At this moment Flower Mound’s Oil and Gas Ordinance is being challenged again. Williams Production, with the support of the residents in rural West Flower Mound, wants to change the ordinance.
The ordinance regulates gas drilling and protects the town. Whether you have signed a lease, not signed a lease, or do not own your mineral rights, you should be very concerned about any changes to the Oil & Gas Ordinance. Many of you that have signed leases did so with the current ordinance in place. Please read and sign the petition. The link is below towards the end of this e-mail
Williams wants to do Seismic testing throughout the town on public roads not just in West Flower Mound. Our roads were not designed to bear the weight of 2 60,000 pound trucks moving slowly sending vibrations through the ground. In the past, this has been done in mostly rural areas on private property. The effects to foundations are unknown. Williams has sent the town an agreement that totally indemnifies them of any liabilities. If they allow this to the ordinance all the other gas drilling companies will request the same. Insurance companies do not cover this type of damage. Any damage will be your financial responsibility.
They want to include waste water pipelines and seismic testing. The reason given is that waste water pipelines would reduce truck traffic in their neighborhood. But in reality, there will still be trucks bringing water, sand, and equipment to the well site and trucks going to and from this Waste Water site. In addition to that, waste water pipelines would be installed 4 feet below underground throughout the town to transport drilling waste from current and future pad sites. Detecting leaks would be very difficult and would not be known until contamination has occurred. Remember, if it is in the ordinance, other gas drilling companies can request to do this too. In Pittsburgh waste water pipelines were the source of contamination of a lake in a park killing fish, salamander, crayfish and aquatic insect life. What if it had been under a house, garden or pool? Since the gas drilling companies don't have to disclose what is in their drilling and fracking fluid, do we really want this waste water going under our neighborhoods and throughout our community?
Our ordinance is strong and recently held up in the court of law. It is our only protection for our quality of life, homes, and schools. If it is opened up for revision there could be changes to the variances as well.
What do you need to do to protect your personal property, pocket book, and family?
1. Sign the online petition. http://www.petitiononline.com/fmogord9/petition.html
2. Contact your town council and tell them you don't want them to change the ordinance (Contact Info. Below)
3. Go to the October 5th (6:00) Town Council meeting. If you are unable to make it, please send an e-mail with your concerns. (Williams and the rural lease holders have been pressuring council at council meetings and asking them to have a decision this week.)Council Members
Info
Mayor
Jody A. Smith
3705 Sarah Springs Trail, 75022
817.480.3211
mayor@flower-mound.com
Place 1 Council member
Steve Dixon
Deputy Mayor Pro Tem
4604 Wisdom Creek Court, 75022
972.355.8132
place1@flower-mound.com
Place 2 Council member
Al Filidoro
3213 Augusta Drive, 75028
972.539.2145
place2@flower-mound.com
Place 3 Council member
Mike Wallace
2913 Trailwood Lane, 75028
469.293.5405
place3@flower-mound.com
Place 4 Council member
Jean M. Levenick
Mayor Pro Tem
2716 Gentle Drive, 75022
817.430.2252
place4@flower-mound.com
Place 5 Council member
Tom Hayden
4213 Huntwick Lane, 75028
972.899.0655
214.384.1105
place5@flower-mound.com
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
So much for "clean burning" natural gas!
I bet the residents of Dish don't agree that natural gas is the "clean" source of energy of the future. They recently hired a company to study the air quality in their town after numerous complaints about odor and noise.
Wolf Eagle Environmental, a company located in Flower Mound, did the study and their findings were shocking. They found high levels of 15 chemicals at five of seven test sites. These chemicals included benzene, xylene, naphthalene and carbon disulfide. The levels of these chemicals were 10 times the recommended level for short-term exposure. Some were high enough to be considered an immediate danger. Below is a little info from the OSHA site on these chemicals.
Benzene: http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/benzene/ With exposures from less than five years to more than 30 years, individuals have developed, and died from, leukemia. Long-term exposure may affect bone marrow and blood production. Short-term exposure to high levels of benzene can cause drowsiness, dizziness, unconsciousness, and death.
Xylene: http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguidelines/xylene/recognition.html may cause central nervous system depression, anemia, mucosal hemorrhage, bone marrow hyperplasia, liver enlargement, liver necrosis, and nephrosis [Clayton and Clayton 1981, p. 3295]. Repeated contact of the skin with xylene causes drying and dermatitis [Clayton and Clayton 1981, p. 3295].
