*Update* The Neighborhood Gas Drilling Meeting: Total Smoke and Mirrors

Let's talk about fracking ~ or better yet ~ let's not, since that strategy seems to work in the best interest for the oil and gas industry.  Here is a photo from the February 8, 2018 neighborhood gas drilling meeting which was hosted by Total and held at the Southeast Branch Library in Arlington, Texas. Eight chairs were set up, so it didn't look as though they were expecting a crowd like in the early days of mineral leasing.  A total of six people were in attendance including the City and the Industry.  Not a single person who currently lives in the neighborhood by the Cornerstone Drill Site where future gas wells are planned to be drilled near their fence lines was at this informational meeting.  

February 8, 2018 Neighborhood Gas Drilling Meeting

The man on the left is Kevin Strawser of Total, aka TEP Barnett USA, LLC.  He is their media guy who handles government and public affairs. The woman in yellow is Jessica Youngblood, the City of Arlington's Gas Drilling Coordinator.  The other woman is Roxanne Thalman, District 3 City Council woman who narrowly won the election by two votes, and the man on the right is Todd Harshman.  He no longer lives in the neighborhood which is targeted for more gas wells but he does still own his minerals on a tiny tract of land.

Both Total and the City claim that proper notification was given to the neighbors to inform them about the industry's plan to establish a drill zone at the Cornerstone Drill Site, but we found it odd when no one from the neighborhood showed up to this important meeting on February 8th or the previous one that was held on a Wednesday evening early in January.  So, the next day we canvassed the community to speak with people whose homes back up to that site.  Not a single person that we spoke with had any knowledge about any neighborhood gas drilling meetings, but one man we spoke with received this notice informing him of a City Council Public Hearing for February 27th about the gas wells. Unfortunately, by the time the operator goes before council to get approval for these gas wells, it is probably too late for the public to be able to influence the outcome of the vote since by that time, the zoning details would have already passed through Planning & Zoning and City Council  The gas wells are pretty much a done deal once the other steps are approved.   

It looks as though the neighbors have been cut out of the process.

Clearly, there is a lack of transparency when it comes to information about gas drilling inside Arlington neighborhoods. One woman we spoke with was under the impression that the drill site had shut down following the problems that had occurred when Chesapeake was conducting operations there. She shared the incident when gas spewed and the Fire Department had to be called in.  She also told us about the nosebleeds and ongoing health issues that she has struggled with since that drill site encroached upon her neighborhood. Other neighbors had concerns about the dying trees and strange rumbling noises which would wake them up in the middle of the night when that site was active. Others talked about their damaged foundations and cracks in their walls. But no one we spoke with seemed to know about any industry-led gas drilling informational meetings about the future plans for this site and how it would impact their lives. 

Cornerstone Church seems to know what's going on because they signed a waiver, or waivers, as they own three tracts on this lease.  We tried reaching out to them to see if they might consider rescinding their waiver, but they did not return our calls. *Update* While we still haven't been able to directly speak with the pastor, Darrell Sneed, a church leader, did contact us after this blog entry was published and stated that the church had entered into a relationship...years ago... He will communicate our message to the pastor. We hope to speak directly with Reverend McKissic while there is still time.

The hearing for this case to establish a drill zone was originally scheduled for January 30th and had been continued to February 13th. Now it has been continued again until February 27, 2018 at the request of the operator.

Apparently, these people were cut out of the process as well...

Arlington, TX: The Undeveloped Land

Undeveloped Land next to Chesapeake's Fulson Drill Site, So. Hwy. 360, Arlington, TX

Fracking damages the land.  Not only does it damage the land inside the perimeter of these beige, cosmetic masonry walls of pad sites, but it also ruins potential land use for the surrounding area.  The land depicted in this picture has remained barren since the City zoned the Fulson Drill Site in 2009.  Let's face it, no one wants to develop property that is adjacent to a heavy industrial mining site where gas gathering pipelines criss-cross its span ~ unless, perhaps, they give away the land at a deeply discounted price.  

