ICYMI: Statement by Commissioner Nikki Fried on Denial of Drilling Permit in the Big Cypress Watershed

Tallahassee, Fla. – Last week, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, an independently-elected member of the Florida Cabinet, called on the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to reject Trend Exploration’s oil exploration permit application to drill a 12,000-foot directional well within the Big Cypress watershed in Collier County, raising concerns from farmworkers, environmental stakeholders, and government agencies. On Friday, FDEP denied this permit that would have allowed dangerous drilling near the Everglades. 

“It’s great news for Florida that DEP heard our calls and denied this permit to drill in Big Cypress,” said Commissioner Fried. “We hope this is a sign of further denials of dangerous activities that risk the well-being of our residents, environment, and economy — from phosphogypsum stacks to deep well injections to offshore drilling — and move our state towards a more sustainable, clean energy future.”

“The Big Cypress watershed is renowned for its namesake trees, recreation opportunities, cultural significance, and habitat for imperiled species like the Florida panther,” said Alison Kelly, senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “This watershed is too precious to be destroyed for more climate-damaging fossil fuels. We thank Commissioner Fried for her leadership on behalf of Florida’s environment.”

Background: Commissioner Fried has been a leading advocate for protecting Florida’s waters, wetlands, and environment. Earlier this year, she opposed a Texas-based company’s oil drilling permit in the Big Cypress National Preserve. In February, Commissioner Fried released a state-federal partnership plan in which she called for a permanent ban on drilling off Florida’s coasts and called for a transition to clean energy. Commissioner Fried has also been outspoken in her opposition to the state authorizing any new permits or expansions of phosphogypsum stacks in the state.

Last November, Commissioner Fried submitted testimony to the EPA opposing the yielding of wetlands permitting to the State of Florida, after expressing opposition in October of 2020. In December, she wrote to then-incoming EPA Administrator Michael Regan asking him to reconsider the prior Administration’s decision and asked the Biden Administration to reevaluate the EPA decision in the FDACS state-federal partnership plan released this February. Fried, whose opposition was lauded by Sierra Club Florida, joined thousands of public comments opposing the EPA’s surrendering wetlands permitting authority.

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