Naphthalene: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0439.html Exposure to this chemical will cause the following: Irritation eyes; headache, confusion, excitement, malaise (vague feeling of discomfort); nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain; irritation bladder; profuse sweating; jaundice; hematuria (blood in the urine), renal shutdown; dermatitis, optical neuritis, corneal damage
Carbon Disulfide: http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguidelines/carbondisulfide/recognition.html adverse effects in humans of exposure to carbon disulfide include coronary heart disease, organic brain damage, peripheral nervous system decrements, neurobehavioral dysfunction, and ocular and auditory effects
It seems like every time you turn around there are more stories about gas drilling's negative effects on air, water, and soil. Yet the gas companies spend millions on public relations and want us to believe they care about people and the environment. The love to use words like "green" and "clean burning".
My momma always told me....actions speak louder than words!
http://www.star-telegram.com/local/story/1637253.html
below is a few paragraphs from the Star Telegram articleBy MIKE LEE
mikelee@star-telegram.com
A new study shows high level of potentially harmful air pollution in the town of DISH in Denton County.
DISH sits next to several large compressor stations, which process natural gas from the Barnett Shale and pressurize it for shipment across the country. Residents have complained for years about the smell and the noise.
The study, done by Wolf Eagle Environmental and paid for by the Town Council, found high levels of 15 chemicals, including benzene, xylene, naphthalene and carbon disulfide at five of seven test sites. In some cases the levels were 10 times the recommended level for short-term exposure, and some levels were high enough to be an immediate danger, according to the study. It said, however, that the results were only a one-time snapshot.
Mayor Calvin Tillman, who has been fighting the pipeline companies for about a year, said the study proves that state regulators need to take action.
"I don’t believe this was a one-day event," he said. And even if it was, "you still broke some thresholds for short-term exposure to these chemicals."
Saturday, September 26, 2009
IMPORTANT: Residents of Flower Mound Your Oil & Gas Ordinance Is Being Challenged Again!
This is very important. In the next month, the Town Council will be reviewing the O & G Ordinance. Please try to attend the Town Council Meetings and voice your concerns about Oil & Gas Drilling. Writing letters to the Council and to the Editors of our local newspapers will help too.
The town has two Council members that are fighting to keep the ordinance the way it is. Tom Hayden and Al Filidoro. Both have taken much heat in the Council Meetings and in letters written to the local newspaper from residents in West Flower Mound who already have drilling in their area.
The chatter out there is the West Flower Mound residents are supporting Williams Production's position on seismic testing and underground drilling waste water pipelines. The worst scenario is the town could ease up on the ordinance and possibly add some clauses about transporting drilling waste underground via underground pipelines throughout Flower Mound to a Drilling Waste Water Storage and Removal Site in West Flower Mound. The West Flower Mound residents are concerned, as they should be, about the truck traffic through their area. But in reality, there will still be trucks bringing water, sand, and equipment to the well site and trucks going to and from this Waste Water site. In a Town Council meeting in August, an employee of Williams mentioned they could drill at least 100 or more wells in the Town of Flower Mound. That is a lot of waste water being piped underground below homes, schools, parks and our roads! When the ordinance is opened up for review, there could also be changes to the variances.
Whether or not you have signed a lease you should be concerned about this issue. Many people who have signed, say they signed because they felt the current ordinance would protect their neighborhoods. That could all change.
Recently a Judge in Denton County denied overturning the O & G Board's decision on the variances for River Walk property. Ruling that the board was justified in doing so. Our Ordinance held up in the court of law! Now those who support Oil and Gas are attacking our ordinance again.
Please help fight to keep the current Oil & Gas Ordinance as it is. Let's not allow our town to become another Midland or Fort Worth. Read a great article about what has happened in Fort Worth.
http://fwcando.org/node/289
The town has two Council members that are fighting to keep the ordinance the way it is. Tom Hayden and Al Filidoro. Both have taken much heat in the Council Meetings and in letters written to the local newspaper from residents in West Flower Mound who already have drilling in their area.
The chatter out there is the West Flower Mound residents are supporting Williams Production's position on seismic testing and underground drilling waste water pipelines. The worst scenario is the town could ease up on the ordinance and possibly add some clauses about transporting drilling waste underground via underground pipelines throughout Flower Mound to a Drilling Waste Water Storage and Removal Site in West Flower Mound. The West Flower Mound residents are concerned, as they should be, about the truck traffic through their area. But in reality, there will still be trucks bringing water, sand, and equipment to the well site and trucks going to and from this Waste Water site. In a Town Council meeting in August, an employee of Williams mentioned they could drill at least 100 or more wells in the Town of Flower Mound. That is a lot of waste water being piped underground below homes, schools, parks and our roads! When the ordinance is opened up for review, there could also be changes to the variances.
