SOUTH FLORIDA -- Monroe Countys two state representatives in Tallahassee have fallen on the opposite side of a burgeoning debate about the possible beginnings of fracking in Florida SOUTH FLORIDA -- Monroe Countys two state representatives in Tallahassee have fallen on the opposite side of a burgeoning debate about the possible beginnings of fracking in Florida. Two related Florida House of Representative bills that deal with the controversial oil extraction method, both sponsored by state Rep. Ray Rodrigues, a Lee County Republican, are currently in front of committees. HB 71 would require oil producers to disclose the chemicals they use in fracking. HB 157, however, would provide for an exemption to disclosure requirements in order to protect trade secrets. Last year, HB 71 made it through the state House but died because there was no Senate companion. HB 157 was rejected by the House, due in part to heavy Democratic opposition. No companion Senate bills had been filed by last weeks deadline for the 2014 legislative session. But the Senate could still wrap fracking legislation into existing bills. Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, involves the injection of water, sand and chemical solutions into the earth to unleash trapped oil. According to regulators in Pennsylvania, where fracking has become widespread in recent years, the average well requires 4.4 million gallons of water -- the equivalent of six Olympic-sized swimming pools. But the water requirements for fracking in Florida could be different due to the states limestone subsurface. In an interview last week, Florida Petroleum Council Director David Mica said a well would need just one Olympic pools worth of water. Because fracking would occur nearly 2 miles below any aquifer, he adds, it would not pose a viable threat to drinking water. Environmental groups have a different perspective, especially because of the porous nature of Floridas limestone substrate. We have been under the assumption that its much more water than that, Audubon of Floridas Legislative Director Mary Jean Yon said last week. Were worried about potential contamination of groundwater. I think its a safe statement to make that were also worried about the fragile nature of Floridas geology. So far, no companies are fracking in the Sunshine state, though Mica acknowledged the possibility of the technique being put to use here soon. Meanwhile, Florida oil production, which has been undertaken since World War II, is going through something of a boom. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has issued 13 drilling permits on the western of edge of the Everglades since last March, all in either Naples Collier County or in Hendry County, to its north. Through its 70-year history in Florida, oil drilling has been undertaken without significant incident, including in what is now Big Cypress National Preserve. But a plan by the Texas-based Dan A. Hughes Co. to drill an exploratory well in Collier County on the edge of the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge has sparked plenty of controversy in recent weeks. In response, the Environmental Protection Agency has scheduled a March 11 public meeting in Naples ahead of the potential issuance of a permit for a well that Hughes would use to dispose of tainted water from the drilling process. State Sen. Dwight Bullard, a Democrat who represents portions of Miami-Dade, Hendry and Collier counties in addition to the Florida Keys, has taken an active stand against the Hughes well. In June of last year he wrote a letter to the DEP asking the department to deny the company a drilling permit, citing concerns about the water supply and Big Cypress National Preserve, among other issues. In an interview last week, Bullard said that even though the new wells are concentrated in the western Everglades area, residents of the Keys should be concerned about drilling techniques that require lots of water. He said he would oppose any proposal to legitimize fracking in Florida. Our environment is too fragile to delve into that, and weve seen too many problems in other states that are impacted by fracking, Bullard said. State Rep. Holly Rascheins district, which extends only as far as southwest Miami-Dade County, isnt in the center of the oil debate like Bullards is. But the Republican joined a bipartisan group of 92 House members who voted for the chemical disclosure bill last year. The related trade secrets bill never reached the full House floor for a vote. Last week Raschein told the Free Press she would support fracking as long as it is properly regulated so that water supplies are protected. She also said she would be likely to vote for both of Rodrigues bills if they reach the floor this year. If hes pushing the policy, and he and I are in line on a lot of things, I kind of yield to him on this, Rasche
Posted on: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 02:31:08 +0000
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