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Scott Clarifies Position On Everglades Drilling

TALLAHASSEE (CBS4) – Drilling for oil in the Florida Everglades has become a slippery slope for Gov. Rick Scott.

During a speech in Tallahassee he appeared to support presidential candidate Michele Bachmann and said he could support drilling in the River of Grass. Scott made the remarks Tuesday during an appearance at the Economic Club of Florida where he noted that there was a small amount of oil production already underway in the Everglades.

"With regard to the Everglades, I think we have to be very cautious if there's going to be any more drilling," Scott said in answer to a question from the audience. "It's my understanding, we haven't had any problems to date so my goal would be to be very cautious."

Hours later his office issued a clarification and said Scott didn't mean there should an "expansion of drilling."

"Governor Scott has not called for an expansion of drilling in the Everglades," said Scott's spokeswoman Amy Graham. "That discussion is not on the table."

"If there is any thought being given to expanding oil drilling into the Everglades, my suggestion to the governor is quite simple: Don't go there," Kirk Fordham, CEO of The Everglades Foundation, said in a statement. "Unless Gov. Scott wants to unleash a firestorm of opposition from hunters, fishermen, conservationists and millions of Floridians who depend on the Everglades for their water supply, he should abandon any notion of encouraging drilling in this sacred place."

Fordham also noted that currently, no energy companies have floated any proposals for new drilling in the Everglades.

(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.)

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