Whether or not you have signed a lease you should be concerned about this issue. Many people who have signed, say they signed because they felt the current ordinance would protect their neighborhoods. That could all change.
Recently a Judge in Denton County denied overturning the O & G Board's decision on the variances for River Walk property. Ruling that the board was justified in doing so. Our Ordinance held up in the court of law! Now those who support Oil and Gas are attacking our ordinance again.
Please help fight to keep the current Oil & Gas Ordinance as it is. Let's not allow our town to become another Midland or Fort Worth. Read a great article about what has happened in Fort Worth.
http://fwcando.org/node/289
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Nearly Three Million Deadly Natural Gas Compression Couplings Still In the Ground
Great report from Brett Shipp. Texans are in great danger. The Texas Railroad Commission job is to regulate, inspect, and make gas and oil accountable.
http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/localnews/news8/stories/wfaa090922_mo_couplings.1a7aaadc1.html
Below are a few paragraphs from the report.
Pipeline expert says couplings dangerous, calls for removal
September 22nd, 2009
Brett Shipp reports
A pipeline safety expert is calling for state regulators to order the removal of more potentially deadly natural gas couplings throughout Texas.
The warning from Don Deaver, a pipeline safety engineer from Lake Conroe, follows last spring's near-fatal house explosion in Irving. Deaver said the Irving blast could have been prevented and called the couplings a continuous endangerment if action isn't taken.
It is a specific style of coupling that some say state regulators, as well as Atmos Energy, should have known had a legacy of failure.
"They have warnings about these being prone to leakage,” Deaver said. “If they are not anchored, there will be loss of life and serious injury because of these couplings. They are not designed for the use on natural gas pipelines."
Deaver said the entire natural gas industry knows about the compression coupling's potential to fail.
Two years ago, following the deaths of Benny and Martha Cryer in an explosion in Wylie, Deaver demonstrated to News 8 the ease in which a pipe can slip out of the compression coupling fitting.
Not long after his demonstration, there was another gas explosion. The 2007 explosion that killed Hazel Pawlick and her daughter occurred in Cleburne. Deaver helped investigate the cause. Again, a faulty Normac compression coupling was found under the street. The rubber seal had worn out.
It was a problem that first surfaced back in the 1970s, when Lone Star Gas Company owned and operated what is now the Atmos system. Technicians back then were critical of the Normac compression couplings and reported of "elasticity being lost from the rubber gaskets" where it was holding the pipes together.
Another worker complained in another report that the "rubber gaskets contract after being in service." He called the failures a "frequent occurrence" on couplings that have been in service for a "number of years."
The problems weren't limited to Texas. Compression couplings of all styles were failing all over the United States dating back to the mid-1970s. Failures occurred in Nebraska, Arizona, Kansas, Missouri, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and New York. Minnesota ordered 32,000 couplings removed from the ground. New York authorities called for the removal of 45,000 compression couplings. Maryland officials ordered 30,000 removed.
In Texas, where there are nearly three million compression couplings still in use, only those that are found leaking are being removed.
"In our viewpoint, we would disagree that there is an inherent flaw in the coupling," said John Tintera, executive director of the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates the oil and gas industry in Texas.
He said only a fraction of the couplings have ever failed. However, he admitted he has never read the numerous field reports that were critical of the coupling in the 70s.
Still, Tintera said the commission is well aware of the potential danger, and is acting on it.
“The safety concerns, and the safety actions of the Railroad Commission, continue to be of paramount importance and we've taken actions to take those steps,” he said.
Tintera said in addition to ordering the removal of compression couplings at residential gas meters, the Railroad Commission has asked Atmos Energy to step up its leak detection efforts. He said most of the compression couplings still in the ground will remain there.
"We feel the best technological solution is having increased vigilance through leak detection surveys, repairs and reporting," he said.
Since October 2006, there have been four deaths and five serious injuries resulting from four house explosions, all involving compression couplings that were defective or had worn out. Deaver said the executive director and the three Railroad Commissioners need to wake up and smell the danger.
"Well, it's four times over what you need to know to take decisive action and it's not going to get better with time," he said. "It's going to get worse."
