Tell Governor Rick Scott: Don't frack
Florida
Dear Lloyd,
Fracking is a dangerous method of oil and gas extraction
that contaminates water, produces millions of gallons of toxic
wastewater, and generates cancer-causing air
pollution1 — and it could be coming to Florida.
The fracking industry has its eyes on a 150-mile swath
of South Florida, including part of the Big Cypress National
Preserve, and the Florida Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) is now studying the
practice.2
The DEP answers to Governor Rick Scott, who will ultimately
decide whether or not to frack Florida. Even a single fracking
well in Florida will put nearby residents at risk, so it's
crucial to put pressure on Governor Scott not to allow any
fracking in Florida.
Tell Governor Rick Scott and Department of
Environmental Protection Secretary Herschel Vinyard: Don't
frack Florida. Click here to automatically sign the
petition.
Fracking could cause irreparable harm to nearby
communities in Florida, and, if fracking contaminates water in
the Big Cypress National Preserve, it could threaten the
Everglades' irreplaceable ecosystems with a slew of toxic
chemicals.
Governor Scott is no friend to the environment. He's a
climate denier3 and, since he was elected, the
number and amount of fines handed out to illegal polluters in
Florida by state regulators have taken a dramatic
nosedive.4
There is a growing grassroots movement to ban fracking.
Vermont banned fracking, New York Governor Cuomo's attempts to
open the state to fracking have been foiled, Maryland and
North Carolina have temporary moratoriums on fracking, and
serious efforts are underway to pass bans on fracking in many
other states impacted by the fracking boom. Floridians need
to make it clear to Governor Scott that support for this toxic
industry is unacceptable and force him to take a public stance
on it.
Tell Governor Rick Scott and Department of
Environmental Protection Secretary Herschel Vinyard: Don't
frack Florida. Click here to automatically sign the
petition.
Fracking is devastating communities across the
country. In Pennsylvania, fracking has turned tap water
flammable5 and some nearby residents have found
heavy metals and fracking-related chemicals in their
blood.6 In Ohio, injection wells used to dispose of
radioactive fracking wastewater have caused
earthquakes.7 And in Erie, CO (population 18,505),
fracking-related air emissions have made the air more polluted
than in Los Angeles.8
Plus, fracking accelerates climate change. Recent research
has found that fracked natural gas could be as bad for the
climate as coal.9 And with so many people living
near sea level and their vulnerability to hurricanes, Florida
can't afford to ignore the sea level rise and extreme weather
associated with climate change.
If the DEP starts granting permits for fracking the
consequences could be severe and irreparable. That's why it's
important to hold Governor Rick Scott accountable and force
him to take a position on fracking now.
Tell Governor Rick Scott and Department of
Environmental Protection Secretary Herschel Vinyard: Don't
frack Florida. Click here to automatically sign the
petition.
Thank you for standing up to the fracking
industry.
Zack Malitz, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets
1. "Study shows air emissions near fracking sites
may pose health risk," University of Colorado Denver
Newsroom, March 19, 2012
2. Mary Wozniak, "Exclusive: Fracking confronts Florida,"
News-Press, October 8, 2012
3. "Rick Scott doesn't believe in global
warming," Tampa Bay Times, July 26, 2010
4. "DEP Enforcement Falls Sharply Under Scott's
Reign," The Bradenton Times, June 22, 2012
5. Abrahm
Lustgarten, "Scientific Study Links Flammable Drinking Water
to Fracking," ProPublica, May 9, 2011
6. Eliza
Griswold, "The Fracturing of Pennsylvania," New York
Times Magazine, November 17, 2011
7. John Funk, "Waste-water injection well caused 12
earthquakes in Ohio, investigation shows," The Plain
Dealer, March 9, 2012
8. "Drilling-Related Air Pollution Alarms Erie
Residents," ABC7 News, February 23, 2012
9. Jeff
Tollefson, "Air sampling reveals high emissions from gas
field," Nature, February 7, 2012
|
