In a beautifully written acceptance speech delivered after his May 22, 2010 swearing in, newly elected Councilmember Steve Lyda said the following:
"What does this election mean in the future? Absolutely nothing. From this day forward, we will now be defined by our actions, by our record, and by what we do and do not do as a council. One thing is clear, if we don’t answer the mandate of the people…the people will be back to mandate who is on the council."
Truer words were never spoken.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
OOPS Williams Did It Again
Yep. Good neighbor Williams had another spill in Flower Mound. This is the third one this year.
The first spill occurred in March. Then there was another in July and then again today.
The first spill occurred in March. Then there was another in July and then again today.
Hmmm. Makes you wonder how past many spills we didn't hear about. Unless, all of a sudden Williams is just having some bad luck.
It is estimated that 190 barrels (not gallons) of flowback water spilled from a faulty valve. It ran into the soil around the pad site and soil had to be removed. The Texas Railroad Commission has been notified and Williams will be fined by the town.
Click here to read the story in the Cross Timbers Gazette.Monday, August 16, 2010
Action Alert: Attend FM Council Meeting Tonight!!!
The Titan application for the Hilliard site is in the final stages of being approved. Drilling could start in the next few weeks. It is important that the residents demand our elected officials do everything in their power to protect us against the risks related to gas drilling. The current resident lawsuit is asking for the town to do that.
We know the Town can enter into a "stand-still agreement" with the plaintiffs (Ms. Simonson and Mr. Parameswaran), which could essentially put a legal hold on Titan’s application to begin drilling on Hilliard Field. There is ample legal precedent for a stand-still agreement, and it makes sense for them to do so. If the plaintiffs prevail in court, yet the Town has allowed Titan to drill before the case is heard by a judge, there is a probability that the permit would be declared invalid. In this case, all construction and drilling would have to be reversed, removed, or shut-down. And, although, Titan and Mr. Hilliard are undoubtedly aware of this lawsuit, they could conceivably blame (and sue) the Town for administratively approving a permit next week that is at risk of later being invalidated.
The town is worried about a lawsuit from Titan. But Titan has already filed suit against the Town due to the denials given to variances they requested from the Oil & Gas Board of Appeals. Titan alleges that those denials (backed strongly by a majority of residents) were arbitrary and capricious.
To make matters worse, we have heard that tonight at the Town Council meeting, our Town Council is planning to remove Jenny Rogers and Prakash Parameswaran from the Advisory Board for "perceived conflicts of interest". Even though Debra Medina and the other industry people will remain on board. These industry people have a direct financial stake in companies who stand to gain a lot of money if they help control the Advisory Board while reviewing the ordinances.
What can you do?
Share these fliers with your friends and neighbors. Click here and here to download.
Show up to the Town Council Meeting tonight at Town Hall, 6:00 pm. Since neither of the issues are on the agenda, your comments will be heard at beginning of the meeting during Public Participation.
Demand the Town Council to direct the Town staff to put a legal hold on approving the Titan application.
Demand that Jenny Rogers and Prakash Parameswaran be allowed to stay on the Oil & Gas Advisory Board.
Demand that our elected officials honor their campaign promises to stand up and fight for the residents of Flower Mound and not the gas drilling companies.
If you can't make it, please contact the Town Council via e-mail.
Mayor Melissa D. Northern mayor@flower-mound.com
Steve Dixon place1@flower-mound.com
Al Filidoro place2@flower-mound.com
Mike Wallace place3@flower-mound.com
Steve Lyda place4@flower-mound.com
Tom Hayden place5@flower-mound.com
We know the Town can enter into a "stand-still agreement" with the plaintiffs (Ms. Simonson and Mr. Parameswaran), which could essentially put a legal hold on Titan’s application to begin drilling on Hilliard Field. There is ample legal precedent for a stand-still agreement, and it makes sense for them to do so. If the plaintiffs prevail in court, yet the Town has allowed Titan to drill before the case is heard by a judge, there is a probability that the permit would be declared invalid. In this case, all construction and drilling would have to be reversed, removed, or shut-down. And, although, Titan and Mr. Hilliard are undoubtedly aware of this lawsuit, they could conceivably blame (and sue) the Town for administratively approving a permit next week that is at risk of later being invalidated.
