DATE: January 22, 2016
MEDIA CONTACT: Kimberly Maroe
Public Information Manager, Broward County Commission
PHONE: (954) 357-8053
EMAIL: kmaroe@broward.org
BROWARD COUNTY, FL - Commissioners will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, January 26th to discuss a ban on the use of hydraulic and acid fracturing, popularly known as "fracking", to extract oil and gas from the ground in Broward County.
The proposed ordinance follows the passage last week of a bill by a Florida Senate Committee (SB318) that would stop local governments from prohibiting the controversial practice. Fracking involves the pumping of huge amounts of water, sand and chemicals into the ground using extreme pressure to recover oil and gas deposits. Oil and gas companies are not required by federal or state law to disclose formulas used in fracking.
"Now is the time to ban this dangerous practice. If not, we face the possibility of the state legislature taking away our local authority to regulate fracking in Broward County. This ordinance addresses a specific technique to extract oil and natural gas. I never thought anyone would consider drilling in the Florida Everglades given the geologically fragile nature of the conservation area and the fact that this is our water supply," said Commissioner Beam Furr, who is sponsoring the ordinance.
Public and private water utilities across Broward County rely entirely upon groundwater sources, including the Biscayne and Floridan Aquifers for drinking water supplies. The Floridan Aquifer alone is the source of drinking water for ten million residents.
Many of the chemicals used during the fracking process have resulted in thousands of documented cases of water contamination and adverse effects on human health and the environment in the United States.
An application to drill an exploratory oil well in the Florida Everglades, just west of the city of Miramar is currently under review by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Last year, Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution opposing the use of fracking and called on the Florida Legislature to ban the practice statewide.
The public hearing on the proposed fracking ban in Broward County takes place on Tuesday, January 26th at 2:00 p.m. at the Broward Governmental Center, 115 South Andrews Ave., Room 422 in Fort Lauderdale.
The Board of County Commissioners meet in formal session the first four Tuesdays of each month at 10 a.m. in Room 422 of the Broward County Governmental Center. County Commission meetings are televised live on participating cable channels on Tuesdays beginning at 10 a.m. Public Hearing broadcasts begin at 2 p.m. Over 507,000 cable subscribers in Broward County have access to television coverage of these meetings. Find a participating service provider. County Commission meetings including Public Hearings are rebroadcast on participating cable channels beginning each Friday at 5:30 p.m. Meetings are also Webcast live in a larger screen viewing format or on Broward County's Video Central.
|