Congresswoman Kathy Castor released the following statement regarding President Obama’s decision to no longer allow new deepwater drilling projects to go forward without environmental reviews:

“This announcement by the Obama Administration is a good first step. The Interior Department and Minerals Management Service, unfortunately, have historically allowed oil companies to skirt regulations and not file environmental assessments and impact statements, another indication of the too-cozy, revolving door relationship between the regulators and the oil companies.

“When the U.S. House of Representatives last month approved the oil disaster response package, I pushed for provisions that would prohibit waivers or categorical exclusions of environmental impact statements in the oil exploration plan. These provisions would have ensured that oil companies file environmental impact statements and assessments.

“The final legislation contained a measure that would abolish the Minerals Management Service and hand over its responsibilities to three separate entities, with an eye toward eliminating conflicts of interest. The bill also included a revolving door provision that would create recusal provisions and a two-year ban on accepting employment with certain companies.

“We must continue holding oil companies accountable and keep drilling away from Florida’s shores. Our jobs, our tourism economy and our fishing economy are too important.”