A bill filed by state Rep. Ray Rodrigues, R-Estero, would require energy companies to disclose what chemicals they are using when they frack in Florida.
Rodrigues said his bill would add transparency into the controversial practice of fracturing underground rock formations with water and sometimes dangerous chemicals to unearth natural gas. He said the state needs to put rules in place for frackingbefore any actually takes place in in the state.
"If we do this now in Florida then we will always know what chemicals have been put into our ground and I think that is a sensible way to safeguard our environment," he said.
However, environmental groups are warning the bill is not that straightforward.
Stephanie Kunkel, a lobbyist with Clean Water Action, said in theory the law is a good idea, but her group is concerned putting that in place would invite fracking, which she argues is bad for the environment. Kunkel also says the bill’s disclosure rules aren’t tough enough. She says the bill only requires a company to disclose which chemicals it’s using, not how much of them.
"So we don’t know whether it’s a milligram or a hundred thousand gallons of a harmful chemical that it’s putting into the ground near our potable water supplies," she said.
Kunkel is also concerned that another bill filed by Rodrigues would actually prevent any real transparency.
Rodrigues’ House Bill 745 would exempt “trade secrets” involving fracking from public record requirements.
"On the one hand you are requiring businesses to list the chemicals they are using with fracking on the other hand you are allowing them to disclose them to those as quote unquote trade secrets and never have to report the chemicals," Kunkel said.
David Mica of the Florida Petroleum Council told the Florida Current that trade secrets involving fracking need to be protected. He also argued that fracking has not contaminated groundwater in the many current sites around the country.
The News Press has reported that some companies have signaled an interest in fracking in Southwest Florida.
