© 2025 WGCU News
PBS and NPR for Southwest Florida
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Local Lawmaker Says Fracking Bills Are Likely Dead In The Legislature

Myfloridahouse.gov

 A fracking bill sponsored by a Southwest Florida lawmaker likely won’t become law yet again this year.

State Rep. Ray Rodrigues, R-Estero, has been trying to get a bill passed that would require companies to disclose what chemicals they use when fracking, which is a way to mine for natural gas.

Last year, his bill got bipartisan support and passed in the Florida House. However, it didn’t make it through the Senate, but things have changed in the past year.

Rodrigues said many House Democrats that once voted for the bill are now voting against it as it moves through legislative committees. He said the bill has become partisan, which is a sign it likely won’t pass.

“When you are dealing with a situation as controversial as a public registry disclosing the chemicals that are used in hydraulic fracturing, it really requires a broad range of support and isn’t something that should be pushed through on a party line,” he said.

Environmentalists and Democrats have mostly taken issue with Rodrigues’ companion bill, which allows companies to not publicly disclose chemicals they say are “trade secrets.” Rodrigues said that bill is aimed at making his other bill consistent with federal law.

But mostly, opponents of Rodrigues’ bill worry these regulations will invite fracking. Rodrigues said that worry is misguided.

“Fracking could begin tomorrow in the state because it is already permitted and it’s already legal,” he explained. “So, these people that are fighting this that are concerned need to ask themselves a question: do they want to know what chemicals are put into the ground or not?”

Rodrigues said even though the bill is pretty much dead this year, he will sponsor it again next session. 

Ashley Lopez is a reporter forWGCUNews. A native of Miami, she graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a journalism degree.
Trusted by over 30,000 local subscribers

Local News, Right Sized for Your Morning

Quick briefs when you are busy, deeper explainers when it matters, delivered early morning and curated by WGCU editors.

  • Environment
  • Local politics
  • Health
  • And more

Free and local. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

More from WGCU
  • Gray Catbirds are in a bird family known as the “Mimidae” – because they mimic other birds, other animals, and even mechanical sounds. Other members of their family in Florida include the Brown Thrasher and the Northern Mockingbird – two excellent mimics that we often see and hear year-round as they feed, sing, and nest in relatively open vegetation. They often mimic the vocalizations of other bird species and it has been suggested that their mimicry may send the message that the area is crowded – and cause other birds to search for food elsewhere.
  • President Donald Trump's administration is demanding that states reverse full SNAP benefits issued under recent court orders. The U.S. Supreme Court has stayed those rulings, affecting 42 million Americans who rely on the program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's demand follows warnings from over two dozen states about potential "catastrophic operational disruptions" if they aren't reimbursed for benefits authorized before the stay. Nonprofits and Democratic attorneys general had sued to maintain the program, winning favorable rulings last week. Wisconsin, for example, loaded benefits for 700,000 residents but now faces financial strain.
  • Traffic will shift to the new Big Carlos Pass bridge overnight Thursday, Nov. 13.