Today (April 20) is the eighth anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, D-St. Petersburg, took the floor of the U.S.House on Thursday to call for a ban on drilling off Florida’s coasts.

He was speaking on the eve of the eighth anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill, the largest oil spill in U.S. history. Crist was governor of Florida at the time.

After that disaster, Crist proposed a constitutional amendment to prohibit offshore drilling and fought to hold BP accountable for the resulting damage to Florida’s coastal communities. In Congress, he has been an outspoken advocate for our beaches and environment, sponsoring legislation to permanently ban drilling in the eastern Gulf and introducing legislation to keep the Trump Administration from rolling back safety regulations put in place after Deepwater Horizon.

Crist’s statement:

“Friday marks the eighth anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. I was Governor of Florida at that time.

“I remember the tar balls; I remember them coming up on our beautiful beaches. Marine life covered in toxic sludge. The harm done to Florida’s tourism and fisheries industries. And of course the tragic life that was lost on the Deepwater Horizon itself.

“I haven’t forgotten it. Florida has not forgotten it.

“We must never have drilling off the Florida coast. We should take that argument off the table.”

Crist represents Florida’s 13th Congressional District, which includes south and mid-Pinellas County.

For information about Crist, go to crist.house.gov.

To see a video of Crist’s statement, go to youtube.com.

Charlie Crist | Offshore Drilling | Oil Spill | Deepwater Horizon | BP Oil Spill | Tampabay News

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