(AP) TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Environmentalists are going to court to try to block an oil drilling project in the watershed of a river in north Florida that is considered fragile. Apalachicola Riverkeeper, a conservation group, filed the case against the state’s environmental protection agency at a time when the department has been under fire from activists who claim the state is not doing enough to safeguard public lands and rivers.
The Apalachicola Riverkeeper is contesting the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s decision to issue preliminary approval for exploratory oil and gas drilling in the Apalachicola River watershed, which is located in the rural Panhandle region about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Tallahassee. According to UNESCO, the habitat has the highest species density of amphibians and reptiles in North America, making it a global hotspot for biodiversity.
DEP formally announced its intention to grant Clearwater Land & Minerals FLA, LLC an exploratory drilling permit in April.
Apalachicola Riverkeeper challenged the draft permit in court, claiming that permitting oil production in the region will cause the river system to suffer catastrophic harm.
Susan Anderson, executive director of Apalachicola Riverkeeper, described it as mind-blowing.
How can they defend permitting an activity that is incompatible with one of the world’s most important environmental zones by any definition of land use?
DEP staff stated that the company’s proposal complied with state law, which prohibits drilling within a mile of a freshwater stream, unless the department is confident that the state’s natural resources will be sufficiently protected in the event of an accident or blowout, in the notice announcing its intention to issue a permit.
According to the department’s notice, the applicant has provided all necessary information and sufficiently shown that the activities would be carried out in accordance with the relevant regulations.
The Associated Press reached out to the drilling business for comment, but no one answered.
“DEP is limited in its ability to comment further because this matter is in active litigation,” the state agency told AP.
Monday marks the beginning of what is anticipated to be a week of hearings on the challenge before an administrative law judge in Tallahassee.
The Apalachicola River basin with its untamed expanse of salt marshes, moss-covered cypress trees, and majestic limestone bluffs have been the subject of years of advocacy. Historically, 10% of the oysters sold in the United States came from the region’s thriving commercial fishing industry. Millions of dollars have been spent recently by activists and government representatives to try to rebuild the ecology, which has been threatened by overfishing and drought.
The state agency has been widely criticized by the public for what environmentalists claim is its failure to sufficiently safeguard Florida’s cherished natural heritage, which has led to the legal challenge.
The department’s plan to construct pickleball courts, hotels, and golf courses in state parks was met with strong, bipartisan resistance in August. After several protests and criticism from Republican elected leaders, the idea was eventually shelved. The chief of the agency resigned two months later.
Advocates have also filed a separate complaint against DEP, claiming the agency is not doing enough to safeguard the state’s freshwater springs, which are valued for their pristine waters but have had their flows diverted by commercial water bottling corporations.
___ Kate Payne is a member of the Statehouse News Initiative’s Report for America/Associated Press corps.A nonprofit national service initiative called Report for America places reporters in local newsrooms to explore topics that aren’t often covered.
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