Jon Paul J.P. Brooker| Special to The News-Press
Oil and water dont mix.
That adage applies to protecting Floridas precious ecosystems from oil drilling. Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature should permanently ban drilling for oil in or near any of the states aquatic ecosystems, including near our beaches, offshore on our reefs, or in our Everglades.
We have just seen another application to drill for oil near the Big Cypress Preserve. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection correctly acknowledged that would threaten highly sensitive aquatic ecosystems and upstream wildlife, and on Nov. 5 it denied Trend Explorations permit application. But companies have tried to explore for oil in the greater Everglades ecosystems for decades and this recent application wont be the last.
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In a state where water quality has worsened and remains a top issue for voters, the last thing we need is the threat of oil spills in The Everglades or off our coasts. Red tide, Piney Point, blue green algal blooms, fish kills, a thousand dead manatees, thousands of acres of seagrass lost these severe water quality issues are reaching an apex in a state bordered on three sides by saltwater and filled with springs, lakes, streams and swamps.
Weve seen constant attempts to prospect for oil in the Gulf of Mexico and the South Atlantic. Those attempts are regularly shut down, because most Floridians dont want oil drilling off our coasts, spoiling our majestic views, threatening our world-class fisheries, and damaging our iconic coastal ecosystems and beaches that contribute billions in economic impact to the state. Floridians want our Everglades, oceans and coasts to be oil free.
A drop of water starting in the Kissimmee River can make its way into Lake Okeechobee, through The Everglades and its related ecosystems, and out to Florida Bay, the Florida Coral Reef Tract, and the open ocean. These ecosystems are interconnected, and their fates are intertwined. A failure of an oil drilling site in the Western Everglades isnt just a heartbreaking tragedy for panthers and other upland animals. Its a potential calamity for the seagrasses and redfish and tarpon that need clean freshwater sources to thrive in Florida Bay. That same drop of water making its way through South Florida watersheds can wreak havoc on our reefs if its tainted by oil as it travels through the glades.
Gov. DeSantis has emphasized protecting and restoring our states legendary waters. He has championed Everglades restoration efforts, steered millions to the Indian River Lagoon restoration, and embraced the Clean Waterways Act. Affirming a ban on oil drilling in The Everglades and off our coasts would affirm his commitment to providing Floridians with clean, abundant water for generations.
Jon Paul J.P. Brooker is the director of Florida Conservation and lawyer for Ocean Conservancy, the nations oldest marine conservation non-profit organization. He is a sixth generation Floridian.
Read more:
Guest opinion: Floridians want our Everglades, oceans and coasts to be oil free - The News-Press
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