Now, zoning an industrial use next to a fracking site would not be so objectionable if there were not already 60 or so sites in Arlington which are zoned for residential neighborhoods.  So, just what DO you do when you learn that the pie-in-the-sky master plan that the oil and gas industry pitched to our City six years ago was just a pipe dream, and we now have to deal with the nightmare of the fracking aftermath ~ Undeveloped Land all across the "American Dream City?" 

Well, some developers seem to think it is just fine to build homes next to existing drill sites.  There are no laws prohibiting them from doing so, but just because you can doesn't mean you should.  It's wrong.  This complex issue is about private property rights, but it is also about ethics.  Doing the right thing.  The Makens Company wants the City to change the zoning from commercial to residential for their property on South Highway 360 next to Chesapeake's Fulson Drill Site.  

It would be a terrible tragedy if an unsuspecting young couple purchased their dream home, gave birth to a child, and adopted a pet only to awaken one morning to a looming drilling rig outside their child's bedroom window.  This can and has happened because Texas has no disclosure laws requiring sellers to tell potential buyers that these homes are next to a drill site and that heavy industrial mining activity could occur at any time into perpetuity.  This very situation is what led Denton residents to work toward a fracking ban which our Oiligarchy State overturned when they passed HB40.

Arlington's gas drilling ordinance does not address reciprocal setbacks for new development going in next to existing drill sites.  Mansfield's ordinance doesn't either, and look at the fiasco that is happening there:

New home construction next to gas drilling site on Debbie Lane in Mansfield, TX

Arlington's current gas-drilling ordinance mandates a 600-foot setback from a protected use with a variance to 300 feet, but this measurement is taken from the wellhead, not the pad wall.  We have gone to our City on numerous occasions asking for an ordinance revision, but they keep kicking the can down the road.  It appears they enjoy basking in the shade of HB40. 

Now, the City of Arlington seems to be in a hurry to meet with the Fish Creek Neighbors ~ so much in a hurry that we are told by one resident that this meeting cannot wait another day.  We don't even know the time, but we know the date and the place of this meeting ~ Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church.  Since Monday is Labor Day, we will meet on Tuesday.  This will ensure low turnout, which is what we believe the City is counting on.  Here is the e-mail that arrived in my box on Friday:

Jim Makens, the property owner of the site behind the gas well site and QT, would like to discuss his plans for developing his property with our neighborhood residents. He is thinking single family residential development and would like to go for a rezoning.
Since our neighborhood has a formal Neighborhood Plan in place with the City of Arlington, he is required to contact us. See below for the Neighborhood Plan.
We will try to get a meeting set up with the developer for ...Monday, Tuesday or Thursday evening next week. We are looking for tentative RSPV's from our residents. More info. to follow.

http://webapps.arlingtontx.gov/…/neighborhood_plan_FishCree…

(Note that gas drilling is NOT mentioned in the Fish Creek Neighborhood Plan.)

We certainly hope that Chesapeake plans to plug those three wells if the City approves a zoning change for The Makens Company, because gas drilling in such close proximity to a neighborhood is downright dangerous.  These two land uses are clearly incompatible.  These wells are experiencing declining production anyway.  The trickling royalty checks arrive with less frequency ~ and the amount barely covers a family's pizza and coke for Friday night dinner.  

Stay tuned, and we'll update this story as we learn more details...

In the meantime, here is an important back story:

Arlington, TX:  A Damaged Land 

Who You Gonna Call?

When fracking sites encroach upon your residential neighborhood, who DO you call when you hear an explosion, smell fumes, feel the earth move, or worse yet ~ who DO you call if a dam is breached?  

The Railroad Commission of Texas, the State agency that regulates Oil and Gas, requires gas operators to clearly display proper signage listing emergency contact numbers.  Since emergencies can happen at any time on any given day, one would assume that a responsible party would be available to answer these calls 24/7.  

