RADIO ADS

Script:

"I continue to be steadfast in my opposition to any drilling off Florida's coasts." ¹

This was the Mel Martinez we knew.

"We cannot allow any drilling in the Gulf." ²

Guess we hardly knew you Senator. Cause just last week you sided with oil companies to allow them to drill off Florida's gulf coast. ³

Floridians know drilling could wreak havoc on our state and our tourism jobs. ⁴

Instead, there are real solutions to energy problems that create good jobs and reduce our dependence on oil. We can make cars go further on a gallon of gas⁵ and invest in renewable energy. There are faster, cheaper ways to help families with energy costs.⁶

But when given the chance to support renewable energy and make cars get better gas mileage, Senator Martinez voted no.⁷

Call Senator Martinez at 407.254.2573. Tell him oil drilling off Florida's coasts may be a win for oil companies but it's a huge loss for the people who live, work and vacation in Florida.

Paid for by Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund.⁸

1. Sen. Martinez statement, 10-05-05. http://src.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Senators.Radio&Issue
2. ibid
3. There have been "heavy-handed tactics by powerful oil lobbyists" to pass offshore drilling legislation. (St. Petersburg Times, 7-14-06) "The oil and gas industry is asking the Bush administration to renege on an earlier promise to Florida lawmakers and allow parts of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico to be examined for possible exploration." (Energy Washington Week, 10-19-05)
4. "What these proposals will do, however, is put the eastern Gulf's fragile environment and Florida's $50-billion-a-year tourism industry at risk." (Sarasota Herald Tribune, 7-14-06)
5. Sen. Richard Durbin's (D-IL) amendment to the energy bill last year would have required cars and light trucks to gradually increase their fuel economy to 40 miles per gallon. This would have saved 54 billion barrels of gasoline from 2005-2012 before new offshore drilling produces a drop of oil. (Union of Concerned Scientists)
6. In the seven years it would take to produce natural gas from these newly opened areas, gas demand could be reduced by nearly 8% via energy efficiency and renewables. (Impacts of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy on Natural Gas Markets, American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, 2005)
7. On June 25, 2005, Sen. Martinez voted against Sen. Durbin's fuel economy amendment. On June 16, 2005, Sen. Martinez voted against an amendment by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) that would have required electric utilities to produce 10% of their power via wind, solar and other renewable energy sources. (National Environmental Scorecard '05, League of Conservation Voters)
8. Produced by Murphy Putnam Shorr & Partners, 901 North Washington Street, Suite 500, Alexandria, VA 22314