Latest news with #HB1143
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘This bill protects our precious waters': how a Florida environmental group scored a win against big oil
The giant and catastrophic Deepwater Horizon oil spill, also known as the BP oil spill, didn't reach Apalachicola Bay in 2010, but the threat of oil reaching this beautiful and environmentally valuable stretch of northern Florida's Gulf coast was still enough to devastate the region's economy. The Florida state congressman Jason Shoaf remembers how the threat affected the bay. 'It harmed our commercial fishing, aquaculture operations, and just the threat of oil kept tourists away for months,' Shoaf recalls. 'Businesses were forced to close, jobs were lost, and the disaster reshaped our region forever.' Related: How Trump is targeting wind and solar energy – and delighting big oil Those memories were freshly triggered in April 2024, when the Florida department of environmental protection (DEP) granted a permit to Louisiana-based Clearwater Land and Minerals for exploratory oil drilling on the Apalachicola River basin. So area residents, along with environmental and business groups, formed a Kill the Drill coalition to oppose the permit. A year later, the coalition's efforts and an administrative challenge to the DEP's permit by the non-profit Apalachicola Riverkeepers prevailed when Judge Lawrence P Stevenson recommended the department deny the permit. In May, the DEP reversed course and denied the permit. But that was not enough to convince those seeking to preserve the region's environment. Shoaf, who represents Florida's north-eastern Gulf coast region, applauded the DEP's decision but says the threat of oil exploration and drilling near north Florida's inland waterways would only be ended by a permanent ban. So to prevent future threats and the DEP from issuing other oil exploratory drilling permits, Shoaf and state representative Allison Tant co-authored House Bill 1143. 'While the permit to Clearwater Land and Minerals was denied, we can't assume the next one will be,' Shoaf says. 'HB 1143 protects our precious water resources and the ecosystems that depend on them by prohibiting drilling, exploration and production of oil, gas and other petroleum products within 10 miles of a national estuarine research reserve in counties designated as rural areas of opportunity. It also requires the Florida department of environmental protection to ensure natural resources are adequately protected in the event of an accident.' This region has a deep collective memory of how the gulf oil spill devastated the regional economy Adrianne Johnson In April, the legislature overwhelmingly passed HB 1143 with only one dissenting vote in the Senate. It was presented to Florida's governor, Ron DeSantis, on 18 June. And, despite a poor recent record on protecting the environment, DeSantis signed the bill last week – handing the coalition that lobbied for it a cheering victory. The area now saved from the oil industry is invaluable both to nature and the people who live there. The Apalachicola River, formed by the meeting of the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers, flows 160 miles (258km) to the Apalachicola Bay and the Gulf. Both the river and bay are critical to the region's tourism and seafood production industries. For environmental campaigners, the success of their efforts might help lay to rest the ghosts of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, which released nearly 3.19m barrels of oil into the gulf. 'Oil from the BP spill didn't reach our coasts, but the damage caused by the threat was enough,' Tant says. 'We've seen what can happen. We've lived it. This is not theoretical. It was a perilous time for small businesses and for those who lived in the area. It stopped tourism and shuttered small businesses. So it defies logic to think it's a good idea to drill for oil along the Apalachicola River.' Adrianne Johnson is executive director of the Florida Shellfish Aquaculture Association which represents more than 350 shellfish farmers in Florida. Johnson, an Apalachicola native, became involved in the Kill the Drill movement for personal and business reasons. 'This region has a deep collective memory of how the Gulf oil spill devastated the regional economy and collapsed the oyster industry in Apalachicola Bay,' Johnson explains. 'And that was just the threat of oil. The majority of the state's oyster farms operate across Wakulla, Franklin and Gulf counties, and these areas downriver would be most impacted by oil drilling upriver (at the proposed site in Calhoun county). If there were to be a spill upriver because of drilling in the basin, it would have catastrophic environmental and economic impacts on the area that would be felt for generations.' Johnson also points to the region's frequent weather-related natural disasters, such as hurricanes, as another reason why drilling had to be banned in the region. 'Our shellfish farmers are still recovering from the multiple hurricanes of 2024,' she explains. 'But the reality of being a Florida farmer is having to contend with these weather-related events. Hurricanes and natural disasters are outside of our control. Permitting oil drilling in ecologically sensitive areas is very much within our control and is an unnecessary threat to our industry.' Tant agrees. 'We are a hurricane-prone state,' she says. 'We can't get away from that. It's not a question of will we get hit by a hurricane because we know it's going to happen. But an oil spill caused by a hurricane would make the disaster 100 times worse.' According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), the Deep Horizon oil spill caused the loss of 8.3 billion oysters, the deaths of nearly 105,400 sea birds, 7,600 adult and 160,000 juvenile sea turtles, and a 51% decrease in dolphins in Louisiana's Barataria Bay. Related: Ron DeSantis's fall from grace: 'He's completely crashed to the ground' Craig Diamond, current board member and past president of Apalachicola Riverkeeper, says another factor behind the ban was the river system itself. 