Senate Republicans in Florida are leading an effort to pass a statewide fracking ban in Florida.
According to the Sun Sentinel, Republican State Sen. Dana Young of Tampa filed a bill earlier this week that would ban fracking and acid fracking throughout Florida.
Republican Rep. Mike Miller of Orlando is also expected to file a similar bill in the House of Representatives, the Sun Sentinel said.
The proposed ban has won the support of Senate Democrats as well as Republican Sen. Jack Latvala who serves as the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
According to Florida Politics, Latvala and Republican Sens. Keith Perry attended a press conference that Young held earlier this week to discuss her proposal.
Latvala told the Sun Sentinel that his support of the measure is tied to concerns about potential impacts on the Florida aquifer and drinking water quality.
According to Naples Daily News, there are more than 40 local and municipal fracking bans currently in place around Florida.
The fracking ban battle is partially tied to a 2013 incident when the Florida of Department of Environmental Quality ordered a Texas-based fracking company to cease operations in Collier County.
The Florida DEQ had expressed concerns about a well completion procedure notice it received from the Dan A. Hughes Company in December 2013.
The department said it was concerned about an enhanced extraction procedure the firm planned to use because the procedure had not previously been used in Florida.
The DEQ asked the firm to not move forward until an additional review was performed at the Collier County site.
The DEQ said it found that the Dan A. Hughes Company conducted “unauthorized activities and immediately took action to assess the maximum civil penalties.”
