Kill fracking bills

Two bills, SB 318 and HB 191, to allow natural-gas fracking are being rushed through the Florida Legislature at the same time that Americans are learning that the residents of Flint, Michigan, found their tap water poisoned because of government ignorance and neglect.

The Florida Medical Association and the American Medical Association studied the Florida bills and adopted policies stating that both bills threaten human health because of:

▪ The lack of water testing.

▪ The secrecy provisions that allow drillers to put any chemical into the Floridan aquifer without telling us.

▪ There have been no serious health or earthquake studies.

For two terms, I chaired Jacksonville's Environmental Protection Board, where water testing data is reviewed. The secrecy provisions of these bills would make it illegal for us to test our own water for the secret fracking chemicals. We will never know what is in our water.

In 2015, 47 Florida city councils and county commissions voted to oppose these bills. Never before has a bill faced such public criticism from elected leaders. Why is the Legislature not listening to their doctors, their citizens and our brethren in Flint?

This story was originally published February 4, 2016 at 7:03 PM with the headline "Kill fracking bills."