Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Flower Mound and surrounding communities breast cancer rates on the rise

The Denton Record Chronicle published this article about the rising numbers of breast cancer in communities on the Barnett Shale. It will be interesting to see what the State of Texas does with this information. Just to jog some memories, Back in early 2010, the State of Texas did their own cancer cluster study for leukemia, thyroid cancer, lymphoma, and breast cancer here in Flower Mound. We all remember what came of that......

After finding an elevated number of breast cancer in Flower Mound, the Texas Department of Health Services said the breast cancer result could be due to overall population increases in Flower Mound and the likelihood that women in this area are more frequently screened for breast cancer. 

Just to clarify this excuse, if a woman doesn't get screened and doesn't know she has breast cancer, she is less likely to die from it? Wow, our insurance companies would be happy to hear that.

Frack Schedule Set For Titan/Hilliard Site in Flower Mound

The town of Flower Mound has posted the fracking schedule for the Hilliard Property.
Fracking is scheduled to begin September 12th and end September 27th.

Click here to review.

Report all suspicious odors and health issues (even if no odor is present)
TCEQ online form:
TCEQ toll-free at 888-777-3186
TCEQ e-mail cmplaint@tceq.state.tx.us
 

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

EPA Proposed New Air-Emission Rules For Oil and Gas Drilling

The EPA has released their proposed New Air-Emission Rules for Oil and Gas Drilling to the Federal Register. This is the time to comment. We have posted some links below for you to read the proposed rules and a link to the page for commenting.

If you have a whole lot of time, click here for proposed rules doc.

If you just want the important stuff, click here for the fact sheet.

Click here for a nice EPA presentation.

Click here to read the Regulatory Impact Analysis.

And the most important of all....click here to submit a comment.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Does the TCEQ know their @$$ from a hole in the ground?

So much going on here in Barnett Shale country. We don't even know where to begin.


There is something in the air in Argyle and Bartonville. Dibromoethane or EDB, a known carcinogen, has been found present in air in these communities 6 times since December 2010. It seems that the TCEQ is in denial. Residents and ABC Alliance members are asking for the EPA to conduct an investigation asap. Below is a paragraph from the post.


The Alliance would like an immediate investigation done by the EPA to determine the source of the EDB and provide for its elimination. It seems like a reasonable request, but now TCEQ state investigators are denying that their scientific testing techniques were ever scientific and it is possible that the detected carcinogen was never detected at all. One mistake in testing we could understand, or maybe even two mistakes in detection. But this carcinogen was detected SIX TIMES.

The Denton Record Chronicle reports on this issue.


This community is no stranger to health effects from living near gas drilling production facilities. Click here to read some of the health issues documented by the residents in Argyle and Bartonville.

Texas Sharon talks about the TCEQ's admission that they lack the science to be sure what we are breathing long-term. And asks a good question. "Is the TCEQ trying to preempt a scandal?"

Another Texas agency failing the citizens. Oh and our  Governor wants a moratorium on all regulations across this country!!! We are in trouble folks.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

You may want to keep the TCEQ complaint info handy

We may be getting fracked again here in FloMo so don't forget to keep the TCEQ odor and health complaint info handy.

In 2010, we found close to 60 odor and health complaints on the TCEQ website made by residents right here in Flower Mound. No violations have been issued to date. We understand it can be disappointing at times. Our advice is keep calling and reporting. Even if the odor or symptoms go away by the time the TCEQ shows up. Log times, symptoms, and description of odors.

Persistence pays off. Just this year, the TCEQ issued fines for air quality violations against an energy company drilling on the Barnett Shale. In one of the articles below, it states that the fines issued in March of this year were the first ever on the BS. Recently another was issued.

Click here and here to read about these cases.

The TCEQ complaint info is located on the right had side of the blog.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Want to give them a piece of your mind?

We have received emails asking us if letting the Texas Railroad Commission know how you feel about Rule 37's is okay. You always have the right to voice your concerns.

Here is some info we would like to share.

