December 2, 2015

Tallahassee, Fla. – Associated Industries of Florida (AIF) today released the following statement, attributable to its Senior Vice President of State and Federal Affairs Brewster Bevis, regarding House Bill 191, Regulation of Oil and Gas Resources, sponsored by Representative Ray Rodrigues (R-Estero) and heard in the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture & Natural Resources.

“We thank the members of the Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee today for passing this good bill, which AIF firmly believes will allow a responsible industry with a long history in the State of Florida to continue to grow, provide jobs, infuse capital into our economy and lessen our dependence on foreign sources of oil.

“While many have testified on pure rhetoric, we have looked at the science, including a study by the Environmental Protection Agency, which found no evidence that hydraulic fracturing has led to widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water resources in the United States, and believe with the appropriate level of oversight that is outlined in Representative Rodrigues’ bill, the industry can continue to operate safely even as science and technology progresses.

“Finally, AIF supports the majority of the language in this bill; however, we do continue to have concerns with the inclusion of a $1 million peer-reviewed study on the impacts of high-pressure well stimulation, as these techniques have already been conducted on more than 1 million wells from California to Pennsylvania.  We look forward to continuing to work with Representative Rodrigues on this matter going forward and thank him for his sponsorship of this critical piece of legislation.”

For more information on AIF, please visit AIF.com and follow @VoiceofFLBiz.

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