GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Local officials in north Florida have passed a resolution supporting a statewide ban on fracking in the state.
Alachua County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to support two bills in the state Legislature that would ban the practice in Florida.
Fracking is a process where water, sand and chemicals are shot at high pressure into underground rock formations in an effort to free oil or natural gas trapped inside.
The Gainesville Sun (http://bit.ly/17bOtpE ) reports that the oil industry says fracking is safe and that it has helped the U.S. to become more energy independent.
Environmentalists say the chemicals used in fracking can pollute water, and that the practice is harmful for the environment.
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Information from: The Gainesville (Fla.) Sun, http://www.gainesvillesun.com
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