The town is worried about a lawsuit from Titan. But Titan has already filed suit against the Town due to the denials given to variances they requested from the Oil & Gas Board of Appeals. Titan alleges that those denials (backed strongly by a majority of residents) were arbitrary and capricious.
To make matters worse, we have heard that tonight at the Town Council meeting, our Town Council is planning to remove Jenny Rogers and Prakash Parameswaran from the Advisory Board for "perceived conflicts of interest". Even though Debra Medina and the other industry people will remain on board. These industry people have a direct financial stake in companies who stand to gain a lot of money if they help control the Advisory Board while reviewing the ordinances.
What can you do?
Share these fliers with your friends and neighbors. Click here and here to download.
Show up to the Town Council Meeting tonight at Town Hall, 6:00 pm. Since neither of the issues are on the agenda, your comments will be heard at beginning of the meeting during Public Participation.
Demand the Town Council to direct the Town staff to put a legal hold on approving the Titan application.
Demand that Jenny Rogers and Prakash Parameswaran be allowed to stay on the Oil & Gas Advisory Board.
Demand that our elected officials honor their campaign promises to stand up and fight for the residents of Flower Mound and not the gas drilling companies.
If you can't make it, please contact the Town Council via e-mail.
Mayor Melissa D. Northern mayor@flower-mound.com
Steve Dixon place1@flower-mound.com
Al Filidoro place2@flower-mound.com
Mike Wallace place3@flower-mound.com
Steve Lyda place4@flower-mound.com
Tom Hayden place5@flower-mound.com
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
FLO MO GAS MYTH #6
FLO-MO MYTH #6 - We HAVE to get the gas from Hilliard now!!!
Wrong.
The gas has been there for thousands and thousands of years and its going nowhere. In addition, the price of natural gas is incredibly low. Why waste it? Did you know that Chesapeake has stopped drilling (unless someone else is paying for it or in order to keep leases from expiring) until gas prices rise.
The only ones in a hurry are Cherokee Horn, Titan, and Ron Hilliard.
Wrong.
The gas has been there for thousands and thousands of years and its going nowhere. In addition, the price of natural gas is incredibly low. Why waste it? Did you know that Chesapeake has stopped drilling (unless someone else is paying for it or in order to keep leases from expiring) until gas prices rise.
The only ones in a hurry are Cherokee Horn, Titan, and Ron Hilliard.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
FLO MO GAS MYTH #5
FLO-MO MYTH #5 – The Town cannot enter into a “stand-still” agreement with the plaintiffs.
Case law on declaratory judgment does NOT dictate that a 3rd party, such as Titan, must be brought in.
Dedicated residents have sacrificed time, energy, and money to file a lawsuit that opens the door for the Town to enter into a stand-still agreement, until a judge can determine the merits of this case.
Why does the Town always seem to try and make it easy for the gas companies and hard for the residents? Hundreds of residents devoted long hours to the CCF petition drive and 6,000 citizens signed the petition. The same group of people worked even harder to elect the NFL. The NFL campaign ran a platform based on representing the community and NOT the drilling companies.
The Town has a choice to make and this choice will impact Town elections going forward: They can choose to stand with the residents or they can choose to stand with the gas companies. If the Town chooses not to enter into a stand-still agreement with the plaintiffs by deciding on their own that the lawsuit does not have merit, instead of letting a judge decide, they are proactively choosing to side with the drilling companies.
Case law on declaratory judgment does NOT dictate that a 3rd party, such as Titan, must be brought in.
Dedicated residents have sacrificed time, energy, and money to file a lawsuit that opens the door for the Town to enter into a stand-still agreement, until a judge can determine the merits of this case.
