A Texas oil company could begin seismic testing within weeks in Calhoun and Gulf counties now that the state Department of Environmental Protection has signed off on the plan, a company spokeswoman says.
Cholla Petroleum is planning to drill about 1,000 shot holes near the Chipola River and Dead Lakes area in hopes small-scale explosions will reveal underground deposits, says Tallahassee consultant Linda Lampl
“Cholla doesn’t have a specific start date right now. Their first thing on their action items, or agenda, is to wait for the water level to go down in that area. You know, we’ve had some serious rains in the past couple of weeks.”
DEP announced late Thursday afternoon it was dismissing a legal challenge to the testing filed recently by a Clarksville resident and a board member of a living history museum in Blountstown. Regulators stress the company would have to undergo an exhaustive permitting process when and if it decides to drill.
