Brian,
Thank you for sharing ....
Here is the commentary that appeared in the Naples News that Judith Hushon
(Conservancy of SW Florida) referred to in her statement.
http://www.naplesnews.com/opinion/perspectives/guest-commentary-environmental-scientist-looks-at-fracking-in-swf_05799574#
She offers more details at 1:07 regarding the DEP report on the Collier
Hogan acid stimulation well.
Thank you,
Lisa
On Thu, Sep 10, 2015 at 7:42 PM, Brian Lee <brian@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
From Brian Lee:
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/politics/collier-asking-lawmakers-to-again-consider-fracking-regulations_30048010
Text of article:
Collier County commissioners again will urge state lawmakers to pass
fracking regulations during their next legislative session after efforts
failed last year.
Commissioners met Thursday with their lobbyists to start putting together
their needs and wants from state government over the next year. At the top
of the list will be supporting state Sen. Garrett Richter’s bill
outlining basic regulations for oil drillers who use hydraulic or
fracturing techniques. Richter sponsored a bill last year that would have
required drillers to get a permit before they begin fracking as well as
disclose the chemicals they pump into the ground. The bill also called for
a study to analyze fracking’s potential risks and to ban the practice
until that study was complete. It died in a Senate committee and was never
brought to a vote.
A similar bill, if it could become law, would make a strong first step,
said Commissioner Penny Taylor.
“We need to understand what’s being used and if the chemicals that are
being used are safe,†Taylor said. “We need to open the window and draw
back the blinds. This year, we’re at least starting right away. We’re
not starting from the beginning.â€
The urgency for fracking regulation was sparked by Texas-based driller Dan
A. Hughes Co., which was caught using the technique without permission by
the Florida Department of Environmental Protection at a well just south of
Immokalee.
The DEP fined the company the maximum civil penalty of $25,000 for the
unauthorized work. Residents, environmental groups and commissioners,
outraged and convinced that the fine didn’t even amount to a slap on the
wrist for the oil drillers, demanded a larger punishment, more oversight
and more extensive water quality studies than the DEP had provided.
Environmental groups, such as the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, said
the proposed Senate bill didn’t go far enough.
The Conservancy asked commissioners again at the workshop to demand more
well and water-quality monitoring measures in the bill and to fight for
local authority to ban or restrict fracking within certain counties or
cities.
From Jennifer Hecker:
FYI – Collier County Board discussion today begins on oil legislation
begins at 40 minutes into video at
http://collier.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=4&clip_id=1956 .
Public comment begins at 1:07 (you can use scroll bar at bottom to scroll
ahead to that portion), with the Conservancy of Southwest Florida’s
comments begin at 1:20. The Conservancy’s comment on other legislative
recommendations start at 2:43, with their discussion concluding at 3:01.
