The House State Affairs Committee backed an effort to speed up the oil exploration-to-drilling process in the Blackwater River State Forest northeast of Pensacola a day after the companion bill was halted in the Senate.

The bill, HB 695 by Rep. Clay Ford, R-Gulf Breeze, would authorize state land-management agencies to enter public-private partnerships on state-owned lands with the private company that explored for oil if the yield can produce “near-term” revenue for the state.

Currently, the state requires companies to bid on such projects, which could result in the firm that spent money on exploration being left out by a competitor with a better offer.

“Just a short two years ago we were paying $1.84 for gas and now we’re paying $3.62 for gas and it's anticipated to go to $4 very soon,” said committee member Rep. Debbie Mayfield, R-Vero Beach, in supporting the bill. “So I think it’s a small step, but we need to go forward and monitor to see how far it goes, but we need to start providing fuel for our state.”

On Tuesday, Sen. Charlie Dean, R-Inverness, chairman of the Environmental Preservation Committee, postponed the Senate version of the bill, SB 1158, which considered exploration and drilling on most state-owned lands. 

Dean said his decision was in part due to discussion he had with members of the governor’s office, where there was concern the bill could create inter-agency confusion by expanding the approval from the state Department of Environmental Protection to multiple offices.