'A spill would be highly impactful given the existing stresses in the system,' says Diamond, who has worked with the Northwest Florida Water Management District and taught graduate courses on water resources at Florida State University. 'Apalachicola Bay Riverkeeper and its allies believe the long-term risks of fossil fuel exploitation in the floodplain or bay (or nearshore) far outweigh the short-term benefits.' Shoaf says he was inspired to write HB 1143 by the community's grassroots efforts to defend the region's natural resources. 'This bill is essential to prevent unnecessary and irreparable harm to Apalachicola Bay, as well as the economies and ecosystems that depend on it,' he says. After DeSantis signed the bill into law, the threat of drilling has now receded into the distance for the foreseeable future.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida Senate OKs ban on oil exploration and drilling near the Apalachicola River
Photo taken from the website The Florida Senate has joined the House in passing a bill (HB 1143) banning oil exploration and drilling near the Apalachicola River in Northwest Florida. North Florida lawmakers filed the bill after the Florida Department of Environmental Protection permitted an exploratory oil well near the Apalachicola River in Calhoun County last December. Throughout the legislative session, the bill sponsored in the Senate by North Florida Republican Corey Simon (SB 1300) did not match the language of the House proposal filed by Republican Jason Shoaf and Democrat Allison Tant. On Wednesday, however, the Senate took up and passed the House version with an amendment prohibiting drilling, exploration, or production of oil, gas, or other petroleum products in counties designated as rural areas of opportunity that are 10 miles near a National Estuarine Research Reserve — meaning Gulf, Liberty, Franklin, and Calhoun counties. The original House bill would have extended these protections to Guana Tolomato Matanzas in Ponta Verde Beach and Rookery Bay in Naples. Those are not included in the bill passed on Wednesday in the Senate. The proposal also calls for the DEP to apply a 'balancing test' when a permit application is submitted in areas within one mile inland from the coast or other bodies of water. The test must include the community's conditions, hydrological connections, uniqueness, location, fish and wildlife use, time lag, and the potential cost of restoration in case of an explosion, blowout, or spill. 'Over the last several years, the Apalachicola area has been closed to our oystermen,' Simon said on the floor of the Senate. 'And a few years back, when we had the Deepwater Horizon drilling incident, it closed down our Bay and it decimated our community. We can't have that again. Our families are trying to struggle their way back currently, and this will go a long way in making sure that the Apalachicola can return back to its former self and all that it brings back to the Forgotten Coast.' The final vote was 37-1, with only Broward County Democratic Sen. Rosalind Osgood opposing the measure. Louisiana-based Clearwater Land & Minerals is the company intending to drill for oil in the Apalachicola River Basin. A challenge to the draft permit is pending at the state Division of Administrative Hearings, as reported by the News Service of Florida. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oil drilling ban along Apalachicola River passes unanimously in Florida House
North Florida beaches including this one at Grayton Beach State Park were among those threatened by the BP/Deepwater Horizon oil spill that polluted the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. (Via Florida State Parks) Amid growing concerns over a plan to drill for oil and gas near the Apalachicola River, a proposal by two North Florida lawmakers to ban oil exploration and drilling in that region passed unanimously in the Florida House on Wednesday. The bill (HB 1143) is sponsored by Republican Jason Shoaf and Democrat Allison Tant. It would ban the drilling, exploration, or production of oil, gas, or other petroleum products within 10 miles of a national estuarine research reserve. There are three such reserves in Florida — the Apalachicola in North Florida, the Guana Tolomato Matanzas in Ponta Verde Beach, and Rookery Bay in Naples. The bill sponsors have said that their legislation is a response to a decision last December by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to permit an exploratory oil well near the Apalachicola River in Calhoun County. 'When this oil drilling initiative was announced in our press, my entire community, all of North Florida, went on fire,' said Tant. 'It was an organic response by people here in this area who just were devastated by this possibility.' Shoaf noted that Sunday marks the 15th anniversary of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, an event that led to miles of oiled beaches in the Florida Panhandle. 'During the oil spill, just the threat of oil coming to our area completely crippled our economy and now we face another threat that is starting to really scare the entire community,' Shoaf said on the House floor. Pinellas County Democratic Rep. Lindsay Cross also noted the anniversary of the BP oil spill, which lasted for 87 days and was the largest marine oil spill in U.S. history, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 'In just a few days, we will remember the 11 men who were killed during that tragedy and the horrific impact to our natural areas, our wildlife, and also to our economy here in the state of Florida,' she said. 'Despite being hundreds of miles away, tourism in the Tampa Bay area plummeted, and I know that in places in the Panhandle with oil washing onto the shores, this was a real threat.' The bill calls for the DEP to conduct a 'balancing test' when a permit application is submitted. The test must include the community's conditions, hydrological connections, uniqueness, location, fish and wildlife use, time lag, and the potential cost of restoration in case of an explosion, blowout, or spill. The bill has one significant difference with its Senate companion, sponsored by North Florida Republican Corey Simon (SB 1300). That measure does not include language about banning development within 10 miles of a reserve. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Measure requiring DEP to apply a ‘test' before OK-ing oil drilling advances to full Senate
