Golden Gate Estates’ Controversial Oil Drilling Issue by Lee Walker “ I
f oil drilling within 1,000 feet of Golden Gate Estates fam- ily homes, as well as adjacent to the Panther National Wildlife Ref- uge, is allowed to pro- ceed unimpeded by lo- cal government or the Florida Department of Environmental Protec- tion (FDEP), the para- dise that we call home will be destroyed,” says Jamie Duran, one of 10 individuals that have come together to form the nucleus of the citizens’ group, Preserve Our Paradise. The group formed in response to the announcement that the Dan A. Hughes Petroleum Geological Compa- ny, of Beeville, Texas, is seeking permits from the FDEP to drill a 13,900-foot exploratory oil well near 24th Avenue Southeast and Desoto Boulevard, resi- dential areas next to the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge. “The topic is heated because residents of this populated area are concerned about noise, traffic, safety, health and contamination of the water supply. They are also worried about the possibility of future hydraulic fractur- ing,” remarks Duran. The process, also known as “fracking,” involves injecting a well with a cocktail of water, chemi-
cals and sand at high pressure to fracture rock and access previously untapped reserves of oil and gas. The area in
Golden Gate selected for drilling is con- nected to an onshore oil reserve known as the Sunniland Trend, which stretches from Ft. Myers to Miami. First discovered to contain oil by Humble Oil (now Exxon) in 1943, a
significant part of it is located within the Big Cypress National Preserve, created in 1974. According to the Collier Resources Company website, “The Collier family conveyed more than 159,000 acres for the establishment and expansion of the Preserve but maintained private owner- ship of the mineral rights.” In addition, because the environmental protection standard that Congress mandated when creating the Preserve allows “reasonable use and enjoyment of privately owned oil and gas interests,” the Barron Collier Companies maintain the right to explore and drill for oil and gas within this pro- tected wildlife area. According to Andrew McElwaine, president and CEO of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, not only would the drilling site take a large amount of the
primary panther habitat, but it also could possibly contaminate the lower Haw- thorn aquifer, which serves as Collier County’s backup drinking water supply. In May, more than 200 Golden Gate residents turned out for a public meeting on the permit. The present position of Preserve Our Paradise is that there are many serious health, safety, environmental, procedural and community problems with regard to the specific well being permitted, as well as the general prospect of reopen- ing the Sunniland field for exploration and production. “At a minimum, we’re demanding that the period of public comment on the present permit, which ended June 30, be extended until these problems can be resolved,” comments Duran. “We haven’t had enough time to respond, mainly because we didn’t even know about this until late April, when those of us living within a square mile of the drilling site received a let- ter about an emergency evacuation plan from Total Safety, Inc.,” he recalls. The company, hired on behalf of Dan A. Hughes, was requesting contact information in case of an explosion or hazardous hydrogen sulfide gas release. “Everything happened so quickly
and so many residents are away on summer vacation,” reasons Duran, who notes that the group is planning candlelight vigils and other events for July. “We’re trying to keep people up-to-date through our website. We’re really hopeful that we can get the public comment period extended until September.”
For more information, visit PreserveOur
Paradise.org or find Preserve Our Paradise on Facebook.
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