Sierra Club Welcomes Everglades Buy-Out to Avoid New Oil Drilling in the River of Grass
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — Gov. Ron DeSantis today announced that the state will purchase 20,000 acres in Broward County from Kanter Real Estate. The state's action follows tremendous public opposition to plans by Kanter to drill for oil on the land, which is part of the Everglades Protection Area. The area is vital to the region's water, Everglades restoration and endangered species.
In response Diana Umpierre, Sierra Club Everglades Restoration Organizing Representative issued the following statement.
"This is welcome news. We are happy the state has taken steps to acquire the Kanter property within the Everglades Protection Area. This is an important purchase to protect the Everglades and the drinking water of millions of people.
"On Feb. 19, 2019, Sierra Club stood at that same location alongside local leaders with the unified message of 'Not here, not now, not ever, no oil rigs in our Everglades.' We organized a letter to the Governor signed by seventy-two organizations demanding state action to stop oil drilling at this site. This is a big win for the Sierra Club and other partner organizations, like South Florida Wildlands Association, that publicly led the fight for several years. We look forward to reviewing the terms of the purchase agreement announced today.
"We hope today's announcement will be the beginning of meaningful action to acquire all the lands needed to restore and protect the Everglades. We also urge the Governor to take the next steps in addressing the causes of climate change that threaten the very existence of the Everglades."
Contact: Diana Umpierre, diana.umpierre@sierraclub.org, (954) 829-7632