Why does the Town always seem to try and make it easy for the gas companies and hard for the residents? Hundreds of residents devoted long hours to the CCF petition drive and 6,000 citizens signed the petition. The same group of people worked even harder to elect the NFL. The NFL campaign ran a platform based on representing the community and NOT the drilling companies.
The Town has a choice to make and this choice will impact Town elections going forward: They can choose to stand with the residents or they can choose to stand with the gas companies. If the Town chooses not to enter into a stand-still agreement with the plaintiffs by deciding on their own that the lawsuit does not have merit, instead of letting a judge decide, they are proactively choosing to side with the drilling companies.
Town Manager's Response to Request for "Stand Still" Agreement
Following is an excerpt from an email, sent late on August 6th from the Town Manager, in response to an emailed request that the Town enter into a stand still agreement with the plaintiffs until a judge decides the merits of the case.
In regards to your comments related to the Town entering into a stand-still agreement, this action is not feasible. Stand-still agreements are essentially an agreement between two parties not to take any actions until an issue is resolved. It is akin to calling a truce until some issue (or perhaps many issues) is/are resolved.
This does not take into account a third party that may be involved in the situation. No judge would agree to a stand-still agreement without the third party being involved in the litigation. Even if the two parties entered into an agreement without court approval, they would be sued by the third party because their rights are very clearly implicated by such action.
In regards to your comments related to the Town entering into a stand-still agreement, this action is not feasible. Stand-still agreements are essentially an agreement between two parties not to take any actions until an issue is resolved. It is akin to calling a truce until some issue (or perhaps many issues) is/are resolved.
This does not take into account a third party that may be involved in the situation. No judge would agree to a stand-still agreement without the third party being involved in the litigation. Even if the two parties entered into an agreement without court approval, they would be sued by the third party because their rights are very clearly implicated by such action.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
FLO MO GAS MYTH #4
FLO MO GAS MYTH #4: Gas drilling royalties will bring significant income to the residents surrounding Hilliard Field.
The average homeowner has a 1/4 acre lot. With the help of industry insiders, we calculated estimated royalties using nearby (Williams) production data, typical well spacings, a 15 year year life span,... a 22.5% royalty to the homeowner, and NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange) futures data .
The result? The average monthly payment (non-discounted) over the expected life span of the well, is approximately $22 before expenses. When taxes and expenses are deducted, the average homeowner would realize less than $15 per month.
Or said another way...less than 50 cents per day.
The average homeowner has a 1/4 acre lot. With the help of industry insiders, we calculated estimated royalties using nearby (Williams) production data, typical well spacings, a 15 year year life span,... a 22.5% royalty to the homeowner, and NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange) futures data .
The result? The average monthly payment (non-discounted) over the expected life span of the well, is approximately $22 before expenses. When taxes and expenses are deducted, the average homeowner would realize less than $15 per month.
Or said another way...less than 50 cents per day.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Flower Mound Call To Action!!!! UPDATED
Contact the Mayor, Town Council, and the Town Manager TODAY and let them know you do not want the Hilliard Permit Administratively approved!!!!
The Town can legally put a hold on any approval because of the pending litigation.
FLO-MO GAS MYTH #1 - Flower Mound has the strongest oil and gas ordinances in the State of Texas. (We've heard this over and over again.) We do have some of the largest setback requirements in the state, but do we really have the strongest ...ordinances? Let's look at Southlake.
They have all of our setback requirements and an added requirement that all operators must obtain a Special Use Permit (SUP) for each pad site. Why would Southlake require a SUP?
This allows better control on the size and placement of gas well pad sites, ensuring no pad sites show up in the center of Southlake and near densely populated areas.
FLO-MO GAS MYTH #2 - The Town's hands are tied and they cannot stop Hilliard. This is simply not true.
