Spring at Fish Creek

Mother Nature has showered upon us bountiful rains this spring... 

Fish Creek, Southeast Arlington, TX  5-17-2015

Texas was dry.  People across the State had been praying for rain.  Barnhart, a small Texas town, ran out of water,  The oil and gas industry sucked massive quantities of this precious resource for fracking.   In case you missed it:

A Texas Tragedy:  Ample Oil, No Water.

Click Here to see the United States Drought Monitor.

During our epic drought in the summer of 2011, there were many strange water shenanigans happening in Arlington, Texas.  One church made a special deal with Chesapeake to supply them with water for fracking by running water pipelines from their decorative pond across the highway to a drill site.  Our City treated it as a cash cow by selling it to gas operators.  Grand Prairie had a water moratorium in place due to the drought, but that didn't stop Chesapeake.  They hauled Arlington water across the city line, violating the site stipulations for the Fulson Drill Site.  Here are those back stories:

Oh, My. 

What the Quack is Going On? 

  Local Cities Selling Water to Natural Gas Companies

While we've received copious amounts of rain this spring, and Fish Creek is full, the State is not yet out of the woods as far as the drought is concerned.   And citizens have a long battle ahead due to the recent power grab by our State and the industry because Governor Greg Abbott just signed HB40 into law today.   But the lakes and creeks are full, so for now we can enjoy this miraculous gift.  

    

 Spring.  Antonio Vivaldi

XTO Loses at Arlington City Hall

Eden Southwest Gas Drill Site Operated by XTO Energy

Tuesday was a really bad night for Walter Dueease, Regulatory Affairs Manager of XTO Energy.  This Exxon Mobil subsidiary lost their zoning request by a unanimous vote of 9-0 at Arlington, Texas City Hall.  They had hoped to expand their 5.4 acre Eden Southwest drill site with an adjacent 6.3 acre tract in order to set up a temporary above-ground frac pool while keeping the existing frac pond that is at this location.

During last month's Planning and Zoning meeting Chairman, David McGlaun, and Vice-Chairman, Clete McAlister, opposed this request. 

Even Councilwoman, Sheri Capehart, who expressed during the earlier afternoon session that she thought these frac pools were a great idea, suddenly changed her mind and made the motion to deny XTO's request. 

As long-time Arlington resident Kimberly Franklin succinctly states, "One point eight million gallons of fluid 200 feet from homes in a temporary container is a bad idea."  She hit the ball out of the park with her speech Tuesday night.  We encourage you to listen to all the speeches as everyone did a fantastic job.  Kimberly was the first of ten speakers.

This request was a terrible idea.  Fracking is not just about the water.  This is HEAVY INDUSTRIAL MINING inside our residential communities.  

As more people witness middle-class suburbia turn into sprawling industrial zones, opposition to gas drilling grows in Arlington and its surrounding cities.  A good showing of citizens came prepared to speak.  Here is that video clip.  Watch this monumental moment in gas drilling history where Arlington City Council votes UNANIMOUSLY in OPPOSITION to XTO's request. 

October 15, 2013 Arlington, Texas City Council Meeting

Now, this is the kind of dancing the people love to see. 

Be sure to click on the links within this story so you don't miss any details.

Tsunami

Our neighbors once had a small above ground swimming pool.   One day its walls gave way and the pool burst.  In a matter of seconds, the force of the water pushed our six foot tall fence panels halfway into our yard.   The water reached our foundation.  That little round pool contained roughly 10,000 gallons of water, yet its weakened structure caused a mini tsunami.

Now imagine this ~ your industrial neighbor, XTO Energy, erects an olympic-sized above ground frac pool with a diameter of 160' and walls 12' tall.   These pools hold two million gallons of water!   What if those walls were to suddenly collapse due to a situation of improper installation, defects, age, seismicity, a tornado, or even gunshots, which are becoming commonplace in our city?   The consequences would be catastrophic ~ perhaps deadly for nearby residents and anyone who happens to be walking or driving by in a car. 

A zoning amendment to add six additional acres to hold one of of these giant frac pools on XTO's existing Eden Southwest  Drill Site located at 150 Eden Road, Arlington, Texas was up for discussion at Wednesday's September 18th Planning & Zoning hearing at City Hall.   Here is that video:  (Note:  This video may not play on mobile devices.  Please view on your PC or Mac.)

"This is not a destructive type of activity at all," states Walter Dueease, Regulatory Affairs Manager, XTO Energy.

The six speakers in opposition made excellent points.  We've summarized and highlighted a few of these: 

Kim Feil:  XTO said in the afternoon session that the water would not hurt ducks.  Clarification is needed as to whether this water will be treated or reclaimed.  Reminds the commissioners that their is no language in the City's gas drilling ordinance for frac pools.  Until the ordinance is updated where residents are protected, the applicant should be denied.

Jane Lynn:   "Pennsylvania's Attorney General has charged XTO with environmental crimes for spilling over 50,000 gallons of toxic wastewater.   Do we trust them to operate in the middle of our residential neighborhoods?"  In addition, XTO has recently violated the designated truck route in the Fish Creek Neighborhood.  She also wanted to know why we are talking about frac pools when we are in a drought.

Sinikka Dickerson:  Provides testimony about the time when both she and a Veteran Arlington police officer got sickened  in a residential neighborhod  that is surrounded by gas drill sites.  She said, "I can't wrap my mind around it why smart, educated people who by now ought to know better continue approving these activities in residential neighborhoods."

J.R. Nicholson:   Speaks about the gas clouds that came over his house and how his (now deceased) mother couldn't breathe.  A cluster of his neighbors have passed away in a short span of time.   He talked about his burning lungs, unexplained weight loss, breathing problems, and headaches.  Regarding our regulatory agencies he comments, "This whole thing is a bought and paid for farce."  His plead to P&Z is to take a serious look at this issue with their heart and soul because as he states, "Money isn't everything."

Paul Ulrich:  Discusses the dismal state of  the neighborhood  ~ evidence of deterioration of infrastructure of roads, sidewalks, and houses.  "We have proof of drill mud contamination from horizontal drilling."   He goes on to say that while it may seem innocuous to add a frac pool, it is not.  "This is about allowing a known bad operator to extend the range of influence in our community.  There will be more opportunities...to damage, spill, pollute."   Each time they put up the pool and take it down, it impacts the community.   He says, "We want you to stop drilling and move back out of our community and  leave us alone to pick up the pieces so we can start healing and stop the death.  If you don't, then ten years from now Arlington will be a polluted, destroyed industrial waste ghetto."  Finally, he recommends that XTO purchase flood insurance for everyone in that vicinity.

Lola Gulley:  "We need to take our neighborhood back before we're all destroyed.  If the water breaks, all our homes and the neighborhood would be gone.  Too many people are dying. Our property is being damaged from the fracking and the drilling.  I think we should stop thinking about the money and think about the residents." 

It is Powerful when community comes together.

Stay tuned to hear how that vote went down... 

Protecting our Water?

The gas industry spends a ton of advertising money trying to convince us that they are protecting the water.   Seems like the more they try to convince us, the more we distrust them.  We want to thank Josh Fox who just released his newest documentary, The Sky is Pink.  Watch it and discover truth.   

THE SKY IS PINK from JFOX on Vimeo.