Burnett Oil Co., which environmentalists charge has left miles and miles of deeply rutted tracks and downed vegetation across a northern section of Big Cypress National Preserve, says it is "committed" to repairing the damage and plans to begin next week, a spokeswoman said in a statement to National Parks Traveler.
The company, searching the preserve in south Florida for recoverable oil reserves for Collier Resources Co., was required by the National Park Service to mitigate damage concurrent with its surveying last spring. But heavy rains returned to the preserve before the company could begin that work.
A statement issued Thursday by company spokeswoman Alia Faraj-Johnson said the exploration company remained "committed to continuing to follow the (Park Service operating plan) and its applicable permits while working with state and federal agencies."
"... Burnett has an unwavering commitment to ensuring any temporarily affected areas are mitigated appropriately under the supervision of the NPS," Ms. Faraj-Johnson said in an email.
While the company did not explain why it didn't begin mitigation last fall after the rainy season, Ms. Faraj-Johnson said, "now that dry conditions exist and Burnett is active in the preserve again, they have contracted with an environmental consultant and are scheduled to begin mitigation work next week.”
In approving Burnett's request to survey the preserve for oil with vibroseis trucks weighing as much as 33 tons, the Park Service set 46 requirements. Among those 46 mitigations were the following four specific to ground and vegetation disturbances:
17. Low shrubs and herbaceous vegetation, topsoil, rootstock, and plant material will be left in place along source lines, receiver lines, and access routes to facilitate natural re-vegetation. Also, marred or wounded standing trees will be treated with a commercially available, non-toxic pruning paint or wound coating.
18. Ruts, depressions, and vehicle tracks resulting from field operations will be restored to original contour conditions concurrent with daily operations using shovels and rakes to prevent the creation of new trails. Field clean-up activities will begin immediately upon completion of each task, and final clearance will be documented by and coordinated with NPS inspectors to the satisfaction of the Superintendent.
19. Where vegetative trimming is required, areas with native vegetation will be avoided if trimming areas with exotic vegetation can accomplish an acceptable positioning of vibration or receiver points.
20. Trimming native vegetation below the height or beyond the width of 36 inches or with a 4-inch or greater trunk diameter as measured at breast height will be avoided.
Neither Collier Resources nor the National Park Service have responded to inquiries about the damage done to the preserve.
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