Bill Nelson is among more than a dozen U.S. senators calling on President Barack Obama to stop oil and natural gas exploration in the Atlantic Ocean.
The central Florida democrat and other senators are speaking out against seismic testing.
The senators say the seismic testing no longer is necessary after the administration withdrew a proposal last month that would have allowed oil and natural gas drilling in the Atlantic Ocean.
The reversal came after an outpouring of protests from Atlantic coastal communities. The senators say the protests overwhelmingly include opposition to seismic testing.
The testing is a method of locating oil and natural gas beneath the ocean floor. It involves sending blasts of sound deep underwater.
Some marine scientists say seismic testing can displace fish and disrupt the feeding and breeding behaviors of whales and other marine life.
