Jonathan Webber

Fracking will be banned in Florida. It’s just a matter of when. And this year our state lawmakers have the opportunity to determine if it happens before or after a disaster.

Conservation organizations, public health groups, unions, and citizens throughout the state have been working to pass legislation that would ban the dangerous practice of fracking in Florida. This year, two state lawmakers stepped up to lead the charge - Senator Dana Young and Representative Mike Miller.

We strongly support their bills to ban fracking, and we are encouraged to see so many of their colleagues -- legislators from both parties -- lending their support by cosponsoring the bills. Banning fracking is good for Florida, no matter your political persuasion or where you live.

Our reliance on underground aquifers to supply more than 90 percent of our drinking water should automatically make Florida off-limits to fracking. When you add our state’s vulnerability to sea level rise to the mix, burning more fracked fossil fuels just doesn’t make sense.

Researchers from the Science for Nature and People Partnership studied fracking wells in four western states. In a new report, they documented an astonishing 55 spills per 1,000 wells in any given year. That’s 6,648 spills at 31,481 fracking wells. And 75 percent of the spills happened in the first three years of the well being drilled.

Even a fraction of this amount is unacceptable for Florida. A minor spill here could have wide-ranging repercussions that forever damage our tourism economy and our health and public safety.

But despite the known risks fracking poses to our drinking water, including the cancer-causing chemicals used in the fracking process, the oil and gas industry still wants to squeeze every last drop of oil and gas out our state. Just as soon as the fracking ban bills were filed, the industry fired up its pro-fracking propaganda machine and robocalls to pressure lawmakers into voting against the ban.

Chevron and ExxonMobil have nothing to lose. They have hired some of Tallahassee’s most well-connected lobbyists to shut down the proposed fracking ban legislation. But for the people of Florida, it’s our drinking water and public safety at stake. Fracking is a raw deal for Floridians who will have to deal with the fallout of any accidents--and accidents will happen.

In Florida, fracking is simply a risk we cannot afford to take.

Most Floridians oppose fracking. With more than 85 local governments that have passed resolutions or ordinances opposing fracking, the majority of Floridians now live in a city or county that has either banned fracking locally or called for a ban on fracking at the state level.

Florida Conservation Voters and our allies in the Floridians Against Fracking Coalition think our water resources are too valuable and fragile to risk to fracking. And we have a good reason for being so concerned.

I recently met with a prominent state legislator to talk to him about the ban bills. In a moment of shocking candor, he told me that he thinks the bills are effectively dead because the oil and gas industry is too powerful.

What he’s saying is: you and I don’t have a chance. I challenge that cynical view of government in Florida.

Last time I checked, our lawmakers answer to us - not faceless multinationals that can buy an army of lobbyists whenever they need to boost their profit margin.

Fracking will be banned in Florida. The question is, who among our lawmakers is brave enough to stand up for Floridians and tell the oil and gas industry, “not here, not ever.” Fortunately, with every passing week, more join the fight.

Jonathan Webber is Deputy Director of Florida Conservation Voters.