The town can enter into a "stand-still agreement" with those who filed suit, which would essentially put a legal hold on Titan's application to begin drilling on Hilliard Field. There is ample legal precedence for ...a stand-still agreement, and it makes sense for a couple of reasons.
First, if the plaintiffs prevail in court, yet the town has allowed Titan to drill before the case is heard by a judge, there is a probability that the permit would be declared invalid. In this case, all construction and drilling on Hilliard would come to a screeching halt. (Talk about some mad venture capitalists.)
Second, Titan and Mr. Hilliard are aware of the lawsuit, and they know that any administratively approved permit is at risk of later being invalidated.
FLO MO GAS MYTH #3 - We want to deny Ron Hilliard his mineral rights.
Did you know that Mr. Hilliard's gas can be extracted further south, in a less populated area of Flower Mound, away from homes and schools? Technology is being perfected that allows gas companies to drill from far away. Isn't is worth a legal hold ...to at least explore this option?
mayor@flower-mound.com
place1@flower-mound.com
place2@flower-mound.com
place3@flower-mound.com
place4@flower-mound.com
place5@flower-mound.com
harlan.jefferson@flower-mound.com
The Town can legally put a hold on any approval because of the pending litigation.
FLO-MO GAS MYTH #1 - Flower Mound has the strongest oil and gas ordinances in the State of Texas. (We've heard this over and over again.) We do have some of the largest setback requirements in the state, but do we really have the strongest ...ordinances? Let's look at Southlake.
They have all of our setback requirements and an added requirement that all operators must obtain a Special Use Permit (SUP) for each pad site. Why would Southlake require a SUP?
This allows better control on the size and placement of gas well pad sites, ensuring no pad sites show up in the center of Southlake and near densely populated areas.
FLO-MO GAS MYTH #2 - The Town's hands are tied and they cannot stop Hilliard. This is simply not true.
The town can enter into a "stand-still agreement" with those who filed suit, which would essentially put a legal hold on Titan's application to begin drilling on Hilliard Field. There is ample legal precedence for ...a stand-still agreement, and it makes sense for a couple of reasons.
First, if the plaintiffs prevail in court, yet the town has allowed Titan to drill before the case is heard by a judge, there is a probability that the permit would be declared invalid. In this case, all construction and drilling on Hilliard would come to a screeching halt. (Talk about some mad venture capitalists.)
Second, Titan and Mr. Hilliard are aware of the lawsuit, and they know that any administratively approved permit is at risk of later being invalidated.
FLO MO GAS MYTH #3 - We want to deny Ron Hilliard his mineral rights.
Did you know that Mr. Hilliard's gas can be extracted further south, in a less populated area of Flower Mound, away from homes and schools? Technology is being perfected that allows gas companies to drill from far away. Isn't is worth a legal hold ...to at least explore this option?
mayor@flower-mound.com
place1@flower-mound.com
place2@flower-mound.com
place3@flower-mound.com
place4@flower-mound.com
place5@flower-mound.com
harlan.jefferson@flower-mound.com
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Fort Worth League of Neighborhoods host Wilma Subra and Dr. Theo Colborn
This is a rare opportunity to see both of these incrediable woman in one place. Here are the details.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
6:30 p.m.Fort Worth Firefighters Hall
3855 Tulsa Way
Fort Worth,TX 76107
Ft. Worth League of Neighborhoods will be hosting a public meeting featuring Wilma Subra, a MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Award winning chemist and Dr. Theo Colborn, internationally known Environmental Scientist known for her work on the health effects of fracking chemicals.
Topics to be covered will include:
Air emissions and fracking chemicals and their potential health effects
Seating will be limited so come early.
Bio's in alphabetical order:
Dr. Theo Colborn
Environmental health analyst
B.S. in pharmacy from Rutgers University, M.A. in fresh water ecology from Western State College of Colorado, PhD in zoology, with distributed minors in epidemiology, toxicology, and water chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Field and laboratory research: mobilization of low levels of toxic trace metals in high altitude streams in Colorado.Fellowship from the US Congress, Office of Technology Assessment
Established and ran the Wildlife and Contaminants Program at World Wildlife Fund until 2002.
