A company has launched an appeal after the Florida Department of Environmental Protection rejected a proposal to drill an exploratory oil well in Collier County.
Trend Exploration, LLC, filed a notice Thursday that is a first step in challenging the decision at the 1st District Court of Appeal, according to a court docket.
The move came after the Department of Environmental Protection issued a final order denying the proposed permit last month.
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Trend Exploration applied for a permit in March 2021, but the Department of Environmental Protection rejected the proposal in November 2021.
The issue then went to the state Division of Administrative Hearings, where Administrative Law Judge Francine Ffolkes in March issued a recommended order that said the permit should be denied.
“The preponderance of the evidence in this case establishes there is no proven or indicated likelihood of the presence of oil on a commercially profitable basis,” the recommended order said. “The greater weight of the evidence warrants against the exploration and extraction of oil in this case.”
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Under administrative law, Ffolkes’ recommended order had to go back to the Department of Environmental Protection for a final decision.
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