How Will the Oil Fracking Bill Affect the Everglades?

Fracking has long been one of the world’s most controversial topics, and now the ‘future of oil and gas’ has come under fire once again. With Florida politicians currently in talks regarding a proposed law that would remove the right for cities and counties to ban fracking, environmentalists are predicting catastrophic consequences for the Everglades region.

Under the new bill, local powers could lose the right to decide whether or not fracking projects go ahead. Instead, total power would be handed to a single state agency. For ecosystems, it could be disastrous. Environmentalists are warning that if state law makers approve the measure, the fragile wetlands of the Florida Everglades will become vulnerable to fracking ventures.

All hail state powers

If power is handed over to a single state agency, eco-warriors fear that the oil industry would be ruthless in its acquisition of drilling permits. This includes in demand areas such as the Everglades. The use of high pressure water and acid would threaten the homes of a number of different wildlife species, as well leak toxic chemicals into the porous limestone bedrock that’s found throughout the Everglades region. In a worst case scenario, this could seep into the underground Biscayne Aquifer, Florida’s only source of fresh water.   

“Florida already bans offshore drilling off its coasts. The Everglades should be treated the same way,” stresses executive director of the South Florida Wildlands Association, Matt Schwartz. He and his fellow environmentalists joined a fiery protest rally that recently took place at the Florida state capitol. “And bringing fracking into the karst aquifer that underlies the Everglades is a kind of shortsightedness bordering on the insane. At the very least it would be highly irresponsible,” he adds.

The future of Florida in the senates hands

The entire state senate will step up to debate the bill, and decide the environmental future of Florida. Despite its relatively small oil and gas output, several big name companies have expressed interest in exploration in the area. For those in favour of the bill, this is yet another reason to give it the go ahead.

Environmental scientist Amy Datz is another avid campaigner, accusing the government of passing continuous, environmentally irresponsible bills. “Although we did stop them from creating new pro-fracking legislation, like zombies they keep raising their deadly bills again and again, now for the 2016 session,” she said.

Despite the fact that oil ventures often put water sources at extreme risk, oil itself sometimes plays a key part in H2O quality testing. For more insight, ‘The Role of Oil in Water Testing in Unconventional Oil and Gas Operations’ looks at hydraulic fracturing in further detail.