Cape council member calls press conference rally to ban fracking
Lee County residents are asked to join elected officials in Cape Coral Friday in support of a fracking ban.
Cape Coral City Councilmember Jessica Cosden has called the 3 p.m. combination press conference and rally in support of statewide fracking ban SB 442 and HB 451.
Other officials taking part will include Meredith Barnard, Policy Analyst, Conservancy of Southwest Florida and Michelle Allen, Florida Organizer Food & Water Watch.
They will urge state Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto and state Rep. Matt Caldwell to vote in favor the bills to prohibit fracking in Florida.
Cape Coral has been facing major drought issues and, with the possibility of water restrictions burdening communities, residents support a fracking ban more than ever, city officils said.
“Lee County, along with the rest of water-reliant Florida, cannot afford to support a practice that requires millions of gallons of freshwater per well to operate and is known to contaminate water,” a release announcing the event states. “Three cities have already passed fracking bans in Lee County and another has passed a resolution supporting a statewide fracking ban.”
The press conference will happen during start of water conservation month and will come a week after more than 150 Floridians gathered on the steps of the State Capitol building in Tallahassee to call for a statewide fracking ban.
The event will take place in front of Cape Coral City Hall, 1015 Cultural Park Blvd, Cape Coral.