The Florida Senate has passed a bill that would ban oil drilling near key research reserves, the Florida Phoenix reported.
As detailed by Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, House Bill 1143 was co-sponsored by Republican Rep. Jason Shoaf and Democratic Rep. Allison Tant and introduced in March, and it earned unanimous support in the House. It planned to enact a ban on the drilling, exploration, or production of oil, gas, or other petroleum products within 10 miles of a national estuarine research reserve.
The Senate accepted the House version of the bill with the caveat the protections wouldn't extend to Guana Tolomato Matanzas in Ponta Verde Beach and Rookery Bay in Naples.
HB 1143 would also require the Department of Environmental Protection to "consider certain factors" when determining whether the natural resources of certain bodies of water and shore areas are adequately protected from a potential accident or blowout.
Shoaf and Tant were inspired to introduce the legislation by recent drilling projects proposed in the Apalachicola River watershed, the Associated Press reported. In December, the DEP granted initial approval for exploratory oil and gas drilling in the biodiverse region.
Shoaf pointed to the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill as enough reason to protect Florida's waterways. "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, per CL Tampa Bay.
According to Tant, the bipartisan bill has garnered support throughout the population. "When this oil drilling initiative was announced in our press, my entire community, all of North Florida, went on fire," Tant said. "It was an organic response by people here in this area who just were devastated by this possibility."
The Apalachicola River watershed supports an array of plant and animal life, including many endangered and threatened species.
As one of just 47 biosphere regions in the United States, as the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve explained, the Apalachicola River area boasts high numbers of reptiles and amphibians, a diverse fish population, and many bird species, including migratory birds. This contributes to a healthy ecosystem, benefiting the food chain.
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