Residents of Estero praised the Estero Village Council on Wednesday for its plan to draft a hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) ban in spite of proposed House Bill 191, which would give the state the authority to regulate oil and gas operations.
Two weeks before, Rep. Ray Rodrigues, R-Estero, presented his bill to the Estero council meeting. It encompasses exploration, development, production, storage and transportation related to fracking and other oil and gas operations.
If passed, the bill would preempt local municipalities’ power to pass ordinances banning fracking in their city limits, and it would nullify any such ordinances passed after Jan. 1, 2015. The village of Estero, which incorporated Dec. 31, 2014, took over its own zoning in April 2015.
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“A county or municipality may, however, enforce an existing zoning ordinance adopted before Jan. 1, 2015, if the ordinance is otherwise valid,” according to both bill texts.
Rep. Rodrigues did say that negotiations are taking place with Florida League of Cities and Florida Association of Counties to determine what authority local governments will have. Rodrigues did not disclose any specifics at the Nov. 23, meeting.
The Council has announced that it is drafting “Ordinance No. 2015-19” an ordinance that limits certain excavation techniques relating to hydraulic fracturing, acid fracturing and acid stimulation.
The residents of Estero thanked and praised the Council for its decision to go ahead with an ordinance, and there’s little question that the ordinance will pass.
Both the Council and residents are unanimously against fracking taking place in Estero.
“I do not think fracking should be allowed in Estero or Florida as a whole,” said Nicholas Batos, Mayor of Estero, Florida.
The Village of Estero Council will vote on the ordinance on Dec. 16.