Yes — safe drinking water is the lifeblood of our state
Fracking. The word itself is jarring. The definition — “the process of injecting liquid at high pressure into subterranean rocks, boreholes, etc., so as to force open existing fissures and extract oil or gas.”
I proposed banning this practice in Florida (House Bil 451). Why? Because there is a lack of science ensuring the practice can be safely conducted in Florida’s fragile limestone geology without risking damage to our aquifer.
Protecting Florida’s clean water supply is intrinsically tied to our economy in so many ways from tourism to agriculture, and our state is already struggling to meet the growing demand for water. Any chance of damage to our water supply is simply too great of a risk, with grave consequences our state can’t afford.
The practice of fracking is not new. Oil and gas companies have employed this technique since the late 1940s, with water being the main ingredient to force oil and gas from the well.
Increasingly, the practice has been used to go horizontally to extract more oil and/or gas. Along with these advances in gas exploration and geo-technology have come new and untested advances in the chemicals and detergents used to maximize extraction.
Recently, a Texas-based company drilling in Collier County applied for a permit to frack using an acidic variation on this practice. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection denied the permit and eventually fined the company $25,000 for violating the order.
Based on this blatant disregard for our state's environment, members from both parties in the Florida Legislature have attempted to impose a moratorium on, study and gain disclosure regarding the chemicals used to frack. All of these well-intentioned efforts have failed. My goal is to stop fracking until we can be sure that the process is safe in Florida’s unique environment.
If tourism is driving our economy, then water is the lifeblood of our state. As Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam has said, “The most important issue facing Florida long term is water — whether you want to plant an orange grove, build a subdivision, save the Everglades … it all boils down to water.” Florida gets its water from the surficial, intermediate and Floridan Aquifer systems, and together they are the primary source of our state’s drinking water. According to the St. Johns River Water Management District, the Floridan Aquifer averages 1,000 feet thick, and fresh water can extend to more than 2,000 feet below the surface. Currently, we are pumping 3.6 billion gallons per day from the aquifer.
Without definitive proof that fracking is safe for our water systems, beyond a shadow of a doubt, I am not prepared to allow our lifeblood to potentially be contaminated by chemicals not regulated at the state or federal level.
Finally, our state is still dealing with the negative economic impacts from the tragic BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010. The Deepwater Horizon disaster impacted our state's economy and coastline from the Panhandle to Tampa/St. Petersburg, resulting in billions of dollars of tourism money being lost. This year, the Legislature had to form a special committee just to resolve the billions of dollars in settlement fees. I do not want a repeat of this tragedy in any way, shape or form.
Infringing at any level on our tourism-based, family-friendly economy is something we should not do. Florida is a unique state — a peninsula surrounded by water — with a limestone substrate holding our precious freshwater resources.
I understand the importance of energy independence to the United States, but I believe there are enough other regions across our great country with geology proved safe for the practice of fracking and other oil and gas exploration. Not only is it safe in those other areas, it is also critical to their local economies.
So, let states like Pennsylvania and North Dakota have at it — we must protect the Sunshine State.