Just out of curiosity, we tested the three emergency numbers listed at the bottom of the signage of this Vantage-operated Lake Arlington Baptist Church Site to find out who actually answers gas drilling-related emergency calls.  

 Signage at Lake Arlington Baptist Church Gas Drill Site, Arlington, TX

The first number rang and rang.  No answer.  No voice mail to leave a message.  We called the third number, and a recorded message said, "caller not accepting calls at this time."  When we tried the number with a Colorado area code, a guy named Dan answered his cell phone.  He stated that he is with Vantage, and that he is located in the Denton area.  That is a wonderful place to be since the citizens of Denton voted in favor of a fracking ban. 

It is curious that the number for the Railroad Commission of Texas ~ the State agency responsible for regulating Oil and Gas and protecting our groundwater ~ is NOT listed on this signage.  If residents call 911, the City is not required to communicate or report incidents to the appropriate regulatory agencies responsible for protecting our air and water.  That is the citizens' responsibility. 

Oil and Gas self-regulates.  

So, for instance, if an operator has a mishap and cracks a casing or experiences a pressure issue, they are required to self-report.  It's an honor system.  And we know how forthright they've been with our communities thus far.

So, who will you call when when you hear an explosion, smell fumes, feel the earth move, or worse yet ~ who you gonna call when the dam is breached? 

 

EnerVest, Earthquakes, and Arlington Fault Lines

EnerVest CEO John Walker (photo from Houston Business Journal)

On October 7, 2014 Houston Business Journal reported, "It will be first liquid butane frac in that area — and maybe in the United States," Walker said. "If that works, it could open up a very big area. It’d be akin to the oil window of the Eagle Ford. So it’s probably our most upside and the thing that I do my daily prayers over. But I’ll have to caution that every time we really need something to … happen, I don’t think in my life it’s ever happened (laughs)."

 

Click here for full article.

So, EnerVest CEO, Mr. Walker, prays over liquid butane frac.  We pray too ~ even harder since attending their Town Hall on September 15th.  We are surrounded by drill sites, and EnerVest, LLC is currently operating inside the borders of our City (Arlington, TX) where 370,000 people reside on top of a massive gas reservoir ~ the Barnett Shale.   They want the gas, and we are a nuisance in the way.

When a resident at the town hall inquired as to whether or not they planned to use the same process in our city as they do in other places around the country, they dodged the question.  We pray they don't plan to experiment with liquid butane frac at the Perr Drill Site.  An explosion on South Cooper Street would be catastrophic for this thriving business sector of Arlington.

When that same resident mentioned the 500 microquakes in Ohio (where EnerVest heavily operates) they knew nothing about that!  One would think that these spokesmen live under a shale rock, but it is doubtful they do.  Industry strategy has always been to tell the public as little as possible.

Take a look at this Railroad Commission GIS map.  See where two earthquakes recently shook Arlington.  Both of these quakes are suspiciously close to EnerVest drill sites:

 This statement was overheard at the EnerVest Town Hall:  "Arlington has a lot of fault lines ~ known and unknown." 

The industry has more knowledge about the location of these fault lines than the average citizen.   We may not find out where they are until an earthquake happens.  It looks like there may be a possible fault line running down Cooper Street, the main artery of the City.  Two quakes struck just to the east of Cooper Street.  If this is true, and the industry had knowledge of this, why were they drilling in the first place?  Our City and State government should not be permitting gas wells in faulted areas because seismicity impacts property and public safety.  There are no regulations in place to address this ~ yet.  This is why we are encouraging everyone to elect Steve Brown for Railroad Commissioner of Texas. 

The USGS reports, "Earthquakes east of the Rockies that are centered in populated areas and large enough to cause damage are, similarly, likely to cause damage out to greater distances than earthquakes of the same magnitude centered in western North America."  Just imagine the impact of a frackquake during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season when droves of people are pouring into the Parks Shopping Mall.