Entrance to the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve. (Photo via reserve website) A bill that would require the state to apply a 'balancing test' in considering proposed gas or oil drilling permits near certain waterbodies and shore areas won unanimous approval in a Senate committee on Thursday and now goes to the full Senate for consideration. The measure (SB 1300), sponsored by North Florida Republican Corey Simon, differs from its House companion (HB 1143), which would ban oil and gas drilling within 10 miles of a National Estuarine Research Reserve (NEER). There are three NEER's in Florida — the Apalachicola in North Florida, the Guana Tolomato Matanzas in Ponta Verde Beach, and Rookery Bay in Naples. The House bill sponsors, North Florida Republican Jason Shoaf and Democrat Allison Tant, have said that their legislation is a response to a decision last year by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to permit an exploratory oil well along the Apalachicola River. Wakulla County resident Hunter Levine, host of the Captain's Collective podcast, which focuses on the fishing industry, spoke before the Senate Agriculture, Environment, and General Government Appropriations Committee on Thursday. He said that he's interviewed nearly 200 fishing industry leaders across the globe and learned from their shared experiences. 'And whether they're fishing guides or small business owners, oystermen, artists, photographers — they've all shared one common lesson, and that it's the decisions that we make today determine the opportunities that we afford others tomorrow,' he said. 'These amazing places are not an accident, they are a result. … A result of good policy and protection, something that this bill offers.' 'The possibility of potentially drilling is very concerning for my business and for the future of these farmers,' added Jeff Wren of Rattlesnake Cove Oysters. 'I appreciate Sen. Simon looking out for our way of life.' Both House and Senate versions of the legislation have cleared all of their committees and await a final vote in their respective chambers. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Florida lawmakers eye oil drilling permits
Amid a legal battle over an oil and gas drilling effort near Northwest Florida's Apalachicola River, state House and Senate panels approved Tuesday proposals to shield environmentally sensitive areas from drilling. The House bill (HB 1143) would go further than the Senate bill, including calling for a drilling ban within 10 miles of the state's three National Estuarine Research Reserves. Both bills also would create a 'balancing test' that the Florida Department of Environmental Protection would have to consider in deciding whether to issue drilling permits near water bodies. One of the areas that would be off-limits would be within 10 miles of the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve, around the river and Franklin County's Apalachicola Bay. House bill sponsor Jason Shoaf, R-Port St. Joe, compared concerns about ecological damage from drilling in the region to the effects of the massive 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill off the gulf coast. 'The oil (from the Deepwater Horizon spill) never got to us,' Shoaf, whose district includes Franklin County, said. 'But it killed our economy anyway, just the threat of it.' Lawmakers are considering the issue after the Department of Environmental Protection last year 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. The House Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee on Tuesday unanimously approved the House bill, which received support from several people in the seafood industry. Shoaf said after the meeting that the bill would not stop the draft permit that the department issued last year for exploratory drilling. But he said it would prevent additional permits that would be needed to commercially produce and sell oil from the site. The other two National Estuarine Research Reserves that would be affected by the House bill are the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve near St. Augustine and the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve near Naples. Eric Hamilton, a lobbyist for the American Petroleum Institute, told the House panel that his organization is concerned that the 10-mile restriction around National Estuarine Research Reserves might go too far and about mineral rights. While relatively unusual for Florida, companies have long drilled for oil around the Santa Rosa County community of Jay and in parts of Southwest Florida. The planned project in Calhoun County is at a site that was previously permitted for drilling but was never drilled. The state and federal governments have taken steps to protect the Apalachicola River and Apalachicola Bay. They are part of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river system, which starts in northern Georgia, crosses into Alabama and ends in Apalachicola Bay on the Gulf Coast. Environmentalists contend that the planned drilling project threatens the river and would be in the river's floodplain. The House and Senate bills include identical proposals that would require the Department of Environmental Protection, in drilling-permit decisions about sites within one mile of shorelines or other bodies of water, to 'balance the measures in place to protect the natural resources with the potential harm to the natural resources.' 'This balancing test should assess the potential impact of an accident or a blowout on the natural resources of such bodies of water and shore areas, including ecological functions and any water quality impacts,' the bills say. The Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday approved the Senate version (SB 1300). Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