All three of the Railroad Commissioners declined to be interviewed. Atmos Energy has repeatedly refused to comment on the coupling issue.
Atmos is working with the Railroad Commission to beef up its leak detection with new equipment and personnel. Atmos will spend $2 million enhancing their risk identification system.
But at this time, there are no plans to remove the couplings that have been called a “ticking time bomb."
http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/localnews/news8/stories/wfaa090922_mo_couplings.1a7aaadc1.html
Below are a few paragraphs from the report.
Pipeline expert says couplings dangerous, calls for removal
September 22nd, 2009
Brett Shipp reports
A pipeline safety expert is calling for state regulators to order the removal of more potentially deadly natural gas couplings throughout Texas.
The warning from Don Deaver, a pipeline safety engineer from Lake Conroe, follows last spring's near-fatal house explosion in Irving. Deaver said the Irving blast could have been prevented and called the couplings a continuous endangerment if action isn't taken.
It is a specific style of coupling that some say state regulators, as well as Atmos Energy, should have known had a legacy of failure.
"They have warnings about these being prone to leakage,” Deaver said. “If they are not anchored, there will be loss of life and serious injury because of these couplings. They are not designed for the use on natural gas pipelines."
Deaver said the entire natural gas industry knows about the compression coupling's potential to fail.
Two years ago, following the deaths of Benny and Martha Cryer in an explosion in Wylie, Deaver demonstrated to News 8 the ease in which a pipe can slip out of the compression coupling fitting.
Not long after his demonstration, there was another gas explosion. The 2007 explosion that killed Hazel Pawlick and her daughter occurred in Cleburne. Deaver helped investigate the cause. Again, a faulty Normac compression coupling was found under the street. The rubber seal had worn out.
It was a problem that first surfaced back in the 1970s, when Lone Star Gas Company owned and operated what is now the Atmos system. Technicians back then were critical of the Normac compression couplings and reported of "elasticity being lost from the rubber gaskets" where it was holding the pipes together.
Another worker complained in another report that the "rubber gaskets contract after being in service." He called the failures a "frequent occurrence" on couplings that have been in service for a "number of years."
The problems weren't limited to Texas. Compression couplings of all styles were failing all over the United States dating back to the mid-1970s. Failures occurred in Nebraska, Arizona, Kansas, Missouri, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and New York. Minnesota ordered 32,000 couplings removed from the ground. New York authorities called for the removal of 45,000 compression couplings. Maryland officials ordered 30,000 removed.
In Texas, where there are nearly three million compression couplings still in use, only those that are found leaking are being removed.
"In our viewpoint, we would disagree that there is an inherent flaw in the coupling," said John Tintera, executive director of the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates the oil and gas industry in Texas.
He said only a fraction of the couplings have ever failed. However, he admitted he has never read the numerous field reports that were critical of the coupling in the 70s.
Still, Tintera said the commission is well aware of the potential danger, and is acting on it.
“The safety concerns, and the safety actions of the Railroad Commission, continue to be of paramount importance and we've taken actions to take those steps,” he said.
Tintera said in addition to ordering the removal of compression couplings at residential gas meters, the Railroad Commission has asked Atmos Energy to step up its leak detection efforts. He said most of the compression couplings still in the ground will remain there.
"We feel the best technological solution is having increased vigilance through leak detection surveys, repairs and reporting," he said.
Since October 2006, there have been four deaths and five serious injuries resulting from four house explosions, all involving compression couplings that were defective or had worn out. Deaver said the executive director and the three Railroad Commissioners need to wake up and smell the danger.
"Well, it's four times over what you need to know to take decisive action and it's not going to get better with time," he said. "It's going to get worse."
All three of the Railroad Commissioners declined to be interviewed. Atmos Energy has repeatedly refused to comment on the coupling issue.
Atmos is working with the Railroad Commission to beef up its leak detection with new equipment and personnel. Atmos will spend $2 million enhancing their risk identification system.
But at this time, there are no plans to remove the couplings that have been called a “ticking time bomb."
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
FMCAUD is one of the 160 supporters of the Frac Act
FMCAUD is proud to be one of the supporters of the Frac Act (bill to close Halliburton Loophole). It is time the Oil & Gas Industry has to disclose one of their many dirty little secrets....what really is in their fracking fluid. We desperately need a sponsor from Texas.
