Clearwater Land & Minerals is appealing the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's decision to deny their request for a drilling permit near the Apalachicola floodplain.
The appeal comes despite a new law that bans drilling within 10 miles of the Apalachicola River Basin and a ruling from an administrative law judge that found drilling in the area could have ‘catastrophic consequences.’
The proposal has received heavy pushback from environmentalists and community members. Franklin County A.J. Smith spoke at a so-called “Kill the Drill” rally back in June.
‘It just doesn’t make sense,' he said. 'There are plenty of other places to drill besides the river basin around Apalachicola and the other towns along the Apalachicola River.’
Adrianne Johnson, the executive director of the Florida Shellfish Aquaculture Association, also spoke at the rally.
‘And y’all rose up by the thousands to say, ‘Not in our community. Not gonna happen!’ and our elected officials heard us,' Johnson said. 'And Rep. Jason Shoaf and Sen. Corey Simon filed legislation to protect the Apalachicola River [cheers]. That’s right, give ‘em a hand for that! [cheers]. So, House Bill 1143 was passed unanimously.’
This spring, the Florida legislature approved a new law that bans drilling within 10 miles of the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve.
In their appeal, Clearwater Land & Minerals says the environment would be protected in the project.