There are two kinds of earthquakes ~  naturally occurring and human-induced.  These human-induced quakes can be triggered by oil and gas extraction.  Extraction is the same as production.  So, if the USGS knows that extraction causes seismicity, and we now know that hydraulic fracturing is linked to earthquakes, and we have known for some time that injection wells are definitely linked to earthquakes, why take the risk of damaging property by allowing such an invasive activity that has the potential to threaten our city's vitality?

Now we can't help but wonder if there is a link to Enervest's activity and these September earthquakes because a workover rig was up at the UTA Drill Site before, during, and after the shaking.  We found out that a resident who lives near the UTA drill site sent an e-mail to Councilwoman Lana Wolff on September 15th and sent another e-mail to UTA on September 16th as she had concerns that the activity taking place on that site could have triggered an earthquake.  During the EnerVest public meeting on September 15th, however, we were told they were not responsible for the earthquakes since, "they were not drilling on those days."  Well, alright, then. 

Since the UTA drill site is on State-owned property, it is doubtful our City gas well inspectors would have visited that location as it is not bound by our local City ordinances.  How do we know they weren't  conducting an experiment which triggered seismicity?  

EnerVest seems to be infamous for their grand experiments.  Currently, they are converting vertical wells into horizontal wells in the Clinton Sandstone, located in eastern Ohio.

Click here to read, "Enervest's Grand Experiment:  Fracking Clinton Sandstone in Ohio.  

We have serious concerns about shale gas operators experimenting with new technology in our communities.   This is where we live, work, and play.  Let them experiment in their own backyards ~ not ours. 

On Tuesday, October 28th at 6:30 p.m. a public hearing is scheduled at Arlington City Hall where EnerVest, LLC will request an amendment to a Special Use Permit to establish the drill zone at the Perr Drill Site located at 2825 South Cooper Street, Arlington, TX.  Everyone is invited, so please come ~ prepare your speech and say a Hail Mary because they have scheduled more town halls with plans to drill all over Arlington.  More about that later...

In case you've never seen EnerVest in action, here is how they operate in Denton, TX.  No wonder the residents there want to ban fracking.

Attribution:  Sharon Wilson of Earthworks

Faux Surveillance

A group of thieves is moving this way!!!

 

This time Chesapeake is the victim.   According to incident reports obtained via an open records request, thieves are breaking onto gas drill sites and stealing copper wire.  Apparently, Chesapeake told the City that was the reason why so many of their drill sites did not have  lightning arrestor systems or grounding in place.  Good excuse.  Although they failed inspection for this particular deficiency at numerous sites, only two reports of theft turned up in our search.  One incident occurred at the infamous Bruder Site.  An Arlington Detective spoke to the Chesapeake Energy Security Manager.  Here is an excerpt of that conversation:

"There is no video evidence from this offense or any witnesses... the Arlington well sites do not have upgraded security like the ones in Fort Worth and Johnson County and believes a group of thieves from that area is moving this way."

Despite no witnesses, no video evidence, the reportee ~ a pumper who works for Chesapeake ~  provided the dispatching officer a lengthy narrative including the names of possible suspects who happen to  drive a red Chevy pickup truck.  All heresay.

We called a city in Johnson County to check out the security manager's statement.  We spoke with Erik Welch, Burleson's Gas Well Coordinator.  (Erik previously worked under Collin Gregory before Collin became Arlington's Gas Well Coordinator.)

We learned that Burleson's security requirements ARE more stringent than Arlington's.  Their gas drilling ordinance mandates cameras in high pedestrian areas and any sites within 1,000 feet of a building or public gathering space.  Cameras must capture CLEAR video images as well as traffic entering and exiting the gate.  It must also capture CLEAR images of on-site production equipment AND be equipped with motion detection and  panning technology.  Video data must be maintained 400 hours, include the date and time, and have the capability to be viewed at a monitoring facility. 

