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Item L2BOARD OF COUNTY COMIYIISSIONERS AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Meeting Date: 5/20/15 — KL Division: Commissioner — District 3 Bulk Item: Yes No XX Staff Contact: Carol Schreck, 292-3430 AGENDA ITEM WORDING: Approval of a resolution supporting a ban on the use of hydraulic fracturing, acid fracturing, and similar well stimulation processes and treatments performed for the purpose of exploration or production of energy resources, also known as "fracking, in the State of Florida or in the Florida Keys or any area that would impact the water supply or watersheds of the Florida Keys. ITEM BACKGROUND: "Facking" threatens the environment, with long-term irreparable damage to sensitive ecological resources and to the public health and safety of our residents and visitors. This resolution supports a ban on "fracking" in the State of Florida or in the Florida Keys or any area that would impact the water supply or watersheds of the Florida Keys. This resolution also directs the Clerk to furnish copies of this resolution to the Governor and the legislative delegation for Monroe County to clarify Monroe County's position on this issue. PREVIOUS RELEVANT BOCC ACTION: N/A CONTRACT/AGREEMENT CHANGES: N/A STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: N/A TOTAL COST: INDIRECT COST: BUDGETED: Yes No DIFFERENTIAL OF LOCAL PREFERENCE: COST TO COUNTY: SOURCE OF FUNDS: REVENUE PRODUCING: Yes No xx AMOUNT PER MONTH Year APPROVED BY: County Atty OMB/Purchasing Risk Management DOCUMENTATION: Included /4Not Required DISPOSITION: AGENDA ITEM # Revised 7/09 Mayor Pro Tem Carruthers RESOLUTION NO. - 2015 A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA, SUPPORTING A BAN ON THE USE OF HYDRAULIC FRACTURING, ACID FRACTURING, AND SIMILAR WELL STIMULATION PROCESSES AND TREATMENTS PERFORMED FOR THE PURPOSE OF EXPLORATION OR PRODUCTION OF ENERGY RESOURCES, ALSO KNOWN AS "FRACKING", IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA, OR IN THE FLORIDA KEYS OR ANY AREA THAT WOULD IMPACT THE WATER SUPPLY OR WATERSHEDS OF THE FLORIDA KEYS; PROVIDING DIRECTION TO THE CLERK. WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Florida (hereinafter the "Board") is the governing body of Monroe County (hereinafter the "County"); and, WHEREAS, the Board is charged with safeguarding the public health, safety, and welfare of the residents of the County; and WHEREAS, the wise stewardship of our natural resources involves the protection of Florida's water supplies and natural environment for generations to come; and WHEREAS, the Florida Keys are formed of two distinct types of limestone; the Upper Keys made up of calcium skeletons of coral and very porous, known as the Key Largo Limestone formation, with large solution spaces, and the Lower Keys formed of a substance known as oolite; and WHEREAS, while oolite is porous, water cannot move quite as freely through oolite as it does through the coral rock of the Upper Keys because the solution spaces in oolite are smaller; and WHEREAS, there are only two sources of groundwater under the string of islands called the Florida Keys; the Florida Aquifer and the Biscayne Aquifer; and WHEREAS, the Florida Aquifer is separated from the above by sand, making it less permeable to surface water infiltration, and the Biscayne Aquifer is the shallower source of groundwater, housed in more permeable Key Largo limestone; and WHEREAS, the Biscayne Aquifer is approximately 100 feet thick and is housed in Miami oolite; it is the source of the potable water that the Florida Keys Aquifer pipes down the Keys; and Res Fracking (Carruthers) BOCC 5/20/15 Page 1 of 3 Mayor Pro Tem Carruthers WHEREAS, the possible chemical contamination and environmental degradation caused by fracking may result in grave irreparable damage to the groundwater that supplies the only potable water to the residents, businesses and visitors to the Florida Keys and, by threatening our water supply and watersheds, have disastrous effects on our environmentally sensitive plant life and marine life for generations to come; and WHEREAS, protection of the environment is better accomplished by the prevention of contamination and environmental degradation, as opposed to post -contamination, post - degradation, or otherwise after -the -fact environmental cleanup and restoration; and WHEREAS, the Board finds that the exploration for and extraction of coal, natural gas, petroleum, and other energy resources through means of well stimulation is a practice used in energy exploration and extraction that involves treatment of a well to enhance production by increasing the permeability of an underground geologic formation; and WHEREAS, acid or hydraulic fracturing, also known as "fracking," is a well stimulation process that involves the high-pressure injection of complex fracturing fluids that contain a mixture of chemicals, sand, and/or water into underground geological formations to create fractures in order to enhance access to and increase flow of the production of coal, natural gas, petroleum, and other energy resources; and WHEREAS, the well stimulation process known as "fracking" involves vertical and/or horizontal drilling, which creates a nuisance and negative environmental impact upon property owners who reside on, or own property above, the drilling site, or who reside on or own property adjacent to areas subjected to such drilling; and WHEREAS, such vertical and/or horizontal drilling creates a nuisance and negative environmental impact upon endangered, threatened, or otherwise vulnerable animal and plant species and their habitat(s); and WHEREAS, human exposure to the chemicals used in "fracking" poses a widespread and significant risk to public health and safety, as "fracking" involves the deployment of complex chemicals, many of which are known to be carcinogenic or have otherwise been documented as having adverse effects upon human health; and WHEREAS, use of fracturing mixes expose adjacent land and waters to the risk of contamination through well activities, open pit storage, and transport on roadways, resulting in heightened risk of contamination and irreparable damage to public health, safety, and environment; and WHEREAS, "fracking" is the subject of grave concern regarding the documented irreparable damage to public health and safety and adverse environmental impacts of such practice, including, but not limited to, the generation of air pollutants, the underground migration of fracturing chemicals into nearshore waters and groundwater supplies, the generation of hazardous radioactive or otherwise toxic waste, and increased seismic activity; and Res Fracking (Carruthers) BOCC 5/20/15 Page 2 of 3 Mayor Pro Tem Carruthers WHEREAS, such harmful effects threaten the County's long-term economic well-being, as both businesses and consumers depend on clean drinking water and the ecological integrity of the natural environment; and WHEREAS, the potential long-term and cumulative health and environmental impacts of "fracking" pose a risk of irreparable danger to the public health, safety, and welfare of the County's residents; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA that: 1. The above recitals are hereby incorporated into this resolution as if restated herein and constitute the legislative findings and intent of the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Florida. 2. The Board supports a ban on the use of hydraulic fracturing, acid fracturing, and similar well stimulation processes and treatments performed for the purpose of exploration or production of energy resources, also known as "fracking", in the State of Florida, or in the Florida Keys, or any area where fracking would possibly impact or threaten the water supply and watersheds or natural environment of the Florida Keys, due to the potential harmful impacts on the residents, environment, and natural resources of Monroe County, Florida. 3. The Clerk for this Board shall furnish copies of this resolution to the Governor and the legislative delegation for Monroe County as soon as reasonably possible. 4. This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon adoption. PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Florida, at a regular meeting of said board held on the 20`h day of May, 2015. Mayor Danny L. Kolhage, District 1 Mayor Pro Tem Heather Carruthers, District 3 Commissioner George Neugent, District 2 Commissioner David Rice, District 4 Commissioner Sylvia Murphy, District 5 (Seal) Attest: Amy Heavilin, Clerk BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS By: Deputy Clerk Res Fracking (Carruthers) BOCC 5/20/15 OF MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA By: Mayor Danny L. Kolhage RO;l EFWYATrORNEY Page 3 of 3 P40SEKT B. 8H1WNGER, JR.