Contact your Senator and Representative for your area and let them know how important this is to the State of Texas. Below is a link to find your Senator and Representative.
http://capwiz.com/lcv/dbq/vote_info/?command=results&state=TX&chamber=&session=1102&sort=Score%2CName&submit.x=11&submit.y=8&submit=go
American Rivers - Center for Food Safety - Earthjustice
Earthworks/Oil and Gas Accountability Project - Environment America
Environmental Working Group - Food & Water Watch
International Center for Technology Assessment - National Alliance for Drilling Reform
National Audubon Society - National Wildlife Federation
Natural Resources Defense Council - Public Citizen's Energy Program
Rural Community Assistance Partnership, Inc. - The Wilderness Society
Waterkeeper Alliance - Western Organization of Resource Councils
September 10, 2009
Dear Senator/Representative:
Our 160 national, regional, state and local organizations, including conservation, faith,
sportsmen and community organizations, urge you to co-sponsor S. 1215/ H.R. 2766, the
Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals (FRAC) Act. This important
legislation would repeal an exemption in the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) for an oil
and gas technique called hydraulic fracturing. It would also require public disclosure of
the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing fluids.
Oil and gas production is present in over 30 states, and a consistent national standard is
needed for this practice. Hydraulic fracturing involves the injection of fluids into oil or
gas wells at very high pressure in order to crack open the underground formation and
allow oil or gas to flow out more easily. These fluids often contain toxic chemicals, some
of which remain underground. The pressure places stress on the oil or gas well and can
lead to unpredictable consequences. Our organizations represent communities across the
country that are concerned about drinking water contamination linked to hydraulic
fracturing operations. Reports of drinking water contamination come from Colorado,
Texas, Arkansas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Alabama and Wyoming.
While states regulate oil and gas production, state rules vary widely and a federal floor is
needed. As stated in a study by the Hastings College of the Law, “many of the state
regulatory schemes date from earlier waves of resource extraction, and have not kept
pace with changed technologies, nor with a deepening concern for public health and the
environment.” For example, a recent report issued by the Ground Water Protection
Council found that some states do not require a well’s surface casing to be set through the
deepest ground water zone. Protection of drinking water is a national concern that should
not be left to a patchwork of state regulations
In 2005, Congress exempted hydraulic fracturing from the SDWA to the benefit of
Halliburton and other oil and gas companies. It is time to close the Halliburton Loophole
and hold the oil and gas production industry to the same standards as any other industry.
Most states have primacy for regulating underground injection; under this legislation
EPA could allow states considerable flexibility to tailor their rules to local conditions. All
Americans deserve to have their drinking water source protected from endangerment
under federal law.
The right balance needs to be established between oil and gas development and
protection of our precious and finite natural resources. Instead of that balance, however,
provisions of some of our most critical federal environmental laws have exemptions for
oil and gas production. In addition to the Safe Drinking Water Act, there are loopholes in
the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
These loopholes should be closed, starting with the Halliburton Loophole.
We hope you will co-sponsor this sensible and important legislation to close the
Halliburton Loophole in the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Signed,
National Organizations
American Rivers
Center for Food Safety
Earthjustice
Earthworks/Oil and Gas Accountability Project
Environment America
Environmental Working Group
Food & Water Watch
International Center for Technology Assessment
National Alliance for Drilling Reform
National Audubon Society
National Wildlife Federation
Natural Resources Defense Council
Public Citizen's Energy Program
Rural Community Assistance Partnership, Inc.
The Wilderness Society
Waterkeeper Alliance
Regional Organizations
Appalachian Mountain Club
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Delaware River Greenway Partnership
Delaware Riverkeeper Network
Greater Yellowstone Coalition
Highlands Coalition
Housatonic Valley Association
Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service
San Juan Citizens Alliance
Regional Organizations, Continued
Western Environmental Law Center
Western Organization of Resource Councils
WildEarth Guardians
State Organizations
Alabama
Black Warrior Riverkeeper
Arizona
Environment Arizona
Arkansas
Arkansas Conservation Alliance
Citizens Against Resource Exploitation (CARE)
Omni Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology
California
Ballona Network
Californians for Western Wilderness
Environment California
Grassroots Coalition
Colorado
Colorado Environmental Coalition
EcoFlight
Environment Colorado
Grand Valley Citizens Alliance
Majors Ranch Property Owners Association Environmental Impact Committee
Navajo Ranch Clean Water Preservation Committee
North Fork Ranch Landowner's Association
San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council
San Luis Valley Water Protection Coalition
The Citizen's Alliance for Responsible Urban Gas Drilling
Western Colorado Congress
Wilderness Workshop
Connecticut
Environment Connecticut
Florida
Environment Florida
Georgia
Citizens Organized for Pipeline Safety (COPS)
Environment Georgia
Illinois
Environment Illinois
Iowa
Environment Iowa
Louisiana
Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper
Maine
Environment Maine
Maryland
Environment Maryland
Massachusetts
Environment Massachusetts
Michigan
Citizens Against Environmental Destruction
Environment Michigan
Minnesota
Environment Minnesota
Montana
Environment Montana
Northern Plains Resource Council
Nevada
Environment Nevada
New Hampshire
Environment New Hampshire
New Jersey
Environment New Jersey
New Mexico
Blancett Ranches
Common Ground United
Drilling Santa Fe
Environment New Mexico
Gila Resources Information Project
New Mexico Environmental Law Center
New Mexico Wildlife Federation
Velasquez Ranch
New York
Atlantic States Legal Foundation, Inc.
