Whew! Fracking is dead (for now) in Florida; go drink a big glass of clean water

Last week we reported that SB 318, a Florida State Senate bill that would prevent municipalities from banning fracking, was moving forward; its counterpart in the State House, HB 191, had already passed. Today welcome news comes from Tallahassee that SB 318 is dead – for now.

Sen. Garrett Richter, R-Naples, SB 318 sponsor, withdrew his bill for this session, saying “the issue is not going away, but for now, SB318 is,” according to the Tallahassee Democrat. 

Jennifer Rubiello, state director of Environment Florida, said today, “Floridians spoke out for our water and our natural environment, and our senators listened.”

We’re not so sure they’ll keep listening, though. 

A story about the battle between county and state lawmakers in the New York Times last week said “local officials [are] angry about being overruled by state lawmakers in Tallahassee, an increasingly common move by the Republican-dominated Legislature when it is displeased with local decisions.”

Marni Sawicki, the mayor of Cape Coral, was quoted as saying, “I think the last couple of years we have had some of the biggest assaults on home rule that we’ve ever seen.”

This article appears in Feb 24 – Mar 1, 2016.