shannon Staub put it best during her remarks. Shannon’s concerns were that there are no guarantees any revenues from off shore drilling will be sent to the Cities and Counties, those counties with a shore line are taking all the risk in the event of an oil spill, inland counties are supporting drilling and the Florida Senate is looking at this issue as one of “state sovereignty”. Shannon points out that there is tremendous momentum to drill.

These arguments are at best tenuous and at worst selfish.

First, it is the oil companies that are taking all the risk of exploring for, drilling and safely pumping their black gold and natural gas, not the counties or cities. Counties and cities are the recipients of the taxes and royalties paid by the oil companies. In the event of an oil spill the company at fault will clean up the mess as they have every where else an oil spill has occurred. The state of Florida and the Convocation of Governments has spent more money cleaning up after “red tide” than oil spills. When you spill milk you clean it up, you don’t ban it.

The Convocation worrying about getting their fair share of revenues is an issue that kicks sand in the face of the Florida Legislature. This war between the Convocation and state government is wonderful to watch, it is like to children fighting over the same toy (tax revenues). While at times funny, it harms Floridians. Sarasota County tax payers spend hundreds of thousands of dollars lobbying our own legislature. This is a waste of money that only leads to childish food fights.

The idea that inland counties are more at risk than coastal counties is counterproductive. Inland counties are just as much at risk to a drop in tourism as are coastal counties. Orlando depends on tourist dollars. Tourists come to Florida not only for the beaches but also for our many inland attractions. The tourist industry depends on cheap and reliable power and fossil fuels to exist. Tourists get to Florida by airplane, rail, ship or auto. What does the Convocation think these means of transport are powered by? When they arrive they expect air conditioned rooms, hot showers, and a hot meal at local restaurants. They expect electricity to power their computers, cell phones, street lights, and the rides at Disney World or Universal Studios.

Florida has the fourth largest population but ranks number three in total energy consumption. Why? It is because tourism, the construction industry and agriculture need cheap and reliable energy to prosper and grow. Floridians demand cheap and reliable power. The Convocation is denying us that power.

The primary arguments opponents of off shore drilling use are twofold:  the possibility of an oil spill and its impact on tourism. Both of these are valid concerns. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune has published multiple articles arguing against off shore drilling including one showing the result of an oil spill in St. Petersburg, Florida in 1993. According to the article:

To be sure, such large drilling spills are infrequent these days, as industry advocates eagerly point out. By contrast, however, accidents in oil production and transport networks -- which inevitably follow drilling if oil is found -- are distressingly common.

And they've occurred very close to home. As [City of Sarasota Mayor] Clapp and others pointed out, an August 1993 oil spill fouled miles of beaches and mangroves off Pinellas County. The spill resulted when two tank barges and a freighter collided near the mouth of Tampa Bay. [Emphasis added]

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune is right, oil spills happen when ships go bump in the night, not from oil rigs off shore.

So, what is a better solution to provide long term cheap and reliable power to all Floridians? I like the plan and views of John Hofmeister, former CEO of Shell Oil. His plan is based on what he calls the "four mores":

1. More supply of all kinds of energy. "There should be no barriers to developing energy supplies in this country," he said. We've done that for too long because when imports were cheap, nobody cared.

2. More pursuit of technology and innovation to more effectively use all forms of energy. That means everything from better conservation to better land use. "Technology represents the best form of conservation," he said.

3. More environmental stewardship. Technology works in our favor in finding ways to reduce emissions of all kinds. We've been able to effectively reduce physical and liquid pollutants, and we need to take a similar approach to gaseous waste.

4. More infrastructure — from pipelines to refineries to power plants — to match supply with consumption. Use the capital markets to fund improvements, but ensure that reasonable regulations are adopted. We're trying to meet tomorrow's energy needs with yesterday's planning and rules, he said. We also must ensure that regulations don't change in midstream; otherwise private companies won't take the investment risk.

The biggest impediment to solving our energy problems, he argues, is the political process, which is focused on expediency.

Politicians, much like consumers, prefer easy answers — windfall profits taxes or gasoline tax holidays — rather than complex ones.

Developing more secure and cost-effective energy supplies, though, requires a long-term, broad-based effort.

"In modern society, energy can't be turned off," Hofmeister said. "It's as important as air, water and food. Energy is survival."

I hope the members of the Convocation understand Floridians, Florida businesses and visitors expect and demand cheap reliable power. Nothing can be off the table, nothing.