Kill the Fake “Fracking Ban” in the Senate
We need your help to kill a bad bill that claims to address the dangers of fracking, but leaves Floridians at risk!
Senator Albritton (R-Bartow) and the Senate Agriculture committee filed a fake “fracking ban” that attempts to ban hydraulic fracturing in Florida, but still allows other risky fracking-like techniques.
However, a good bill that bans all forms of fracking and fracking-like operations has already been filed by Senator Montford (SB 314) and was unanimously approved by the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee, which Senator Albritton also sits on.
There’s no need for the weaker bill (SPB 7064) to move forward and threaten Florida’s chances of having a comprehensive fracking ban (SB 314) become law. Please tell the members of the Senate Agriculture committee to vote NO on SPB 7064 when the bill is heard in their committee on March 4th.
For the past several years, the Senate has taken a strong stance in support of a comprehensive fracking ban. Legislation in 2017 and 2018 which banned all fracking and fracking-like operations was supported unanimously in bipartisan committees. These bills addressed the types of risky well stimulation techniques that have happened right here in Collier County: hydraulic fracturing and matrix acidizing.
Unfortunately, SPB7064 would not ban matrix acidizing and loopholes in the bill may not even effectively ban hydraulic fracturing.
20,000 gallons of acid was injected into a well near Naples in 2013 in order to matrix acidize, along with freshwater from Collier County’s drinking water supplies. Matrix acidizing can create large holes in Florida’s underground geology, and uses chemicals similar to those used in hydraulic fracturing. At least 28 of the known chemicals used in matrix acidizing are extremely harmful to human health and include known carcinogens and reproductive toxins.
Both matrix acidizing and fracturing pose an unacceptable risk for such a little return, in a state with only 1/10th of 1% of oil reserves and economies built on our environment. Help us ban these practices in the state of Florida.
