Florida drops bill to open fracking in the Everglades after public outcry

Opponents of the oil industry-backed fracking bill say it would have threatened the environment and south Florida's drinking water

Environmentalists in Florida are celebrating the failure of an oil industry-backed bill they say would have opened a pathway to fracking in the ecologically sensitive Everglades wetlands.

State lawmakers unexpectedly dropped the measure in a hearing in Tallahassee on Tuesday, just as they were about to begin debate on the controversial, high-pressure drilling practice, bowing instead to a groundswell of public opinion.