Served on the EPA Science Advisory Board and several EPA panels; on a Canada/US International Joint Commission Health Committee since 1989; advised Environment Canada, Health Canada, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the US Department of the Interior,the ATSDR.
Advised similar government agencies in Europe, the UK, and Japan. Published in scientific journals and books on the effects of low level and/or ambient exposure to toxic chemicals called endocrine disruptors which has triggered action at the state, national, and international level to improve the protocols for testing chemicals when determining their safety.
Wilma Subra
Environmental Scientist, Chemist
Served seven year term as Vice-Chair of the Environmental Protection Agency National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology (NACEPT)
National Advisory Committee of the U.S. Representative to the Commission for Environmental Cooperation
EPA National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) where she served as a member of the Cumulative Risk and Impacts Working Group of the NEJAC Council
Chaired the NEJAC Gulf Coast Hurricanes Work Group.
She is an EARTHWORKS board member and a Texas Oil & Gas Accountability Project Steering Committee member.
Mrs. Subra holds degrees in Microbiology/Chemistry from the University of Southwestern Louisiana.
Received the MacArthur Fellowship "Genius" Award from the MacArthur Foundation for helping ordinary citizens understand, cope with and combat environmental issues in their communities.
One of three finalists in the Environmental Category of the 2004 Volvo for Life Award.
The Barnett Shale Energy Council and Titan Engineering will also be on hand to speak about their recent air study.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
6:30 p.m.Fort Worth Firefighters Hall
3855 Tulsa Way
Fort Worth,TX 76107
Ft. Worth League of Neighborhoods will be hosting a public meeting featuring Wilma Subra, a MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Award winning chemist and Dr. Theo Colborn, internationally known Environmental Scientist known for her work on the health effects of fracking chemicals.
Topics to be covered will include:
Air emissions and fracking chemicals and their potential health effects
Seating will be limited so come early.
Bio's in alphabetical order:
Dr. Theo Colborn
Environmental health analyst
B.S. in pharmacy from Rutgers University, M.A. in fresh water ecology from Western State College of Colorado, PhD in zoology, with distributed minors in epidemiology, toxicology, and water chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Field and laboratory research: mobilization of low levels of toxic trace metals in high altitude streams in Colorado.Fellowship from the US Congress, Office of Technology Assessment
Established and ran the Wildlife and Contaminants Program at World Wildlife Fund until 2002.
Served on the EPA Science Advisory Board and several EPA panels; on a Canada/US International Joint Commission Health Committee since 1989; advised Environment Canada, Health Canada, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the US Department of the Interior,the ATSDR.
Advised similar government agencies in Europe, the UK, and Japan. Published in scientific journals and books on the effects of low level and/or ambient exposure to toxic chemicals called endocrine disruptors which has triggered action at the state, national, and international level to improve the protocols for testing chemicals when determining their safety.
Wilma Subra
Environmental Scientist, Chemist
Served seven year term as Vice-Chair of the Environmental Protection Agency National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology (NACEPT)
National Advisory Committee of the U.S. Representative to the Commission for Environmental Cooperation
EPA National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) where she served as a member of the Cumulative Risk and Impacts Working Group of the NEJAC Council
Chaired the NEJAC Gulf Coast Hurricanes Work Group.
She is an EARTHWORKS board member and a Texas Oil & Gas Accountability Project Steering Committee member.
Mrs. Subra holds degrees in Microbiology/Chemistry from the University of Southwestern Louisiana.
Received the MacArthur Fellowship "Genius" Award from the MacArthur Foundation for helping ordinary citizens understand, cope with and combat environmental issues in their communities.
One of three finalists in the Environmental Category of the 2004 Volvo for Life Award.
The Barnett Shale Energy Council and Titan Engineering will also be on hand to speak about their recent air study.
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