If your letter is general in nature and you just want to voice your opinion on the Rule 37 process, you may want to send your email to:
Chairman Elizabeth Ames Jones: commissioner.elizabethjones@rrc.state.tx.us

If the letter is specifically about the Flower Mound/Titan Rule 37's, you may want to send an email to:
Colin Lineberry: colin.lineberry@rrc.state.tx.us

Please Note:  
If you may be a part of a Rule 37 in the future and plan to file a formal protest to appear at a hearing in Austin if needed, let the Commission know.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

One more danger with gas drilling

Read the post from a gas and oil blog. We thought this info might be important.

http://scrapper.media.mit.edu/wiki/Talk:WellWatch

Hello: My name is Carl L. Mc Williams, I AM married to Karen and we live in Garfield County, Colorado. There are over 10,000 active CH4 (methane) gas wells inside Garfield County, Colorado.

I spent one full year working on these CH4 wells. I was employed by LONKAR US LTD. a Canadian company and I worked on a "swabbing rig". We were not part of the exploration (drilling). We serviced existing and producing natural gas wells. A swabbing rig is a "workover-rig" and our purpose was to remove water from the well that had stopped the flow of natural gas in a producing well. It turns out that the water we were removing was residual "fracing" water and we were never informed of the benzene and other chemicals that exist in this "production water". In March of 2008, my swabbing rig was working on a well site where the gas company had reused the same "fracing" fluids in an attempt to save money. The problem with that is the reusing of "fracing" fluids causes the manifestation of H2S, (Hydrogen Sulfide Gas) which, in doses above 50 ppm for 30 minutes is deadly. My co-worker died and I spent three months in workers-comp recovery. My employer and the billion dollar energy company basically lied and covered-up their gross negligence in ordering my co-worker and I to expose ourselves to the deadly H2S without proper safety equipment, such as supplied-air-respirators. Federal OSHA fined my employer. I blew the whistle to OSHA and was fired for doing so. My whistleblower case with OSHA is still pending and I have been black-balled from the industry.

That said, I do want to bring to your attention a very deadly practice that is taking place on every "fracing" job site. "Fracing" uses silica sand in the "fracing mix". The truck drivers, pulling "sand-cans" (box-car-size-trailers) full of silica sand arrive at the well site and using high pressure pumps unload from the "sand-cans" the silica sand into the "fracing tanks". During this process there is created a silica sand dust cloud that is much more dangerous than asbestos. Just as cut glass will lacerate the flesh of your arm, this silica sand dust is an airborne particulate, that when breathed into the lungs will cause lung damage that is a quicker death than asbestos exposure and extremely painful for the victim. I informed Federal OSHA of this danger to Americans but nothing has happened from OSHA yet.

Therefore, I am informing you folks. The gas drilling industry has an expression: "WELL-FIELD-TRASH". The corporate officers of the natural gas industry considers all of their well workers to be "TRASH". The worker safety-protection measures on these gas well sites is non-existent. Pass the word about the silica sand dust these Americans are breathing.

Carl Mc Williams Silt Mesa, Colorado,
email: mcwilliams@balance-energy.us

Thursday, August 4, 2011

RRC Examiner rules for Titan in Rule 37’s – Big Government crushes the little guy, again.

The Texas Railroad Commission has issued a pfd (Proposal for Decision) which paves the way for Titan Operating to take the minerals of 17 Flower Mound homeowners.  The only step left is for Commission itself to bless the decision, a near certainty.  You know, the commission whose chairperson’s Husband and Daddy run Venus Exploration.  With objectivity like that on legal issues, well, let’s just say it would never fly in a REAL legal setting, or on any city council, county government, or any other sort of governing body.  

FMCAUD is proud to have helped these 17 Flower Mound homeowners stand up against this heavy handed government intrusion and theft of property these homeowners had legal title to.  We should all be outraged when government takes anything from an individual.  It is a road to less Democracy and less individual rights.

FMCAUD looks forward to protesting the next 20-22 probable Rule 37 hearings in Austin on this site and any other site in the Metroplex Titan feels the desire to steal private property from.