TALLAHASSEE, Florida — A company whose application to drill oil along the Apalachicola River was rejected by the state said an administrative law judge hearing the case last year was improperly tracking a related policy measure moving through the Legislature.
Details: Clearwater Land & Minerals on Monday asked the First District Court of Appeal to toss out Florida’s permit denial to make way for a possible new lawsuit for a property rights taking.
In its initial brief, Clearwater said the legislation caused Administrative Law Judge Lawrence Stevenson to improperly consider the possible wider environmental effects of oil exploration beyond the proposed drilling site within a mile of the river.
Stevenson issued a recommended order denying the permit. He said a spill at the drilling site in Calhoun County could have “catastrophic consequences” for the surrounding area. In a footnote, he cited the legislation, H.B. 1143, which he pointed out had passed the House unanimously 12 days earlier.
