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Evers Bill To Allow Oil Drilling In State Parks Appears Dead
February 22, 2012
A bill sponsored by Sen. Greg Evers that would have allowed drilling for oil and gas on state lands appears dead after it failed to advance from a key Senate committee that does not intend to meet again this session.
Facing multiple questions and concerns from environmental groups, state regulators and the governor’s office, the Senate Environmental Preservation and Conservation Committee adjourned without taking action on SB 1158, a bill that would help a company seeking oil and gas on state lands including Blackwater River State Forest.
The committee’s chairman, Sen. Charlie Dean, R-Inverness, said there were too many unanswered questions surrounding how the bill would affect the state’s ability to control what happens on environmentally sensitive land.
“Until those issues are clearly settled, I don’t think it’s feasible at this time to go into that type of program, Dean said.
State regulators already have a process to approve such activities on state-owned land. The bill however, would speed up the process by limiting the amount of time state regulators have to complete environmental impact reviews.
Further, the bill and its House companion, HB 695, would grant the company that did the exploration exclusive drilling rights within the permit region.
The bill drew fire from groups like Audubon of Florida, which worried that it could make it easier to drill in the Everglades as well as points farther north where Fairways Exploration and Production is exploring for oil.
Audubon said the company is seeking an agreement that would protect it from spending money to test for oil and then have competitors step in.
“It would have provided exclusivity to the exploration company, which would have kept the market from looking out for the public interest to make sure we’re getting our money’s worth,” said Julie Wraithmell. Audubon’s director of wildlife management.
“It’s dead until there is an agreement with other parties that have a concern,” Dean said. “We’re not having another meeting but I guess it could be voted out of another committee….It could be, but I doubt it.”
The House version of the bill is up before the State Affairs Committee on Wednesday.
By The News Service of Florida
Comments
9 Responses to “Evers Bill To Allow Oil Drilling In State Parks Appears Dead”
The State Parks belong to all Floridians.
The energy companies are looking at State Parks not because they somehow magically have greater deposits than private land but because they see them as easy pickin’s. A few tens of thousand of dollars directed at compliant and often corrupt legislators saves millions in leasing or purchasing dollars for private land. Legislative chop shops like ALEC hand the legislator a template bill and he presents it as his own.
The energy companies are not looking for a chance to compete in the marketplace. Rather they are looking to abscond with the resources of the people for next to nothing (if that) and with no competition.
The rights of the people are not even considered, not even by their representatives.
State Parks are the property of the people. The responsbility of the legislator is to preserve and maintain them for their intended use.
For those bashing the oil companies, please take time from your petty soapbox to give thanks for them bringing to market the raw material that is then produced into those lovely little plastic goods (computers) that you are using to vent your complaints. Additionally, more energy is consumed to charge an electric car for a 500-mile trek than that of an equivalent-sized gasoline vehicle. Though you may hate to read the writing on the wall, petrol is one of the most efficient energy sources available to us at present. Rather than mock “Drill, baby, drill,” your clean energy movement should be focused more on finding equivalent or better energy alternatives. Until such time, be thankful for what you have and quit biting the hand that feeds you, persay.
@ Who knows.. do you not realize that drilling has already been done in our state?? Infact, that Jay was the “oil capital of Florida”? In fact, believe there are 10+ wells located inside the city limits of jay. In history there have been two major fields in Florida.. Jay LEC/Black Jack Creek(Santa Rosa) and Sunnyland (which is in Collier County).
Yes I am sure seismagraphing is going on in Munson/McLellan.. Because there have already been fairly large strikes in our neighbor to the North (Alabama). Brooklyn (Conecuh Co.), up and down Butler Street/ Huxford (Escambia).
@Kathy – I grew up with an Oil well in the front yard ( couple 100 yards away) one across the highway, etc.. I am over 40 now and healthy..Yes there are dangers, but that is where a well informed public comes in to play. I have seen more people die of self inflicted illnesses than any caused by an oil well.
@ Trish- Yes I am far more concerned about the Nuclear plant than someone drilling for oil.. I am also more concerned about the pollution that the Crist plant puts out than drilling for oil..
Please people a health dose of skeptisim is necessary.. But please just be open minded, and do your home work. And also consider how many well paying jobs this creates in the long term.. We can’t survive on waiting tables for tourists..
This is exactly what the Government wants. They turn down every idea of drilling for oil and set back and watch the price hit $5.00 gal. How high will it get before the Government gets serious about drilling on Government owned land. Will they bankrupt this country or clear the way for us to drill our oil and get our economy back going. It doesn’t to a rocket scientist to figure it out our life, economy and the way we live is all about OIL!!!!!!!!!!! Drill baby Drill
I don’t think this is the end of this. I think Evers and his oil company cronies will find a way to drill in the state parks. If you go to Hurricane Lake, you will find flags and wiring strung around in the woods up there now. This appears to be the seismic sensoring for oil and gas exploration. I think the oil companies have already set up shop and are just waiting until either the legislature approves this, or barring legislative action, Rick Sott will issue an Executive Order okaying this. The “Drill Baby, Drill” people will win out because the public thinks drilling today will automatically lower gasoline prices tomorrow. Probably all oil and natural gas discoverefd would end up being shipped overseas, just like Canada wanted the Keystone to go through our heartland and then be shipped to China and Japan and India.
To Who Knows:
Do you own property right next door to where the nuclear power plant could be built? If not then why don’t you buy a piece of property there and you will be one of the first ones affected if (or when) an accident happens.
I am extremely happy that this bill appears dead. But we do need to watch because just because something appears dead it may just mean they are trying another way around the issue.
Maybe Evers was just “trying to help a friend” cut through the red tape and paper work like with the bill board company. What are “friends” for if they can’t return a favor. Some times it’s hard to get re-elected with out friends with a check book in their hand.
This man has no respect for anything valued in Florida. He would just as soon stick a gun in your hand and an oil rig in your back yard. SICK!!
We don’t need any drilling in our beautiful state. We now have electric cars, gasoline is a thing of the past, even though gulf power burns coal to produce the electricity. But we don’
t need any coal burning in our beautiful state, we will put a stop to the coal burning with the new nuclear plant.