No Fracking Way on Toxins in Florida’s Water

Florida’s Environmental Regulatory Commission recently proposed a rule that would raise the legal limits on the permissible levels of more than two dozen known carcinogenic chemicals in Florida’s drinking water. Many of the chemicals are used extensively by oil and gas companies in hydraulic fracturing — more commonly known as fracking — operations.

All Florida residents should be outraged.

Governor Rick Scott and his hand-selected appointees have shown a wanton disregard for the best interests of our people, our environment, and our economy. This will endanger the public health, and all to placate corporate interests and open the door to fracking in Florida. I firmly believe there should be no place for fracking in Florida. The threats from fracking to the quality of our drinking water, the health of citizens, and our tourist and recreation economy are all too real. I now urge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reject this proposed rule.

I was proud to stand very early in my campaign with people from all over South Florida — environmental groups, labor, community activists, the League of Cities, the Association of Counties and so many others — to oppose several dangerous state legislative proposals that would have opened the door wide for big oil and gas companies to frack in our state by preempting anti-fracking resolutions that have been adopted by cities and counties throughout Florida.

My opponent, six-term incumbent Debbie Wasserman Schultz, is noticeably ineffective on fracking and clean water standards. While Wasserman Schultz has voiced support for anti-fracking positions in the past, during her leadership of the Democratic National Committee, delegates on the platform committee — including apparently lobbyists who she as so- called super delegates — voted down proposals to the party’s official platform that would have called for a national moratorium on fracking and new fossil fuel drilling leases within federally managed lands and waters.

Wasserman Schultz has been silent lately on a lot of tough issues, she refuses to debate, and that’s probably because she simply cannot defend her record. She is not a true progressive, she has become beholden to big corporate interests, and the people of South Florida deserve a representative who will look out for their interests and not those of corporations and billionaire donors.

Make your voice heard on August 30.

Thanks for your continued support,

-Tim