As we approach Easter Sunday — which happens to be the 15th anniversary of the devastating BP oil spill — legislators have a chance to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself in the uber-precious Apalachicola River basin.

Two related bills are moving through both chambers of the Legislature. But while one is an Easter basket full of sweet environmental goodies, the other is a bit of a hollow egg.

First, a reminder about the impact of the BP spill — 800,000 birds died; $3 billion in lost tourism revenue; a half-billion dollars lost in the fishing and seafood industries; and still unknown hidden impacts. A good deal of the economic ruin was felt by communities like Apalachicola that oil didn’t ever quite make it to. But the mere threat was enough to keep tourists away.

Today, a new threat is looming — a proposal for a speculative oil well in Calhoun County, near the Apalachicola River. Last year, despite record-breaking public opposition, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) endorsed a plan for the Louisiana-based Clearwater Land & Minerals Fla. to drill there. A legal battle and protest followed.

Now, dueling bills are moving through the House and Senate.

The House version (HB 1143), sponsored by Republican Rep. Jason Shoaf and Democratic Rep. Allison Tant, has real teeth. It received unanimous support in each of its committees and passed on the House floor Wednesday by a vote of 116 to 0.

HB 1143 includes a drilling ban within 10 miles of the state’s three National Estuarine Research Reserves — Apalachicola Bay, Guana Tolomato Matanzas and Rookery Bay.

An oil lobbyist was the only speaker against passage of the bill.

“We want to shut it down,” said Shoaf, who is in the natural gas business. “During the oil spill, just the threat of oil coming to our area completely crippled our economy and now we face another threat that is starting to really scare the entire community.”

A parade of Apalachicola locals has made the trek up to Tallahassee to speak before lawmakers, particularly oyster farmers and charter captains.

“We have little control over what Mother Nature throws at us, but we do have the power to avert a potential disaster that drilling in our area could cause,” said Gayle Johnson, of Indian Lagoon Oyster Co.

Meanwhile, the Senate bill would not address the current threat.

It appears that Republican Sen. Corey Simon has temporarily misplaced the mojo that had him coin the phrase “Kill the Drill” during his recent re-election campaign. But it has since become a battle cry for the seafood industry of Apalachicola, appearing on yard signs throughout Simon’s district.

In effect, the Senate bill asks DEP to think harder before they issue their next riverside oil drilling permit, using a “balancing test.” Not only would this not “kill the drill,” but it barely inconveniences it. An oil industry lobbyist even endorsed this language in testimony before the House.

The collapse of the Apalachicola oyster fishery has devastated the local economy. The bay has been closed since 2020. While 2,500 oystermen once worked at the bay, today that number is under 120. FWC says the bay could reopen soon, but with an oil drilling proposal, its future is in doubt.

Now, as a somber anniversary looms, all eyes are on the Legislature to see if meaningful protections will carry the day.

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