WFSU reported the following item, which can be seen at this link.
We disagree completely with Mr. Rodrigues, as there is no room nor possibility of compromise on this bill and the opponents are not a whit closer to his position than they were last year. Mr. Rodrigues and the American Petroleum Institute want a bill which has the nice sounding words of “moratorium” and “study” in it, but which really gives them freedom to devastate our land for their profit. The moratorium would last a little while and then expire, and the study would –and there is absolutely no doubt here– result in a conclusion that fracking can be done safely.
A recent article stated that there have been almost 900 studies done on fracking, with almost all saying it has so many negative issues that it should not be done. These include water contamination, methane leaks, earthquakes, wasteful unnecessary water use, chemical poisoning of earth and water, damage to infrastructure, and much more. Additionally, continued fracking makes it just that much longer before we switch to sustainable energy such as wind and solar.
To say we need to do a study on fracking is the height of absurdity. It’s a very much like saying, “let’s do a study on smoking to see if it’s safe.”
Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
-A river is like a life: once taken, it cannot be brought back-
A ‘Ray’ Of Hope For Fracking Legislation This Year
By Jim Ash • Mar 9, 2017
The House Majority Leader says there’s a chance a hydraulic fracturing bill could pass the Florida Legislature this year.
Fracking opponents are closely watching a statewide ban proposed by Sen. Dana Young, R-Tampa. It’s prospects are dim in the House, but Majority Leader Ray Rodrigues says there’s a basis for a compromise.
Representative Ray Rodrigues of Fort Myers opposes a statewide ban by Republican Senator Dana Young of Tampa, but he says it contains the seeds of a compromise.
“There’s still a possibility that the bill, using the basis of the Young bill, which includes a statewide preemption on oil and gas regulation, and a moratorium, or a temporary ban on the subject of unconventional oil extraction, is definitely a possibility.”
However, Rodrigues says any bill would have to protect property rights.
Fracking opponents fought Rodrigues’ attempts last year to preempt local fracking bans, but Rodrigues says their support for a statewide ban convinces him they’ve moved closer to his position.