Arlington's gas drilling ordinance is weak and poorly written.
Click here and go to Section 7.01 item 25 for a comparison. 

 

We hope  Chesapeake's Project Manager found the cameras they were looking for.  

We found some great deals on E-Bay!! 

Fracking Arlington's Rare Gem ~ Blackland Prairie Nature Preserve

Nestled unimpressively in a southeast corner of Arlington, TX amid warehouse buildings, homes, and gas drill sites lies a small remnant of land called Blackland Prairie Nature Preserve.  The Texas Blackland Prairie sprawls from just south of the Red River in North Texas and extends all the way to San Antonio.  It covers a vast area ~ over 19,000 square miles.  Although the Dallas/Fort Worth region of the Blacklands is highly developed today, it once was characterized by its grasslands, savannas, and shrubs.  Now much of it is covered in a sea of homes, businesses, and gas wells. 

Native Americans once settled in the North Texas area.  It wasn't until after the shale gas industry invaded and transformed our communities into heavy industrial mining zones that we were able to fully comprehended what it must have felt like for the Native Americans to be driven off their land and onto reservations.  Now we get it. 

A public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, December 3, 2013 from 6:30 - 7:30 at the Arlington Municipal Airport located at 5070 South Collins Street to discuss the preservation and Master Plan of what MyArlingtonTX describes as its "rare Arlington gem."  Next you will see this Master Plan.  Looks good, huh?

Black Land Layout

 

A public meeting will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 3, from 6:30 –  7:30 p.m. at the Arlington Municipal Airport Lobby, 5070 S. Collins Street, to discuss options for the preservation and protection of this rare Arlington gem. - See more at: http://myarlingtontx.com/2013/11/18/arlington-home-to-rare-tract-of-blackland-prairie/#sthash.uTyQD93P.dpuf

Wait.  Take a look at this screen shot from a Railroad Commission of Texas GIS map.  Circled in red is Blackland Prairie Nature Preserve.    It looks like two, or at least one  horizontal well has been drilled, perfed,  and fracked under the preserve.  

It seems strange to dress up the surface when down below flows millions of gallons of toxic fluids.  It's too bad our City does not prohibit drilling under parks and nature preserves.  If this drilling frenzy continues with little restraints, we have concerns that Arlington's future  may be the next  Love Canal.  We say future because high-volume unconventional slickwater horizontal drilling is still in its experimental phase.  We have not yet seen the full ramifications of this process, but the harmful effects are already manifesting themselves in many ways from contaminated, flaming water to earthquakes.  

Note:  There may be an issue with this meeting date for some residents.  A City Council meeting is scheduled for the same evening.  Here is that agenda.  We hope this scheduling conflict will not impede citizen participation on a more pressing issue.

Here's a throwback commercial from the early 1970's:

Is it too late to keep Arlington beautiful, or have we gone beyond the point of no return?

Open House: Chesapeake's Greenman Gas Drill Site

Open House

Chesapeake's Greenman Gas Drill Site 

____________________________________________  This information came from a community newsletter: 

Gas Lease Information
Meeting Regarding the Greenman6H Well
This information pertains only to those neighbors in the area north of I-30, west of Fielder, with Green Oaks to the west and north.

