Gas, Oil Leases in Eastern Gulf of Mexico Pit Bush against Bush.

Publication: The Miami Herald (Miami, Florida) (via Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News)

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COPYRIGHT 2001 The Miami Herald

Byline: Mimi Whitefield

Apr. 21--Although the proposed sale of oil and gas leases in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico would only meet the nation's energy needs for several weeks, the auction is attracting keen industry interest and the ire of Florida politicians and environmentalists because it would be the first time the area has been opened for bidding since 1988.

"It would certainly have no impact on our dependency on foreign oil, and it represents just a fraction of 1 percent of recoverable natural gas deposits in America," Mark Ferrulo, director of the Florida Public Interest Research Group, an environmental and consumer organization that is opposed to offshore drilling, said Thursday.

While the nation...

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