Apalachicola Riverkeeper challenges potential oil drilling near the river
Apalachicola Riverkeeper challenges potential oil drilling near the river
The Apalachicola Riverkeeper is asking a judge to prevent a state agency from allowing exploratory oil drilling near the river.
A nonprofit organization that works to protect the Apalachicola River will ask a judge to prevent a state agency from allowing exploratory oil drilling in the river basin.
“We are filing this challenge because the Apalachicola River provides so much to so many,” Apalachicola Riverkeeper Cameron Baxley wrote in a press release. “It deserves to be protected.”
The Apalachicola Riverkeeper announced on Thursday that it’s challenging the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s notice of intent to issue an exploratory oil and gas drilling permit to Clearwater Land & Minerals LLC. In April, the department signaled its intent to allow the company to look for oil in an area of the river’s floodplain in Calhoun County. The proposed drilling site is located about a mile from the river.
“Our organization works tirelessly on behalf of our members and the surrounding communities to protect, restore, and advocate for the Apalachicola River and its ecosystem,” Baxley wrote. “Petroleum drilling and the associated industrial activities pose significant threats to the exceptional environmental quality, economic, recreational, and scenic values that this world-class river and bay provide to our region.”
The organization isn’t alone in its opposition to drilling near the river. The department has received more than 1,100 public comments objecting to the potential drilling permit. Local elected officials in Franklin and Gulf Counties, which rely on tourism to drive their local economies, have also spoken out against the proposal. In addition to the Riverkeeper, several other nonprofit organizations and citizen groups have written to the department, urging them to abandon the plan.
An administrative law judge could order the department to deny Clearwater’s drilling permit application, as the department has only issued a notice of intent to issue a permit.
The proposed drilling site is located in a rural Calhoun County, but communities downriver and near the coast are concerned that pollutants from the drilling process could end up in the Apalachicola Bay. That would threaten the local economy along the Forgotten Coast, which relies on tourism. Oyster farming is a growing industry along the bay, as work continues to restore wild oyster populations.
Last year, state Sen. Corey Simon (R-Tallahassee) and state Rep. Jason Shoaf (R-Port St. Joe) — who represent the area — sponsored legislation that sets aside $25 million over the next five years to improve water quality in the bay.
Simon and Shoaf have expressed opposition to the potential drilling permit. “It is unconscionable that efforts to drill for oil are happening at the same time that we are fighting for the revitalization of the Apalachicola Bay,” Simon wrote in a statement. "We cannot allow the actions of one irresponsible body to impact the limited precious natural resources that belong to the entire region.”