Greenman Pad Site Open House
Thursday, August 15 from 6:00-7:30 pm
New World United Methodist Church
2201 N. Davis, Arlington, TX
To discuss the recently completed pipeline connection near your neighborhood and the economic benefits of the natural gads production it enables. [bla, bla, bla...] Additionallly, we will answer questions about activity on the Greenman site and the next steps in the process to begin receiving royalties.  [bla, bla, bla...]  Please RSVP by email to BarnettShale RSVP@chk.com

 

  $$$$$ It's still about the money. $$$$$

 

Residents might want to Ask Chesapeake to explain how they calculate royalties.  Or better yet, visit these links: 

Royalty Payments and Other Ways Fracking Screws Us

Arlington Sues Chesapeake Exploration Over Unpaid Royalties

Unfair Share:  How Oil and Gas Drillers Avoid Paying Royalties 

We spoke with the Railroad Commission of Texas this week, and they informed us that the Greenman 6H well is temporarily abandoned.   This well needs to be either:  1) plugged; or 2) brought into production.  The latest records on their website indicate that the Greenman well (API # 439-35740) is an "unperfed completion."   Perhaps they plan to discuss "Perfing" at the meeting.   To date, we have not heard them explain this process.  We've love to hear all about it.  

More Code Violations at an Arlington, TX Gas Drill Site

We think the trees are dead. 

A City of Arlington employee (formerly with TCEQ) went out to the Fulson Drill Site operated by Chesapeake to inspect a complaint about the dead trees which were planted in the brutal heat of July.  Here is the e-mail dated Friday, November 30, 2012 of her findings:

From: "Jessica Minley" <Jessica.Minley@arlingtontx.gov>
To: "Brian Sample" <Brian.Sample@arlingtontx.gov>
Subject: Complaint

Hello Brian,

To address the tree aesthetics complaint, I found that there is a mixture of living and dead trees on the Fulson site. As it is not planting season, the trees have been noted as an area of concern to be addressed during the appropriate season. Also, the trees are upright and blend aesthetically with the surroundings (fall season). Please contact me with any further questions or concerns. Find attached a picture of a living tree on the site.

Thank you

 

We wonder if the City worker removed her blinders before conducting the investigation.  Did she note this breach??  This is not the first time we have had  gaps in these walls at this Chesapeake drill site. 

We really appreciate the ongoing  partnership between the City of Arlington and Chesapeake in keeping our communities safe.  Thank you.

(Click HERE to view the City's link of the Gas Drilling Ordinance.  For fencing requirements, scroll down to pages 39 and 40.) 

Fish Kill at Fish Creek

It smells fishy at Fish Creek this week.

Dead Fish at Fish Creek, Southeast Arlington, TX

Fish Creek, Southeast Arlington, TX

Poor Fish found dead at Fish Creek 9/12/12

A local resident of the Fish Creek Neighborhood who knows Fish Creek like the back of his hand discovered many dead fish this week while headed to his favorite fishing spot.  He states in an e-mail dated September 12th:

"There has been a fish die-off in Fish Creek. I have seen bass up to about 2.5 pounds as well as catfish and sunfish (commonly called perch). There was cloudy, white water coming from the arm of the creek that crosses Green Oaks Blvd. near the Methodist church between New York Ave. and 360. That was on Sept. 10th. Someone from the city told me that it was due to oxygen depletion, but I do not believe that. The oxygen levels in the water should be greater now than they were before the recent rains and the temperature is not as high as it was a few weeks ago. Anyway, I doubt that the city will do any investigation. I also contacted the EPA, but only got a recording. I left my phone number, but they have not yet called back. If I knew how, I would post some pictures of dead fish. The lack of fish to eat mosquito larvae is not going to help control the mosquito population, and, of course, live fish have a longer-lasting effect on mosquito populations than pesticide treatments which only have a short-term effect."

Although the budget limits the types of tests which can be run,  the City is currently looking into the following possibilities to determine the mysterious cause of this week's fish kill:

Dissolved Oxygen – indicates the stream's ability to support aquatic life.
Chlorine – indicates a potable water source.
Ammonia – can indicate potential sanitary waste, industrial source, fertilizer.
Surfactant – can indicate potential sanitary waste, industrial source.
Copper – can indicate potential herbicide, industrial source.

We do appreciate the efforts of our Public Works team that is investigating this case.   We hope our natural spaces will remain a safe haven for generations to come. 

