Governor Ron DeSantis signed the “Kill the Drill” bill into law last week, effectively stopping future oil drilling near the Apalachicola River and Bay.
The new law prohibits companies from searching for oil and gas within 10 miles of the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve, a roughly 234,000-acre area.
The “Kill the Drill” movement began after the state gave preliminary approval to a company called Clearwater Land & Minerals to drill an exploratory well within the floodplain and adjacent to the Apalachicola River in Calhoun County.
The state was successfully sued by the Apalachicola Riverkeeper group and earlier this year the Department of Environmental protection rescinded its approval for the drilling permit.
The Kill the Drill law takes it a step further by banning all oil drilling within 10 miles of the river, creating a buffer between any potential drilling sites and the waters that feed the Apalachicola Bay.
The bill had overwhelming bipartisan support in the Florida legislature and was supported by local government leaders, environmentalists and fishing interests in the area.
At the bill signing, Governor DeSantis said “This is about protecting a national treasure - The Apalachicola basin is vital to the environment, to the economy, and to the way of life in this region. This bill ensures that no drilling will threaten this ecosystem.
The new law prohibits companies from searching for oil and gas within 10 miles of the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve, a roughly 234,000-acre area.
The “Kill the Drill” movement began after the state gave preliminary approval to a company called Clearwater Land & Minerals to drill an exploratory well within the floodplain and adjacent to the Apalachicola River in Calhoun County.
The state was successfully sued by the Apalachicola Riverkeeper group and earlier this year the Department of Environmental protection rescinded its approval for the drilling permit.
The Kill the Drill law takes it a step further by banning all oil drilling within 10 miles of the river, creating a buffer between any potential drilling sites and the waters that feed the Apalachicola Bay.
The bill had overwhelming bipartisan support in the Florida legislature and was supported by local government leaders, environmentalists and fishing interests in the area.
At the bill signing, Governor DeSantis said “This is about protecting a national treasure - The Apalachicola basin is vital to the environment, to the economy, and to the way of life in this region. This bill ensures that no drilling will threaten this ecosystem.
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