Park Plans Could Affect Oil Drilling

OCHOPEE-Calumet Florida Inc. is one company particularly affected by a federal action to develop general-land and mineral-management plans for the 147,000 acres added in 1996 to the Big Cypress National Preserve, a 729,000-acre park that covers parts of Collier, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.

Each day the subsidiary of Houston-based Plains Resources Inc. pumps from 3,000 barrels to 3,500 barrels of crude oil from two wells in the preserve under a lease with Naples, FL-based Collier Resources Inc. The privately owned Naples company deeded 85,000 acres to the 147,000-acre park addition but retained the mineral rights.

As required by the National Environmental Policy Act, the park service has scheduled several public meetings beginning on July 11 prior to developing a general-management plan and an oil-and-natural gas management plan for the 147,000-acre addition.