Apalachicola Riverkeeper asks DEP to delay oil drilling permit as it weighs legal challenge

The Apalachicola Riverkeeper has asked the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to delay permitting an exploratory oil well in the sensitive Apalachicola River basin as it weighs a possible legal challenge.

Attorneys for the Riverkeeper filed a request on May 16 asking for a 45-day extension of time, which is allowable under administrative rules. The lawyers, Timothy Perry and John Lavia III of Tallahassee, said the organization needs more time to decide whether to challenge the permit.

“In order to fully analyze this ... prior to deciding whether to file a permit challenge, in good faith and for good cause, Petitioner needs additional time to hire and consult with technical experts and its attorney regarding the draft permit and its potential impacts,” the Riverkeeper’s filing says.

Apalachicola Riverkeeper Cameron Baxley told the Democrat that the nonprofit, established in 1998 to protect the Apalachicola River and Bay, said oil drilling in the floodplain “threatens everything about this river and bay that this organization was created to fight for.”

“Apalachicola Riverkeeper has a long history of standing up for the river and the people who depend on a clean productive ecosystem for their enjoyment and livelihoods,” she said. “We're continuing the review of the permit as we consider legal options to ensure that oil and water don't mix on our watch.”

Clearwater Land & Minerals FLA of Shreveport, Louisiana applied for a state permit in December to conduct exploratory drilling in Calhoun County at a well located between the Apalachicola River, the state’s largest river by volume, and the Chipola River just north of the Dead Lakes.

Last month, DEP issued a notice of intent to allow Clearwater to drill from a well that was built by another oil company, Cholla Petroleum, and previously permitted by the state. Cholla Petroleum, of Dallas, Texas, walked away from the project in 2021 amid the death of one of the company's principals.

DEP did not immediately provide comment for this article or say whether it intends to grant the Riverkeeper’s request for additional time.

Edward R. "Chip" Campbell III and and Edward R. "Camp" Campbell IV are listed as the managers of Clearwater Land & Minerals. "Chip" Campbell did not return a call from the Democrat. "Camp" Campbell declined to discuss the project when reached by phone.

“At this point, we don’t have any comment,” he said.

The latest proposal sparked bipartisan opposition, with state Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, and state Reps. Allison Tant and Gallop Franklin condemning it. State Rep. Jason Shoaf, R-Port St. Joe, said he opposes “any exploration that would harm the region’s ecosystem.”

The proposal to drill comes amid state and local efforts to restore the bay, which saw its oyster fisheries collapse more than a decade ago. Opponents say drilling could cause catastrophic environmental damage to the river and the floodplain and habitat that surrounds it.

Calhoun County commissioners, hopeful that the project could bring badly needed revenue to the cash-strapped county, voted in favor of drilling last year. Franklin County commissioners, their colleagues downstream, voted against it. The cities of Apalachicola, Wewahitchka and Port St. Joe also submitted letters of opposition to DEP.

Earlier this month, Georgia Ackerman of the Apalachicola Riverkeeper appeared before Calhoun County commissioners to ask them to reconsider their support. She called the Apalachicola River “a globally recognized ecological treasure” that could be used to create jobs and boost commerce.

“Petroleum is a short-term, dubious economic route that will benefit a few and has the potential to devastate our shared irreplaceable ecological assets,” she said.

The commissioners briefly discussed DEP’s plans to permit the well but otherwise gave no sign that they plan to change their minds.

The Apalachicola Riverkeeper, in its recent filing, also told DEP that if its request for more time is “denied or ignored” by the agency, that it be treated alternatively as a petition for a formal administrative hearing.

Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or 850-599-2180.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Apalachicola Riverkeeper weighs legal challenge to Florida oil drilling