The City of Bonita Springs banned the controversial oil and gas extraction method called hydraulic fracturing or fracking within its city limits Wednesday. The process involves injecting fluid into rock formations. Bonita Springs is now the second city in Florida to ban fracking.
The decision was a win for environmental activists. But, oil and gas representatives on both state and local levels expressed their concerns about the ordinance.
The ordinance bans “well stimulation.” That includes fracking and two other processes called “acidizing” and “acid fracturing.”
The Conservancy of Southwest Florida’s Jennifer Hecker said the state has not properly studied these methods. Because of that, she said it’s in the best interest of local communities to act.
“Whether they can use their existing authorities to prohibit or restrict the usage of these within their community until more information is known and more regulatory framework is in place to determine whether or not these are appropriate on a statewide basis,” she said.
Collier Resources Company attorney Ron Weaver previously wrote to Bonita Springs Mayor Ben Nelson Jr. saying the company owns thousands of acres of mineral rights in the city. At the meeting, Weaver asked to delay the decision 90 days.
“We were hopeful that the City of Bonita Springs would have granted that 90 day continuance to allow the parties to get together and to engage in discussions regarding operations performed by Collier Resources Company, LLCs, to alleviate any concern about the impact of well stimulation techniques,” he said.
Weaver wrote in the letter that passing the ban would expose Bonita Springs to “numerous lawsuits and class actions, from Collier Resources and others.”
He said it’s premature to comment on the possibility of a lawsuit.
Read the reporter's Twitter coverage of the meeting below:
