The Florida House of Representatives’ House Subcommittee on Natural Resources and Agriculture today passed House Bills 71 and 157, sensible hydraulic fracturing legislation sponsored by Rep. Ray Rodrigues (R – Lee County). Upon passage of the legislation, Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) – Florida Executive Director Kevin Doyle issued the following statement:
“Consumer Energy Alliance applauds both Representative Ray Rodrigues for sponsoring legislation that would lay the foundation for a transparent process for hydraulic fracturing in the State of Florida and the Florida House Subcommittee on Natural Resources and Agriculture for its passage today. As we continue to shift our energy reliance toward natural gas, Florida’s business community and consumers can be negatively impacted if we do not have the right policies in place to protect the benefits that our current energy situation is providing to our country.”
“Since consumers have benefited from shale gas by an average $1,200 per year per household, supporting the safe, responsible development will create a welcoming environment for the Florida economy and consumers. After all, energy is a key ingredient in everything we do as a state, and we need to promote policies that support expanded responsible development of American resources and in particular those that are here in Florida. Today’s votes are a good step in that direction and we look forward to monitoring this legislation as it advances through this year’s legislative process.”
CEA-Florida recently hosted an Energy 101 Briefing in Tallahassee that featured an overview on natural gas and hydraulic fracturing and its impact on Florida. Among the presenters at the briefing, Denise Cox, Vice President of Storm Energy Ltd and a geoscientist with experience in hydraulic fracturing operations for the oil and gas industry, spoke about how studies have shown groundwater contamination from hydraulic fracturing is “not physically plausible.”
