Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is on the brink of approving a “wildcat” oil drilling plan that will put the future of the ecologically sensitive Apalachicola River floodplain at risk, and we need your help to stop it.
The proposed drilling site risks the release of harmful chemicals into the Apalachicola River, nearby waterways, and surrounding wetlands. This floodplain in the Florida Panhandle is among the most biodiverse in the country, providing habitat for over 1,300 species of plants and hundreds of species of animals, including more than 30 classified as threatened or endangered.
Public comments are being directed to the DEP and we need your help to demonstrate overwhelming public opposition to this reckless proposal.
The danger posed by oil drilling at this site stretches beyond the immediate area. This type of drilling activity risks toxic pollution running downstream and into Apalachicola Bay at a time when millions of taxpayer dollars are being spent on the restoration of oyster reefs.
Do you miss seeing world famous Apalachicola oysters on the menu? That harvest is closed for environmental restoration, and the last thing the DeSantis Administration should do is approve oil drilling upstream from this natural treasure and economic lifeblood of the region.
North Florida environmental groups and lawmakers have spoken out against this proposal, with one state senator calling it ‘unconscionable’. With Florida being ground zero for climate change, Gov. DeSantis and his administration should be doing everything they can to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, not opening one of the state’s most biodiverse and sensitive areas to exploratory oil drilling.
Thank you for standing against this imminent threat to the panhandle’s environment, economy, and public health.