Company wins court battle over exploratory oil drilling in Florida Everglades

After years of legal battles, a Miami-based company won the right to carry out exploratory oil drilling in the Florida Everglades. A Florida appeals court ordered the state to issue a permit for one deep hole test. This exploratory well would go more than 11,000 feet below the surface, drilling through the porous limestone of the Biscayne Aquifer, which local officials say could put the water supply for millions in southeast Florida at risk. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection refused to issue the permit and requested a new hearing. But yesterday, the state appeals court refused to grant that request.