House backs drilling ban, Riverkeeper presses Simon

It looks to be a near certainty that both houses of the Florida legislature will back bills that would put a damper on oil drilling in the Apalachicola River basin.

The question will be, with different versions in the House and the Senate, what will ultimately be presented to Gov. Ron DeSantis for his signature.

In the House, State Rep. Jason Shoaf (R-Port St. Joe) and State Rep. Allison Tant (D-Tallahassee) have teamed up on a bipartisan bill that has sailed through committees and has been approved by the entire House 116-0.

That bill addresses the problem created last year when the Florida Department of Environmental Protection approved a draft permit for the Louisiana-based Clearwater Land & Minerals Fla. to drill an exploratory well in an unincorporated part of Calhoun County, near the Apalachicola River. 

The environmental group Apalachicola Riverkeeper challenged the draft permit, and the case is pending at the state Division of Administrative Hearings.

Shoaf’s bill, similar to a bill sponsored by State Senator Corey Simon (R-Tallahasse),  would create a “balancing test” that the Florida DEP would have to consider in deciding whether to issue drilling permits near water bodies.

“DEP must balance the measures in place to protect the natural resources with the potential harm…when determining whether a natural resource will be adequately protected in the event of an accident or a blowout from oil or gas drilling or exploration activities,” reads the staff analysis. 

The test would assess the potential impact of an accident or a blowout, with the test including the community’s current condition, hydrological connection, uniqueness, location, fish and wildlife use, time lag, and the potential cost of restoration.

Simon’s bill has also sailed through three committees, all by unanimous votes, and is now on the calendar to be heard by the entire Senate,

The bill difference, though, is that the Senate version does not include a provision in the House bill that would implement a drilling ban within 10 miles of the state’s three National Estuarine Research Reserves — Apalachicola Bay, Guana Tolomato Matanzas and Rookery Bay.

“The Kill the Drill Bill just sailed through the Florida House … and this is a massive, hard-fought victory that would never have happened without your relentless passion and the leadership of Representative Jason Shoaf,” wrote the Riverkeeper.

“The Senate version — Senator Corey Simon’s version — is still too weak to actually kill the drill. We’ve come too far to settle for half-measures,” the group wrote. “Now, we need him to match his words with action by backing House Bill 1143, including the 10-mile buffer that will serve as a shield for our vulnerable estuaries.

“Senator Simon needs to hear from you — now,” they wrote. “He’s spoken up for Apalachicola before. He even coined the phrase “Kill the Drill.” Now it’s time for him to make good on it.”