Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Legislators attack oil drilling plan
Broward County’s state legislators Wednesday denounced plans for an oil well in the Everglades as a threat to water supplies and wildlife, as local opponents geared up to continue the legal fight.
“The idea of an oil well in the Everglades is equal parts absurd and horrifying,” said Sen. Lauren Book, D-Plantation, whose district includes the west Broward site of the proposed well, in a statement issued by the delegation. “I look forward to this being refuted in court.”
An appeals court Tuesday ordered the state Department of Environmental Protection to issue a permit for an exploratory well to Kanter Real Estate LLC, which owns about 20,000 acres in the Everglades.
The company, which represents the family of real estate pioneer Joseph Kanter, proposed a single exploratory well about five miles west of U.S. 27 and 10 miles south of Alligator Alley, nearest to the city of Miramar.
The department had previously denied the permit, invoking the importance of protecting the Everglades. But the First District Court of Appeal said DEP Secretary Noah Valenstein abused his discretion in ignoring a lower court’s finding that the site was isolated and already degraded.
John Kanter, the company’s president and Joseph Kanter’s son, declined comment. He had previously said that the company would “conduct this project in a manner that would be highly protective of the environment.”
Miramar Mayor Wayne Messam, a leader of the opposition to the well, said the city will continue the legal fight and that a public meeting will be held soon to discuss next steps.
"Drilling in our backyard will put our community’s drinking water at great risk and endanger the local economy despite misguided claims from Washington and profit-driven developers," he said in a statement issued Wednesday.
"The city is actively exploring legal steps to block any form of oil drilling in the nearby Everglades, a unique biological treasure that we must protect. We will keep fighting this just as we have for the past several years, and continue putting our vital natural resources and the safety of our people first."
It’s unclear what will happen next. Environmentalists have said they would fight the project, and the city of Mirarmar and Broward County have both joined in the court fight on the side of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to prevent the company from getting the permit.
Members of the delegation did not mention any specific steps they planned to take but said they stood with Miramar and Broward County in opposition.
“Broward County is a unique county with its beautiful beaches and its precious Everglades, and Broward citizens are concerned about the quality of water and the aquifer of water,” said state Rep. Richard Stark, D-Weston, chairman of the Broward legislative delegation. “This could impact our way of life and I do not support this ruling.”
In addition to the immediate environmental impact, state Rep. Michael Gottlieb, D-Davie, said the plan could affect neighborhoods nearest the site.
“It will create traffic, with trucks and tankers as well as noise pollution,” he said. “It will also harm our environment and wildlife. This is not what Florida needs.”