It’s been nearly a year since a Miami-based family applied for a permit to build an exploratory oil-drilling well right on the fringes of the Everglades, outside of Miramar, generating an uproar in the community.
Nevertheless, the Kanter family proceeded with the petition and it could be approved as early as late summer or early fall.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has questions about the petition to build an exploratory well, and the Kanter family has submitted answers with hundreds of pages worth of documents. This is considered the last step before receiving an official answer to the application. In fact, once an application is deemed complete, the agency has 60 days to make a decision on it.
According to the Sun Sentinel, the Kanters replied to a request for details about the oil well’s construction -- what would be done to avoid potential harm to wetlands and safety measures in case of gas leaks in the drilling process.
The company also applied to plow over nearly seven acres -- provided the firm guarantees that an equal amount of wetlands will be protected. This second petition could take up to 90 days to approve once the application is deemed complete.
Company president Joseph Kanter says his construction plans were designed with environmental protection in mind, while Miramar Mayor Wayne Messom has led much of the opposition to the well.
The Kanter family also has applications pending with the Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District. The project will also require a change in zoning by the Broward County Commission.