Binghamton Regional Sustainability Coalition
Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy
Catskill Mountainkeeper
Citizens Campaign for the Environment
Environment New York
Environmental Advocates of New York
Hudson Highlands Land Trust
Hudson Riverkeeper
New Yorkers for Sustainable Energy Statewide
Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York, Inc.
NYH2O
Orange County Land Trust
Orange Environment, Inc.
PlanPutnam.Org
Putnam County Coalition to Preserve Open Space
Scenic Hudson
Shaleshock
The Ramapo River Watershed Intermunicipal Council
Theodore Gordon Flyfishers, Inc.
North Carolina
Environment North Carolina
North Dakota
Dakota Resource Council
Ohio
East Shore Unitarian Universalist Church, Environmental Action Group
Environment Ohio
Mentor Lagoons Preservation Committee
Northeast Ohio Gas Accountability Project
Oregon
Environment Oregon
Pennsylvania
Allegheny Defense Project
Berks County Conservancy
Cooks Creek Watershed Association
Damascus Citizens for Sustainability
Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds
Gaia Defense League
Green Valleys Association
Juniata Valley Audubon
Mountain Watershed Association
PennEnvironment
Pennsylvania Forest Coalition
Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers
Sagamore Estates Property Owners Association
Schmid & Company, Inc., Consulting Ecologists
Twin & Walker Creeks Watershed Conservancy
Twin and Walker Lakes Communities Coalition
Twin and Walker Lakes Watershed Conservancy
Twin Lake Preserve
Twin Lake Woods Property Owners Association
Twin Lakes Conservancy Inc.
Twin Lakes Property Owners Association
Walker Lake Landowner's Association
Youghiogheny Riverkeeper
Rhode Island
Environment Rhode Island
Texas
Blue Wind Partners
Citizens for Environmental Clean-Up
Environment Texas
Family Area Ministry & Education
Flower Mound Citizens Against Urban Drilling
Fort Worth Citizens Against Neighborhood Drilling Operations (FWCanDo)
Galveston Baykeeper
PARCHED
Texas Oil and Gas Accountability Project
Unity Church of Fort Worth
WE CAN (Working Effectively for Clean Air Now)
Utah
Colorado Riverkeeper
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
Virginia
Blackwater Nottoway Riverkeeper Program
Environment Virginia
Washington
Environment Washington
West Virginia
Greenbrier River Watershed Association
West Virginia Citizen Action Group
West Virginia Headwaters Waterkeeper
West Virginia Rivers Coalition
West Virginia Surface Owners' Rights Organization
Wetzel County Action Group
Wisconsin
Environment Wisconsin
Wyoming
Biodiversity Conservation Alliance
Clark Resource Council
Equality State Policy Center
Friends of a Legacy
Pavillion Area Concerned Citizens
Powder River Basin Resource Council
Upper Green River Valley Coalition
Wyoming Conservation Voters
Wyoming Outdoor Council
Contact your Senator and Representative for your area and let them know how important this is to the State of Texas. Below is a link to find your Senator and Representative.
http://capwiz.com/lcv/dbq/vote_info/?command=results&state=TX&chamber=&session=1102&sort=Score%2CName&submit.x=11&submit.y=8&submit=go
American Rivers - Center for Food Safety - Earthjustice
Earthworks/Oil and Gas Accountability Project - Environment America
Environmental Working Group - Food & Water Watch
International Center for Technology Assessment - National Alliance for Drilling Reform
National Audubon Society - National Wildlife Federation
Natural Resources Defense Council - Public Citizen's Energy Program
Rural Community Assistance Partnership, Inc. - The Wilderness Society
Waterkeeper Alliance - Western Organization of Resource Councils
September 10, 2009
Dear Senator/Representative:
Our 160 national, regional, state and local organizations, including conservation, faith,
sportsmen and community organizations, urge you to co-sponsor S. 1215/ H.R. 2766, the
Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals (FRAC) Act. This important
legislation would repeal an exemption in the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) for an oil
and gas technique called hydraulic fracturing. It would also require public disclosure of
the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing fluids.
