Fla. Gov. Crist "open minded" on expanded drilling

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Gov. Charlie Crist's opposition to offshore oil drilling is getting weaker and weaker.

When Crist ran for governor in 2006, he opposed any drilling off Florida's coast. When he was campaigning with Republican presidential nominee John McCain last year, Crist became more open to the idea, but still didn't want oil rigs near the state's shoreline.

Now on Wednesday, the Republican governor said after an Earth Day celebration that he is "open minded" about a bill that could put oil rigs within a few miles of the beaches that are crucial to Florida's tourism industry.

Asked whether he would sign a House bill that would allow the governor and Cabinet to OK drilling leases in state-controlled waters within 10 miles of the coast, Crist said, "I don't know. I think we need to study it more. I think we need to learn more about it and I'm open minded to reviewing it."

And he's not alone. Two of the three Cabinet members - Attorney General Bill McCollum and Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson, both Republicans - also said they'll remain open minded to the idea.

Crist has built a reputation for being environmentally friendly by holding climate change summits, seeking a deal to buy U.S. Sugar property to help restore the Everglades and pushing for a law that would require electric companies to increase their use of renewable energy.

"The more diversified we can be in terms of the energy resources that we have, the stronger it makes Florida and America. And I think the experience of last summer tells you that when gas goes above $4 a barrel that people want options. And they want solar, wind, nuclear and any option that we can exercise responsibly and safely," Crist said.

The House Policy Council approved a bill (HB 1219) Tuesday that would allow the governor and Cabinet to approve drilling off the coast. Environmentalists were caught off guard because the language to change the bill wasn't filed until the night before, though it clearly had been in the works for some time. The Associated Industries of Florida presented a slide show and glossy handouts to lawmakers. The group's president, Barney Bishop, was accompanied at Tuesday's meeting by a pollster, an economist and two powerful lawyers, including an oil industry attorney.