BIG CYPRESS IN TROUBLE

From Michelle Gale

Greetings:

This is one of my lengthier posts. Please read it all because even if you don’t attend Tuesday’s meeting at Big Cypress, you will have an opportunity to participate in a meaningful way in this campaign against turning a national preserve into an oilfield.

On Tuesday, December 8th, the National Park Service will hold a public meeting from 5:30 to 7:00 pm at the Big Cypress Welcome Center, 33000 Tamiami Trail East, in Ochopee in response to two years’ worth of requests from citizens concerned about Burnett Oil’s proposal to do seismic testing on 70,454 acres of Big Cypress National Preserve.

Environmental groups are hosting a press conference outside the Welcome Center beginning at 5:00. There will be an open mic at which attendees can articulate their comments to the Park Service and a petition delivery.  

The meeting itself will open with a 15-minute presentation by the National Park Service outlining the three possible alternatives for Big Cypress:

·     Seismic survey by vibroseis trucks,

·     Seismic survey by dynamite, and

·     No seismic survey

Burnett Oil proposes to use vibroseis trucks. This would entail 60,000-pound trucks criss-crossing the Preserve in groups of three on cut lines (essentially, roads) up to 50 feet wide, vibrating large plates against the ground to generate seismic signals that are indicative of local geology, while helicopters hover overhead and generators run—in the heart of pristine wetlands set aside to protect critical habitat for threatened species and vital watersheds that recharge the aquifers on which South Floridians rely for drinking water. Roads would be cut, trees and other vegetation removed, and five staging areas, including two helicopter pads, constructed.

 The Preserve is not only the home of the endangered Florida panther, but a critical rookery for five colonies of endangered wood storks and home to the shy and diminutive red-cockaded woodpecker, the eastern indigo, and the gopher turtle. 

  

Seismic testing would have permanent and cumulative impacts on wildlife, wetlands, recreational areas, and the water supply. The fractures and fissures created by vibroseis trucks would degrade the wetlands, shallow limestone strata, and base rock.

 In a letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior objecting to the survey, Senator Bill Nelson wrote that the testing “…is troubling as it represents the first step toward fracking. This activity is distinctly at odds with the purpose and best use of a national preserve, and it would be reckless to allow this to move forward.”

 Senator Nelson concluded that “federal, state and local partners have spent billions of dollars working diligently to restore and protect the Everglades, Big Cypress National Preserve, and other valuable ecosystems in Florida. With so many resources devoted to protecting these treasures, approval of oil and gas exploration does not make sense and is a dangerous step in the wrong direction.” 

  

We’re right behind the Senator. We oppose any seismic survey, and urge the National Park Service to conduct a full Environmental Impact Statement including public hearings that will provide it with the substantiated, documented evidence it needs to reject Burnett Oil’s project once and for all. It’s up to us to call on the National Park Service to live up to its stated mission of preserving, conserving, and protecting our natural and cultural resources.

 It has taken two years to get the Park Service to call a meeting that consists of its making a public statement followed by members of the audience moving from station to station asking questions and submitting written comments. That’s how afraid they are of us. And that’s why there will be an open mic at the press conference, a video of which will be sent to the Park Service after the meeting.

 Comment cards are small, so if you do go to the meeting—and I can’t urge you strongly enough to do so—please bring your written comment of up to ten pages in length. And if you can’t possibly attend, you have through December 20th to submit a written comment up to ten pages long to the Park Service here.

 It’s critical for us to show the Park Service just how strong opposition to seismic testing and fracking in Big Cypress National Preserve is, and how utterly committed we are to preserving Florida’s water supply and wildlands. The DEP has already approved Burnett Oil’s proposal, so the National Park Service is our last hope. Please don’t sit this one out.

  

One last word on the significance of your participation: A while back, I asked you to submit a comment to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission as part of a statewide campaign by the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy against FPL’s proposal to build two more nuclear reactors at Turkey Point. It was a last-ditch attempt. The NRC was inundated with over 11,000 comments. It indicated that it was unable to stick to the deadline it had set, and that it would be at least seven months before anything could be decided. This is how it went with Keystone XL—it was delayed and delayed again, until finally it was nixed.

 That’s how important your participation in this campaign is. It could change history.

 Thank you,

Michelle Gale