DeSantis signs oil drilling ban for Apalachicola River
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DeSantis signs oil drilling ban for Apalachicola River
The bill prohibits oil and gas drilling within 10 miles of the Apalachicola River. It also requires the state, when considering future oil permits, to better evaluate how potential pollution could affect nearby shorelines, wildlife and potential costs for restoration. Residents have been unable to bathe in or drink the water in their homes because of Hurricane Helene damaged filtration equipment. The bill was approved by both parties in the Florida House of Representatives, but not by the Senate.
This spring, state lawmakers of both parties overwhelmingly approved House Bill 1143. The Florida Panhandle town of Apalachicola is synonymous with the state’s oyster industry and fishing supports much of the local economy.
Up until his signing, it was unclear whether DeSantis supported it. Last week, hundreds of people rallied in Apalachicola urging the governor to sign it.
The bill prohibits companies from searching for oil and gas within 10 miles of the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve, a roughly 234,000-acre area.
It also requires the state, when considering future oil permits, to better evaluate how potential pollution from the extraction could affect nearby shorelines, wildlife and any potential costs for restoration, according to a House bill analysis.
“We applaud the governor for doing right by the river and bay and the many people who depend on this valuable resource for their livelihoods,” said Cameron Baxley with the Apalachicola Riverkeeper, a group that advocates for the area’s natural waterways. “The Apalachicola River and Bay are worth fighting for and something people of all political persuasions can rally behind.”
In recent weeks, residents of Apalachicola have been unable to bathe in or drink the water in their homes because Hurricane Helene damaged filtration equipment. Locals have been washing themselves in the river and drinking trucked-in water.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Thursday that state officials would investigate city leaders for their handling of the water crisis.
But the issue is also adding urgency to the need for DeSantis to sign this bill, some advocates said, because it revealed how fragile the town’s clean water supply already is, without the added stress of industrial pollution.
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