What is the safety record of drilling and production in Southwest Florida?
Over the past 30 years, State Commissions, including the Big Cypress Swamp Advisory Committee (BSCAC), have twice concluded that oil production operations have been carried out safely in Southwest Florida and with minimal impacts to the surrounding ecosystem. Congress reached the same conclusion in 1974 when the Big Cypress National Preserve was created and again in 1988 when authorizing the BCNP Addition area. In both the 1974 and 1988 legislation, Congress directed the Department of the Interior to allow continued oil and gas exploration and production subject to rules and regulations that would protect the environment. The Big Cypress Swamp Advisory Committee (BCSAC) was created in 1971 by resolution of the Governor of Florida and the Department of Natural Resources to advise and make recommendations on oil and gas permit applications in or affecting Big Cypress. The committee is comprised of a geologist, botanist, hydrologist and representatives from the environmental community and