Oil and gas production is present in over 30 states, and a consistent national standard is
needed for this practice. Hydraulic fracturing involves the injection of fluids into oil or
gas wells at very high pressure in order to crack open the underground formation and
allow oil or gas to flow out more easily. These fluids often contain toxic chemicals, some
of which remain underground. The pressure places stress on the oil or gas well and can
lead to unpredictable consequences. Our organizations represent communities across the
country that are concerned about drinking water contamination linked to hydraulic
fracturing operations. Reports of drinking water contamination come from Colorado,
Texas, Arkansas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Alabama and Wyoming.
While states regulate oil and gas production, state rules vary widely and a federal floor is
needed. As stated in a study by the Hastings College of the Law, “many of the state
regulatory schemes date from earlier waves of resource extraction, and have not kept
pace with changed technologies, nor with a deepening concern for public health and the
environment.” For example, a recent report issued by the Ground Water Protection
Council found that some states do not require a well’s surface casing to be set through the
deepest ground water zone. Protection of drinking water is a national concern that should
not be left to a patchwork of state regulations
In 2005, Congress exempted hydraulic fracturing from the SDWA to the benefit of
Halliburton and other oil and gas companies. It is time to close the Halliburton Loophole
and hold the oil and gas production industry to the same standards as any other industry.
Most states have primacy for regulating underground injection; under this legislation
EPA could allow states considerable flexibility to tailor their rules to local conditions. All
Americans deserve to have their drinking water source protected from endangerment
under federal law.
The right balance needs to be established between oil and gas development and
protection of our precious and finite natural resources. Instead of that balance, however,
provisions of some of our most critical federal environmental laws have exemptions for
oil and gas production. In addition to the Safe Drinking Water Act, there are loopholes in
the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
These loopholes should be closed, starting with the Halliburton Loophole.
We hope you will co-sponsor this sensible and important legislation to close the
Halliburton Loophole in the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Signed,
National Organizations
American Rivers
Center for Food Safety
Earthjustice
Earthworks/Oil and Gas Accountability Project
Environment America
Environmental Working Group
Food & Water Watch
International Center for Technology Assessment
National Alliance for Drilling Reform
National Audubon Society
National Wildlife Federation
Natural Resources Defense Council
Public Citizen's Energy Program
Rural Community Assistance Partnership, Inc.
The Wilderness Society
Waterkeeper Alliance
Regional Organizations
Appalachian Mountain Club
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Delaware River Greenway Partnership
Delaware Riverkeeper Network
Greater Yellowstone Coalition
Highlands Coalition
Housatonic Valley Association
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Wednesday, September 16, 2009
What happened to Cowtown?
The e-mail and link to an article in Fort Worth Weekly were sent from Don Young of fwcando.org.
Local government is our saving grace since our state government can't physically regulate this industry. The gas and oil industry has become too big for the Texas Railroad Commission to monitor. The TRC elected officials are allowed to take election campaign donations from the very industry they are suppose to regulate.
http://stopthedrilling.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-many-gas-wells-in-state-of-texas.html
It is important that we all continue to pressure our local government to protect our towns. That means adopting strong Oil & Gas Ordinances and enforcing them. Some towns have done just that but many have a way to go. We have watched Fort Worth suffer for the last few years. Don't let the industry turn our towns into another Midland.
Don Young's words say it all "without vigilance, your town could be next"
Local government is our saving grace since our state government can't physically regulate this industry. The gas and oil industry has become too big for the Texas Railroad Commission to monitor. The TRC elected officials are allowed to take election campaign donations from the very industry they are suppose to regulate.
http://stopthedrilling.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-many-gas-wells-in-state-of-texas.html
It is important that we all continue to pressure our local government to protect our towns. That means adopting strong Oil & Gas Ordinances and enforcing them. Some towns have done just that but many have a way to go. We have watched Fort Worth suffer for the last few years. Don't let the industry turn our towns into another Midland.