Update:

Joel Thomas of CBS local News visited our neighborhood  yesterday to investigate this story. 

Click Here.

Danger Zone

Friday, July 6, 2012 around 4:30 p.m.

Good grief.  This man is digging dangerously close to gas gathering pipelines at the Fulson Drill Site in Arlington, Texas.  Since those homes in the background (look beyond the gas gathering pipeline marker) are very close, we would not want him to accidentally strike a gas line and blow up the community.  

While trees are a wonderful asset to most settings and great for the environment,  we wonder why these trees are being planted so close to gas gathering pipelines which transport unodorized gas through our communities? In an effort to make these industrial drill sites look as aesthetically pleasing as possible, are we setting ourselves up for another public safety risk? 

Question:  Should trees ever be planted in close proximity to gas gathering pipelines?  A representative from the Railroad Commission of Texas told us yesterday that the State of Texas has no spacing requirements for the planting of trees near natural gas pipelines.  Other areas of the world do have spacing requirements.  

We know that mature tree roots have been known to damage foundations of homes and lift up sidewalks.  Likewise, they can cause serious damage to natural gas pipelines.

CLICK HERE and scroll down a little to see an illustration of this. 

If planning to dig,  Call 811.  This Call Center notifies all the utilities for you so they can come out and mark the location of the utility lines.   However, gas gathering pipelines are very unique from other utilities.  Questions are being raised about whether these pipelines are for the public good or for industry.  To add to this, these thousands of miles of gas gathering pipelines are regulated by a small number of inspectors at the Railroad Commission of Texas. 

Now, this is where a problem arises.   In this particular case, it has come to our attention that as of June 4, 2012,  DFW Midstreams failed to turn in Completion Paperwork to the Railroad Commission for these particular gas gathering lines at the Fulson Drill Site.  According to a Railroad Commission of Texas representative, their records show the current status of these lines as "In Construction Phase" with a Start Date of "October 2009".  Well, that's not good.
 
A complaint  was filed with the Texas Railroad Commission over a month ago.  It is still under investigation. 

Ironically, while following up with the Railroad Commission on the status of this complaint, we have learned that our local inspectors are at this very moment in Austin for a week-long Pipeline Safety Meeting!   We hope and pray they are able to straighten out this mess since many of us are living at ground zero.   One mistake can have deadly consequences.

Meanwhile, men are digging trenches over here.   

Arlington, TX: A Damaged Land

 June 2009

Plans proposed to the City of Arlington, TX in June 2009
Corner of South Hwy. 360 and Sublett Road

Fast forward three years to the present, June 2012...

Nine acres of undeveloped commercial property surround the Fulson Drill Site.

In a recent conversation with an Arlington land developer, he told us that Chesapeake misrepresented what they were going to do.  When all the wells got drilled, they were going to be able to develop that piece of property.  Chesapeake's five acres would be reduced down to 1.3, and the Temporary Frac Pond would be gone.  It is three years later and Chesapeake still has not reduced the pad site to 1.3 acres and the surrounding land still lies barren.   Chesapeake was a Big Gorilla.  The City was dreaming about the $$gas revenues$$. 

Unfortunately, they created an Achilles' heel for potential land development for this Arlington location.  Even if someone wanted to develop this once, prime piece of commercial real estate, it is now covered in gas gathering pipelines, and you can't put a structure on top of gas pipelines. 

Gas Gathering Line Marker
We could have had this.

Finally, here is a letter that Chesapeake sent out to the Fish Creek neighbors in July of 2009:

"Chesapeake has recently learned of opposition to the Fulson drillsite from a development company whose property is adjacent to the property owned by Chesapeake.  The development company feels that our drillsite hinders future development potential for their property."

During our conversation with this same Arlington land developer, he agreed with us 2000% [his words] that they [Chesapeake] damaged any future land development for this cornerstone of Arlington, Texas which at one point in time held such potential as an important gateway to our vibrant city.