Big week for ‘Kill the Drill’

It’s a big week for what they call the “Kill the Drill Coalition,” a push by a diverse coalition of environmental groups, the seafood industry, boat captains, beekeepers, community residents, businesses and other interested parties to rally against a Florida Department of Environmental Protection plan to grant a permit for test drilling for oil in the Apalachicola River basin.

It’s not the first time that plans to drill in and around the floodplain of the river has come up, and been shot down, but beginning last Monday, Dec. 9 in Tallahassee, an administrative law judge will have to weigh an Apalachicola Riverkeeper legal challenge to a drilling permit that on April 26, 2024, DEP announced it intended  to issue to Clearwater Land & Minerals, a Louisiana-based company. 

After the Riverkeeper filed a legal challenge, the Kill the Drill Coalition has been instrumental in bringing to bear a wealth of private and governmental interests that have risen in opposition.

The Riverkeeper has argued that such a “wildcat” drill would pose a threat to the multi-million dollar investment that the state has made to restore and reopen Apalachicola Bay to support a thriving shellfish industry. It would also violate the spirit of Gov. RonDeSantis’ January 2019 order for DEP to “adamantly oppose” drilling by hydraulic fracturing in the state. 

“The proposed form of ‘exploratory’ drilling will punch through the aquifer, inject high volumes of toxic chemicals, and suck in thousands of gallons of fresh water every day,” writes the coalition on their www.killthedrill.org website. “Contaminated wastewater will then be hauled through our communities or forced underground. Spills will endanger our oyster and Tupelo honey industries, tourism economy, drinking water, and fishing tradition along the Apalachicola and Chipola Rivers.

“Oil and gas drilling requires thousands of gallons of water per day to be extracted from the basin. This is water that would otherwise support flows to the Apalachicola River, its floodplain, and the Apalachicola Bay,” argues, noting that the state has spent millions on “water wars” lawsuits with Georgia and Alabama in an attempt to restore the flow of freshwater in the Apalachicola River.

“Port St. Joe depends on a freshwater canal for its drinking water that feeds from the Chipola River downstream of the oil well site,” it says. “Oil contamination has a distribution of heavy metals, most of which cannot be filtered at water treatment facilities. The rest of Gulf County depends on aquifer water.”

The website also notes that 70 exploratory wells have been drilled in the region of the permit location and not one has produced oil. “DEP denied a permit in 2021 because it was deemed not commercially viable when there was a producing well six miles away,” it says.

Strong letters of opposition have been officially issued by the Franklin, Gulf, and Leon county commissions; the city commissions of Apalachicola, Wewahitchka, and Port St. Joe; and State Sen. Corey Simon, who represents the Forgotten Coast.

“There is record-breaking public opposition: Per state records, more people have written in opposition to this project than for all other drilling permits combined,” said Cameron Baxley, the Riverkeeper at Apalachicola Riverkeeper. “To date, only one person has written in support. But more voices are required for us to be heard.”

To bolster support, Baxley highlighted a Sunday afternoon oyster roast in Apalachicola, at the home of Xochitl Bervera, owner of Water is Life oyster farming operation. Kill the Drill yard signs were given out, as guests dined on grilled oysters, and promised to do all they can to drown this proposal.

Baxley, who was to speak out Monday afternoon as part of a rally on the steps of DEP headquarters in Tallahassee, said she believes it is imperative for cabinet officials, particularly DeSantis, to speak out against the drilling proposal.

Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson “understand the river’s immense value to Florida’s environment, economy, and communities. They know that contaminating this vital waterway with oil or toxic substances from the drilling process would come at a catastrophic cost,” said Baxley.

She said Simpson’s leadership at the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is pivotal because FDACS markets Florida seafood locally and internationally. “If oyster harvesting resumes next year as planned, his department will be responsible for licensing and inspection, ensuring public health and safety,” she said.

She said Patronis, who has declared himself a candidate to succeed Matt Gaetz in Congress “understands firsthand the importance of protecting this irreplaceable natural resource. His family’s seafood restaurant has thrived for nearly six decades, a testament to the vitality and legacy of the region’s waters.

“When Commissioner Simpson and CFO Patronis speak out, it will cast a bright, urgent spotlight on the oil-drilling proposal and encourage others to join the call to action. Their leadership could make the difference between preserving a heritage or witnessing its irreversible damage,” she said.

“Florida must commit to fostering more sustainable, long-term job creation, especially in rural communities that often miss out on economic growth but still feel the sting of recessions,” Baxley said. “While oil drilling may promise jobs and tax revenue, the risk far outweighs the reward. We must look to solutions that build prosperity without sacrificing the very resources that define our state.”

Baxley said she expects the hearing to last several days and that it is not likely the ruling will be issued by week’s end.