A Texas company's hopes to conduct seismic testing with "thumper trucks" in Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida might be dashed by a U.S. senator's request that the Interior Department conduct a "comprehensive" review of the proposal.

"Thumper trucks," which pound the ground in a fashion designed to detect oil, and even explosives detonated for the same purpose, could be allowed on 110 square miles of Big Cypress under a plan being considered by the National Park Service.

Environmentalists immediately criticized the plan last November saying the environmental assessment conducted on the proposal wasn't sufficient to examine all the consequences and that this preliminary work could lead to "a major industrial operation" in the preserve. Instead they called for a full-blown environmental impact statement to be conducted on the proposal by Burnett Oil Company. 

Now Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida, has asked Interior Secretary Sally Jewell to have her agency "complete a more comprehensive environmental impact statement."

“If history is any indication, approval of Burnett's request for a massive seismic survey essentially signals a green light for future drilling and fracking,” Sen. Nelson wrote in a letter to the Interior secretary last week. “That's why I strongly urge you to complete an Environmental Impact Statement for Burnett Oil Company's proposed seismic survey.”

Big Cypress National Preserve covers over 700,000 acres in south Florida and provides essential habitat for dozens of endangered species, including the Florida panther.

Burnett Oil Company filed plans last year to conduct a seismic survey on 110 square miles of land in the preserve, and while the National Park Service completed its environmental assessment of the project in November, finding that the tests would have a minimal impact on the environment, some local leaders and environmental groups contend that a more in-depth study is needed to determine the true environmental impact of conducting seismic testing in the preserve.

If the Interior Department decides to conduct an environmental impact statement for the project as Sen. Nelson requested, the company would be prohibited from conducting a seismic survey in Big Cypress until the study is complete – which could take up to several years, the senator's office said.