
A Miami Democrat has filed a resolution calling for a constitutional amendment to ban all forms of well stimulation in Florida.
Rep. Jose Javier Rodriguez, D-Miami, filed the resolution (HJR 453) on Tuesday. If approved by the Legislature, the ban would be placed on the ballot for approval during the next general election.
“I believe that, given the chance, Florida voters will say ‘no thank you’ to the public health risk, environmental contamination and even seismic activity that fracking brings with it,” he said in a statement. “The potential long-term consequences to our state are so great that we ought to decide not just how to regulate fracking but whether to allow it at all – and who better than the people of Florida themselves.”
Sen. Jeremy Ring, a Margate Democrat, is sponsoring a similar proposal (SJR 358) in the Senate. In a statement, Ring said the resolution is “the perfect vehicle to let Floridians decide, on a state-wide level, whether they want fracking in the state of Florida.”
Rodriguez will be in Fort Myers on Wednesday to discuss his proposal. He’s also expected to speak at the inaugural Florida Fracking Summit being held in south Lee County.
The two-day summit kicked off Tuesday, with representatives from environmental organizations speaking about the impact of unconventional drilling techniques, like fracking, on the air and water quality, public health and wildlife.