Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill Thursday evening to ban oil drilling along the Appalachicola River in northwestern Florida, bringing victory to both environmentalists and fishermen who said the ban was essential to protecting their way of life.
This spring, both parties’ state legislators overwhelmingly approved House Bill 1143. The town of Appalachicola in the Florida Panhandle is synonymous with the state’s oyster industry, and the fisheries support much of the local economy.
It was unclear whether Desantis supported it until he signed it. Last week, hundreds of people gathered in Apalachicola to urge the governor to sign.
The bill prohibits businesses from searching for oil and gas within 10 miles of the Appalachicola National Estuary Research Reserve, an area of about 234,000 acres.
Additionally, when considering future oil permits, you should better assess how potential contamination from extraction affects nearby coastlines, wildlife, and potential costs of repair.
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