ALERT! Fracking bills on Senate Floor Tuesday, April 28 - Calls Needed Monday!

The House will almost certainly pass the two fracking bills in that chamber Monday which means the only chance to stop them is in the Senate where they will come to the Floor on Tuesday.

On Monday, please call YOUR Senator, tell them you live in their district, and urge them to vote against SB 1468, the Fracking ‘Regulation’ bill and SB 1582, the public record exemption bill that allows fracking companies to hide the toxic chemicals they use from the public.   Phone calls are much more effective than emails.

Then, contact all the Senators who represent your county (use Ctr+F for the search function and enter your county), tell them you live in their county, and urge them to vote No on both bills.

Finally, send an email to all Senators using the aggregated addresses at the bottom of the contact information.

One more thing - please forward this alert to your networks. Thanks!

Contact information and talking points are below.  This may be the most important call you make this year.

Full Senate 2015

Sen. Joseph Abruzzo	Consists of part of Palm Beach county	850-487-5025	abruzzo.joseph.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Thad Altman	Consists of parts of Brevard, Indian River counties	850-487-5016	altman.thad.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Aaron  Bean	Consists of Nassau county and part of Duval county	850-487-5004	bean.aaron.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto	Consists of parts of Charlotte, Lee counties	850-487-5030	benacquisto.lizbeth.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Rob Bradley	Consists of Alachua, Bradford, Clay counties	850-487-5007	bradley.rob.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Jeff Brandes	Consists of parts of Hillsborough, Pinellas counties	850-487-5022	brandes.jeff.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Oscar Braynon	Consists of parts of Broward, Miami-Dade counties	850-487-5036	braynon.oscar.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Dwight Bullard	Consists of Hendry, Monroe counties and parts of Collier, Miami-Dade counties	850-487-5039	bullard.dwight.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Jeff Clemens	Consists of part of Palm Beach county	850-487-5027	clemens.jeff.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Charles Dean	Consists of Baker, Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Lafayette, Levy, Suwannee, Union counties and part of Marion county	850-487-5005	dean.charles.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Nancy Detert	Consists of Sarasota county and part of Charlotte county	850-487-5028	detert.nancy.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla	Consists of part of Miami-Dade county	850-487-5040	portilla.miguel.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Greg Evers	Consists of Escambia, Santa Rosa counties and part of Okaloosa county	850-487-5002	evers.greg.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Anitere Flores	Consists of part of Miami-Dade county	850-487-5037	flores.anitere.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Don Gaetz	Consists of Bay, Holmes, Jackson, Walton, Washington counties and part of Okaloosa county	850-487-5001	gaetz.don.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Bill Galvano	Consists of DeSoto, Glades, Hardee counties and parts of Charlotte, Highlands, Hillsborough, Manatee counties	850-487-5026	galvano.bill.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Rene Garcia	Consists of part of Miami-Dade county	850-487-5038	garcia.rene.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Andy  Gardiner	Consists of parts of Brevard, Orange counties	850-487-5013	gardiner.andy.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Audrey Gibson	Consists of part of Duval county	850-487-5009	gibson.audrey.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Denise Grimsley	Consists of Okeechobee county and parts of Highlands, Martin, Osceola, Polk, St. Lucie counties	850-487-5021	grimsley.denise.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Alan Hays	Consists of parts of Lake, Marion, Orange, Sumter counties	850-487-5011	hays.alan.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Dorothy Hukill	Consists of parts of Lake, Marion, Volusia counties	850-487-5008	hukill.dorothy.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Arthenia Joyner	Consists of parts of Hillsborough, Manatee, Pinellas counties	850-487-5019	joyner.arthenia.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Jack Latvala	Consists of part of Pinellas county	850-487-5020	latvala.jack.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Tom Lee	Consists of part of Hillsborough county	850-487-5024	lee.tom.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. John Legg	Consists of parts of Hillsborough, Pasco counties	850-487-5017	legg.john.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Gwen Margolis	Consists of part of Miami-Dade county	850-487-5035	margolis.gwen.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Bill Montford	Consists of Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Hamilton, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Taylor, Wakulla counties	850-487-5003	montford.bill.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Joe Negron	Consists of parts of Indian River, Martin, Palm Beach, St. Lucie counties	850-487-5032	negron.joe.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Garrett Richter	Consists of parts of Collier, Lee counties	850-487-5023	richter.garrett.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Jeremy Ring	Consists of part of Broward county	850-487-5029	ring.jeremy.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Maria Sachs	Consists of parts of Broward, Palm Beach counties	850-487-5034	sachs.maria.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. David Simmons	Consists of Seminole county and part of Volusia county	850-487-5010	simmons.david.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Wilton Simpson	Consists of Hernando county and parts of Pasco, Sumter counties	850-487-5018	simpson.wilton.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Christopher Smith	Consists of part of Broward county	850-487-5031	smith.chris.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Eleanor Sobel	Consists of part of Broward county	850-487-5033	sobel.eleanor.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Darren Soto	Consists of parts of Orange, Osceola, Polk counties	850-487-5014	soto.darren.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Kelli Stargel	Consists of parts of Orange, Osceola, Polk counties	850-487-5015	stargel.kelli.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Geraldine Thompson	Consists of part of Orange county	850-487-5012	thompson.geraldine.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Travis Hutson	Consists of Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns counties and part of Volusia county	850-487-5006	hutson.travis.web@flsenate.gov

