HB 191- Relating to Regulation of Oil and Gas Resources
On Wednesday, December 2nd, HB 191, relating to Regulation of Oil and Gas Resources, by Rep. Ray Rodrigues (R-Fort Myers) passed through the House Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee with 9 yeas and 3 nays. AIF’s Senior Vice President of State and Federal Affairs, Brewster Bevis, stood in support of this bill.

This bill makes many revisions to the Oil and Gas Program (program) to make this program safer and more effective for all involved. The Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Mining and Minerals Regulation Program in the Division of Water Resource Management (Division) oversees permitting for oil and gas drilling, production, and exploration within Florida through its Oil and Gas Program. The Program’s primary responsibilities include conservation of oil and gas resources, correlative rights protection, maintenance of health and human safety, and environmental protection.

HB 191 will now head to its last committee stop in the House State Affairs Committee.

AIF supports the need to maintain appropriate permitting laws to protect the environment, to enhance efficiency between industry and the state, and to ensure appropriate standards are clearly communicated.

AIF released the following statement regarding HB 191:

AIF Statement on House Bill 191 to Regulate Onshore Oil & Gas Activities

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.”

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