By Gil Smart
January 20, 2017
TC Palm
It looks like Martin County is on the cusp of banning fracking.
On Tuesday, the Martin County Board of Commissioners will consider a proposed ordinance to prohibit oil- and gas-related high-pressure well stimulation (i.e. fracking) and prohibit storage and disposal of associated fracking wastes.
John Polley, the county’s utilities and solid waste director, said the idea of the ban came from local citizens who approached county commissioners and asked them to consider it.
If commissioners pass the measure, Martin County would become one of at least 80 local governments in Florida to ban the practice. That includes St. Lucie County, which banned fracking in 2015.
County staff prepared an extensive report on fracking, including an exhaustive “white paper” drafted by county geologist Anne Murray, which details Florida’s geology, explains fracking methods and concerns and maps existing oil and gas wells throughout the state.
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