Don Young's words say it all "without vigilance, your town could be next"
It has been very frustrating to witness my hometown, Fort Worth, Texas, being transformed into an oil and gas town in three short years. Besides the usual list of environmental and safety concerns, there is also a new level of greed that concerns me. Not your average everyday greed, but one of a slightly different shade.
Consequently, there is now a united front by the "establishment" to ignore all these concerns and embrace gas drilling almost as if drilling is an entrenched part of our heritage, a kind of bookend to our western, cowboy heritage, a rewriting of history.
I don't really blame them. What else can the Chamber of Commerce do? Gas drilling is here to stay. Thanks to Mayor Moncrief, ex-Mayor Barr and a handful of others gas drilling IS entrenched now. The heritage is just beginning and so are the problems.
I tried to address this collective faux-amnesia phenomena and the hybrid greed factor that has accompanied it in a essay I wrote for the current issue of the Fort Worth Weekly. The names I named of various cultural, educational and civic organizations are just the tip of the iceberg of influential groups that are participating in this grand delusion we call urban gas drilling.
This ain't the Cowtown I was born in. Without vigilance, your town could be next.
DY
Click on the link to read Don's article
http://www.fwweekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2041:learning-to-love-big-gas&catid=3:second-thought&Itemid=374
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Great article from Peter Gorman about the great "Mailbox Money"
How much money did you really sign away your quality of life, health, and the value of your property for?
Peter Gorman's article does the math.
One more thing to think about....how honest is the gas company about royalties? As posted before some gas and oil companies can't be trusted.
http://stopthedrilling.blogspot.com/2009/08/honesty-isnt-in-gas-and-oil-industrys.html
Guess we won't have too many Jed Clampitt's in the near future!!
http://www.fwweekly.com/index.php?option=com_wordpress&p=1415&Itemid=482
Barnett Shale Mailbox Money
by Peter Gorman
Well, from this corner, here’s the skinny on the mailbox money from the Barnett Shale.I’ve got about 60,000 square feet, just under an acre-and-a-half. There’s a well across the street that’s producing pretty decently. The pool for the well is about 200 acres, so I get nearly three-quarters of 1 percent of the royalty money.With the price of gas where it is, my royalty share will be about $40 this month.
For people with houses in town, where the square footage of their property is probably more like 6,000 feet than 60,000, their take on my well would be $4 this month. And if you happen to be in a pool where multiple wells are drilled, let’s say 4, your take would go up to about $16 this month.
And that will go to $32 if the price of gas doubles.
Now most, if not all, gas companies only send out royalty checks when they reach $100. So if you are in a single well pool that’s producing like mine, you’ll be waiting 25 months, just over two years, for a check.Unless the price of gas goes up by say, 500 percent, in which case you’ll get a $100 check every five months.
Not what anyone had in mind when the keys to the city were given to the gas companies, I’ll bet.
But that’s how the figures break down.
Peter Gorman's article does the math.
One more thing to think about....how honest is the gas company about royalties? As posted before some gas and oil companies can't be trusted.
http://stopthedrilling.blogspot.com/2009/08/honesty-isnt-in-gas-and-oil-industrys.html
Guess we won't have too many Jed Clampitt's in the near future!!
http://www.fwweekly.com/index.php?option=com_wordpress&p=1415&Itemid=482
Barnett Shale Mailbox Money
by Peter Gorman
Well, from this corner, here’s the skinny on the mailbox money from the Barnett Shale.I’ve got about 60,000 square feet, just under an acre-and-a-half. There’s a well across the street that’s producing pretty decently. The pool for the well is about 200 acres, so I get nearly three-quarters of 1 percent of the royalty money.With the price of gas where it is, my royalty share will be about $40 this month.
For people with houses in town, where the square footage of their property is probably more like 6,000 feet than 60,000, their take on my well would be $4 this month. And if you happen to be in a pool where multiple wells are drilled, let’s say 4, your take would go up to about $16 this month.
And that will go to $32 if the price of gas doubles.
Now most, if not all, gas companies only send out royalty checks when they reach $100. So if you are in a single well pool that’s producing like mine, you’ll be waiting 25 months, just over two years, for a check.Unless the price of gas goes up by say, 500 percent, in which case you’ll get a $100 check every five months.
Not what anyone had in mind when the keys to the city were given to the gas companies, I’ll bet.
But that’s how the figures break down.
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