skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Talking to a Wall: Offshore Drilling Plan Draws Protests

play audio
Play

Friday, February 9, 2018   

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – It isn't clear whether Florida is still included in the Trump administration's plan to expand offshore drilling, but the first and only hearing about it was in Tallahassee on Thursday.

Groups opposed to the plan had to get creative in an attempt to share their views. With no opportunity for oral public testimony, the organizations staged what they called a "People's Hearing."

They rented space in the same hotel as the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management meeting. Holly Parker, Florida regional manager for the Surfrider Foundation, explained they hired a court reporter to record comments, and allowed people to speak to a brick wall – to symbolize the Trump administration.

"This is a huge issue of concern for Floridians,” said Parker. “There's been discussion about whether or not Florida is or is not included in the plan. It's been very confusing. And we think members of the public, citizens of Florida, deserve the opportunity to express their concerns and make sure that that's included in the record."

On Thursday, Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Noah Valenstein also sent a letter to the administration opposing any exploratory drilling off the Florida coast.

Parker said the decision to have just one meeting in Tallahassee, far from coastal communities, locks many concerned citizens out of the process.

"It's really difficult for working folks to travel to Tallahassee midweek to participate in this. And the result is that it's exclusionary; it keeps people out of the process,” she said. “So, we would love if there are additional public meetings throughout the state, particularly focused on the coastal communities that have the potential to be most impacted by this proposal."

Despite the uncertainty, Gov. Rick Scott has said he believes the Trump administration will keep its word and exclude Florida from its plan for offshore drilling. The public can weigh in on the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management website at boem.gov.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021