Protecting Florida coastline from oil drilling starts at the ballot box | Opinion

Ten years ago, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, creating one of the largest environmental disasters in American history. Ten years ago, we had to close our beaches as toxic tar balls washed up on our shores and coated our wildlife. Ten years ago, our small businesses and workers suffered because the usual stream of tourists coming here for our beautiful coastline stayed home.

I was governor of Florida during that time and I will never forget the tragic consequences it had on our economy, our safety, our environment, and our way of life. After that horrific experience, Floridians will never let our coastline be threatened by dangerous oil rigs that jeopardize the beauty and foundation of our prosperity as a state.

Protecting our coastline starts at the ballot box — we need to elect leaders who understand that preserving our environment means preserving our jobs and our way of life.

Months after Politico reported that the Trump administration planned to open offshore drilling in Florida after the November elections, Donald Trump returned to the Sunshine State to try and clean up his environmental record, signing an executive order to temporarily extend the offshore drilling moratorium.

The Trump administration had already rolled back safety regulations put in place by the Obama-Biden administration to prevent another oil spill, and approved preliminary permits to explore for oil off our coasts. To make matters worse, a Trump appointed oil lobbyist leads the Interior Department which oversees drilling rights on our public lands and waters.

Floridians know the havoc an oil spill can wreak on our communities. We need both a president who will keep their promises, and passage of federal legislation to permanently ban drilling off Florida’s coastline, a protection that can’t be reversed with the stroke of a pen.

I’ve been fighting in Congress for a permanent solution. The House passed a permanent, not temporary, moratorium on offshore drilling with bipartisan support months ago. The Senate, however, has yet to act and shown little interest in the issue.

Unlike with President Trump, we know we can trust Joe Biden with our coastline and our beaches. No more oil lobbyists running the show at federal agencies charged with protecting our environment, no more playing fast and loose with offshore drilling and other threats to the environmental health of our communities.

Floridians need a president who understands that protecting our environment is about protecting our jobs, our security, and our way of life. Joe Biden will be that president.

U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, D-St. Petersburg, represents the 13th District in the U.S. House of Representatives.