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Nelson, Martinez Join To Block Gulf Oil Survey

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Jun 30, 2007 9:32 pm US/Eastern

Nelson, Martinez Join To Block Gulf Oil Survey

WASHINGTON (CBS4) ― As high gas prices and calls for greater US energy independence have more people calling for more oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, Florida's US senators are opposing a plan to see how much gas and oil is actually out there.

Senators Mel Martinez and Bill Nelson promised yesterday to block a $10 million proposal to conduct a seismic inventory of oil and natural gas resources in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, by trying to preventthe progress of a $32.3 billion Senate energy and water bill that includes the money for seismic exploration in the Gulf.

Nelson took the Senate floor to complain that the senators' agreement to back expansion of offshore drilling in the Gulf in exchange for language protecting Florida from further exploration was being broken.

Florida politicians have historically opposed Gulf drilling because of fears it will cause spills and pollution that could damage the state's beaches and environment and interfere with military training and weapons testing.

(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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