FSU to host second symposium on offshore drilling

The energy needs of the United States and Florida’s struggling economy are prompting a renewed consideration of oil and gas activity off the state’s Gulf coast. As the Florida Legislature prepares to consider this issue, the Institute for Energy Systems, Economics and Sustainability (IESES) at The Florida State University is bringing together experts from around the nation to share their informed views on a variety of issues related to coastal drilling.

The Florida Symposium on Offshore Energy, Part II: The Inshore Challenges of Offshore Energy Prospects will be held:

MONDAY, FEB. 1, 2010

1 – 6 P.M.

AUGUSTUS B. TURNBULL III FLORIDA STATE CONFERENCE CENTER, ROOM 208

555 W. PENSACOLA ST.

TALLAHASSEE, FLA.

The symposium is the second in a series scheduled to take place at Florida State. An earlier event, the Florida Symposium on Offshore Energy, Part I: Oil and Gas, was held this past November. It examined several related issues, including the potential effects of oil and gas activity on the marine environment; the revenues that the state of Florida might expect as a result of offshore oil leasing; and the legal and policy challenges that the state could face as a result of new oil and gas activity in the Gulf of Mexico. Visit www.ieses.fsu.edu/Symposium_1.html to view a video of the first symposium.

“Florida Senate President Jeff Atwater has recognized the need for a detailed and comprehensive review of the implications of offshore drilling so that lawmakers will be fully informed of the potential risks and rewards of such an endeavor,” IESES director David Cartes said in explaining why his institute has organized the Florida Symposium on Offshore Energy series. (A statement from Atwater can be viewed at http://tr.im/Kprw.)

“Because this is such an important issue for the state, it is crucial to identify facts and information free of preconceived ideas,” Cartes said. “The university system of Florida must play the role of an ‘honest broker’ in providing such analyses in an objective and unbiased manner.”

At the symposium, expert panels chaired by Florida State University faculty members (who will be present at the media availability) will consider aspects of two interrelated topic areas:

• “Gulf Ecology — The Past, Present and Future Demands for Baseline Ecological Research in the Gulf of Mexico.” This panel will focus on the ecological milieu of Florida’s marine habitats, from the shore to the abyss. It will start with the historical context of ecological research conducted in the Gulf of Mexico as it relates to energy development. It continues with an exploration of the unique ecological characteristics of the West Florida Shelf and coastal zone while addressing the linkages between inshore and offshore waters. The panel ends with a focused talk on the consequences of energy exploration and development on marine mammals.
• “Regulatory Waters — The Regulation of Offshore Energy and Its Ecological Impacts.” This panel will explore the legal and policy framework for assessing, authorizing and mitigating environmental effects from oil, gas and renewable energy activity in Florida’s Gulf waters and coastal areas. In addition to providing an overview of the legal regimes governing the marine environment, panelists will discuss environmental permitting systems for development and placement of facilities in offshore and onshore areas, as well as methods for “zoning” different uses in ocean and coastal waters.

A complete list of the panelists and their bios is available at www.ieses.fsu.edu.

In addition to the panels, the scheduled keynote speaker for the symposium is N. Jack Smith, J.D., a partner of the Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP law firm in Charleston, S.C. Smith practices in the areas of environmental law and litigation, administrative law, land use law and constitutional law. His extensive knowledge of environmental policy and regulations stems from his prior work for state and federal government agencies and more than 20 years in private practice. Smith has held legal positions with the Office of Coastal Resources Management, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the South Carolina Coastal Council, and the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee’s National Oceans Policy Study. He will speak on “Connecting Our Energy Needs with Ecosystem Sustainability.”

Symposium attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions of both groups of panelists immediately following their discussions, as well as in a concluding plenary session. In addition, a reception with the panelists, featuring hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar, will be held immediately following the plenary session.

Members of the public are invited to attend the symposium; registration is $50 and can be completed at www.ieses.fsu.edu. (There is no cost for members of the news media who are covering the event.)

Parking for the event is free and available on the first floor of the parking garage located adjacent to the Turnbull Conference Center. (A parking attendant will be stationed at the entrance behind the conference center on West St. Augustine Street to direct attendees to available parking.)

In addition to IESES, the Florida Symposium on Offshore Energy is sponsored by the Florida State University Office of Research; the Environmental and Land Use Law Program at the College of Law; and the departments of Oceanography and Biological Sciences and the Tallahassee Democrat.

About the Institute for Energy Systems, Economics and Sustainability

IESES is a public resource dedicated to addressing energy alternatives through academic research and analysis in engineering, science, infrastructure, governance and society. It brings together researchers with backgrounds in engineering, natural sciences, law, urban and regional planning, geography and economics. The institute is the state’s leading scholarship center looking at the informed governance, economics and decision making to support a sustainable-energy economy.