abruzzo.joseph.web@flsenate.gov, altman.thad.web@flsenate.gov, bean.aaron.web@flsenate.gov, benacquisto.lizbeth.web@flsenate.gov, bradley.rob.web@flsenate.gov, brandes.jeff.web@flsenate.gov, braynon.oscar.web@flsenate.gov, bullard.dwight.web@flsenate.gov, clemens.jeff.web@flsenate.gov, dean.charles.web@flsenate.gov, detert.nancy.web@flsenate.gov, portilla.miguel.web@flsenate.gov, evers.greg.web@flsenate.gov, flores.anitere.web@flsenate.gov, gaetz.don.web@flsenate.gov, galvano.bill.web@flsenate.gov, garcia.rene.web@flsenate.gov, gardiner.andy.web@flsenate.gov, gibson.audrey.web@flsenate.gov, grimsley.denise.web@flsenate.gov, hays.alan.web@flsenate.gov, hukill.dorothy.web@flsenate.gov, joyner.arthenia.web@flsenate.gov, latvala.jack.web@flsenate.gov, lee.tom.web@flsenate.gov, legg.john.web@flsenate.gov, margolis.gwen.web@flsenate.gov, montford.bill.web@flsenate.gov, negron.joe.web@flsenate.gov, richter.garrett.web@flsenate.gov, ring.jeremy.web@flsenate.gov, sachs.maria.web@flsenate.gov, simmons.david.web@flsenate.gov, simpson.wilton.web@flsenate.gov, smith.chris.web@flsenate.gov, sobel.eleanor.web@flsenate.gov, soto.darren.web@flsenate.gov, stargel.kelli.web@flsenate.gov, thompson.geraldine.web@flsenate.gov, hutson.travis.web@flsenate.gov,

Talking Points

Fracking: Scope of bills

The definition of “high pressure well stimulation” excludes activities that inject toxic chemicals using less than 100,000 gallons or lower pressure than the “fracture gradient of the rock.”  The bill’s proposed regulation would not have covered the acidization treatment of the Collier-Hogan well.

Public Denied Information in time to ACT on it - They may NEVER get it.

Delay or denial of disclosure of toxic chemicals transforms the situation for members of the public from one in which they have information they can act on before chemicals are injected, even if it’s just to move away to protect their family, to one in which they might find out about the toxics after they’ve been  injected.

Disclosure Denied in SB 1468 and SB 1582

SB 1468 prevents disclosure to the public for a full year on the request of the well operator or indefinitely on the mere claim of “proprietary business information”.

Disclosure to FracFocus is not required until 60 days after the chemicals are injected and FracFocus does not publish “proprietary business information”

DEP is prohibited from disclosing chemicals when confidentiality is claimed in SB 1582.

Chemical ingredients are specifically exempted from disclosure requirements in SB 1468 if they are claimed as “proprietary business information”. 

Court process and delay in SB 1582

When a member of the public requests “proprietary business information” from DEP the delay begins:

• 30 days for the well operator to file an action in circuit court
• an indefinite period of time until the court date
• any delays in the court case - discovery, depositions, continuances, etc.
• any appeals

DEP is prohibited from releasing the information “pending the outcome of the legal action” (ll. 40-51 of SB 1582)

1468 and 1582 make it easy to Claim and Retain Confidentiality and Exemption from Disclosure

There is a very low bar to claim or retain confidentiality for “proprietary business information.”
To claim confidentiality and exemption for “proprietary business information” they are only required to:

1. Request confidentiality
2. Inform DEP of basis of claim (business advantage and they’ve kept it secret)
3. Mark each  page “proprietary business information”

To retain confidentiality and exemption in court, they only have to show the information:

1. Is owned or controlled by the applicant
2. It is intended to be private and is treated that way to protect the business
3. Has not been disclosed except as required  by law or through a licensing agreement
4. Is not publicly available