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Tampa Bay Times: Letters: Fracking doesn’t contaminate wells
Wednesday, July 05, 2017
Dan DeWitt recently published an excellent piece about the good work done by lawmakers, including Sen. Wilton Simpson and others, during the 2017 legislative session to clean up Weeki Wachee Spring, and I commend him for making the public aware of its dire state — which was scientifically proven to be contaminated by lawn fertilizer and septic tanks.
Notice, however, that DeWitt’s column makes no mention of hydraulic fracturing, commonly coined as fracking, because it has nothing to do with Weeki Wachee and the important cleanup that is now taking place. I was confused to read Brooke Errett’s letter to the editor in response to the article. Ms. Errett ties the safe process of hydraulic fracturing to Florida’s polluted springs and waters, calling for a preemptive ban despite not having any scientific evidence to support her claim specifically about hydraulic fracturing.
There is no recent scientific evidence that hydraulic fracturing poses a threat to our waterways. For nearly 70 years, hydraulic fracturing has helped bolster our country’s energy supply. The practice has been tested and refined for decades. Not to mention, fracking falls under at least eight different federal regulations as well as multiple state and local laws.
Ms. Errett seems to have inaccurate information about fracking’s effect on our drinking water. I want to be clear: There have been no confirmed cases of groundwater contamination from hydraulic fracturing in the 2 million wells fracked since the 1940s.
When you forgo emotion for scientific facts, it is clear hydraulic fracturing would only benefit Florida and the rest of the country. Fracking provides a safe way to become more energy independent and reduce our reliance on war-torn countries for energy, and a preemptive ban without any scientific evidence serves no beneficial purpose to our great nation.
Lt. Col. Dennis Freytes, U.S. Army (Retired) and co-chair of Florida Vets4Energy
Read here: http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/letters/hernando-letters-to-the-editor-for-july-7/2329419