Immoral

What's wrong with this picture?  

This child care facility sits 359 feet from the Rocking Horse Drill Site in Arlington, Texas.  Our City ordinance requires drill zones to be set back 600 feet.   ALL equipment - produced water tanks, separators, compressors, etc. should be included in this measurement, but they are not because when industry helps write the very ordinances which are intended to protect the public, many exemptions and loopholes  get created.  

Look  how close these UNodorized gas gathering pipelines are to this child care facility:

Childcare Network
1400 Caplin Drive, Arlington, Texas 

359 feet from the Rocking Horse Drill Site  

This is why it is so important to remember history:

Rumor has it that gas drilling is not good for business either.  There used to be another day care facility directly across the street from this one.  It closed around six months ago.  That building is vacant now, a common trend around the gas patch.  

We've spoken with lots of parents who say they are fearful of their children being near gas drill sites.  Many fracking chemicals contain  known carcinogens and many are endocrine system disrupters.  Children are more vulnerable than adults to these environmental toxins because they eat, drink, and breathe more than adults on a pound for pound basis. 

We don't think gas drilling  should be anywhere near children.  

Some things are just IMMORAL.  

To read more history about the Rocking Horse Drill Site, click Here.

Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil

We are all familiar with those three chimpanzees that hear no evil, see no evil, and speak no evil.  That's how another gas drilling item got approved last night at the Arlington, Texas Planning and Zoning Public Hearing.
  
First, the Assistant City Attorney, Mack Reinwand, told us we had to remove the poster board off the table in the back of the room.  It displayed photos of the Monster Frac Pond that Chesapeake placed TEN FEET from homeowners' fence lines at the Corn Valley Gas Drill Site in Grand Prairie, TX.  We do not appreciate the City's attempt to suppress this information from the public during a public hearing.  This is concerning because we have to wonder if his action may have in some way hinted of compromising our first amendment rights.   Those pictures must have been speaking louder than words.

To our dismay, the commissioners approved the zoning change for the Rocking Horse Drill Site 7-0 with 2 abstaining.  Chesapeake wants to establish the drill zone, expand the boundary of the drill site, and add a frac pond.  They should have postponed this vote because Chesapeake appears to have fallen woefully short on following proper procedure and providing important specific details - such as how far the frac pond will be from homes. 

For starters, we wonder if Chesapeake selectively invited neighbors to this town hall meeting that apparently took place on November 26th.  We really wanted an invitation to that party.  Neighborhood groups are also on that list.  Fish Creek happens to be one of them.  We never received notice of that meeting.  In the future, Chesapeake, would you kindly send us the invitation.  We will make sure to spread the word to our community.

It was quite interesting to watch how Cliff Mycoskie skirted around the commissioners' questions.  They performed a wonderful dance.   Mr. Mycoskie has a long history with Planning and Zoning issues.  He previously served as Chairman on the P & Z Commission.  Perhaps that is why he is so good at what he does week after week in our City presenting all those gas drilling items. 

However, we don't think he understands how town hall announcements are handled.  Perhaps we can help with that.  Click Here for the definition of a town hall meeting.   A town hall meeting means that the town is invited - not just a select few.  He talked in circles and looked pretty wiped out by the end of the evening.  In fact, he looked like he took a cat nap during the earlier work session.  This hearing was definitely scheduled too close to the New Years' holiday for everyone.

What we don't understand is why a City would approve such a critical zoning change for a company that has an unfavorable reputation.  There is no transparency, and they are not  providing the City or residents with specific details.   For instance, Mr. Mycoskie was simply pulling a number out of thin air when asked how close in proximity will this frac pond be placed to homes.  He clearly did not know, and because Arlington's gas drilling ordinance does not specify setback requirements for frac ponds, it is  guaranteed that the homeowners on Redwater Drive will get a frac pond VERY close to their fence lines too.  

After the meeting we grabbed a bite to eat at a neighborhood  bar and grill.  The place was bustling with activity and we finally found a small table available in the corner and sat down.  The waitress told us that this room was reserved for the Atheists, but the group welcomed us to stay.  We didn't even have to fill out a visitor's card!  The events of  the evening transitioned quite smoothly as we left one set of individuals who refused to recognize God's ways to those who do not believe in God.  Funny, the group who says there is no God seems to have a better grasp on morality than the people making crucial decisions in our City.  Hmmm...

It was good to meet new people in the community and discuss the suburban gas drilling issue.  It is affirming to know that the majority of people feel the same way we do about the issue.

Time to gear up for the City Council Meeting on Tuesday, January 22, 2013 where our elected officials will vote on whether or not Arlington homeowners will get a frac pond on the other side of their fence line.  Be prepared to speak or forever hold your peace.

For those who haven't been following the history of the Rocking Horse drill site, click:

Here,

Here

Here

and

Here

To watch that January 2nd public hearing and see some classic good ol boy style of government, click Here for that direct link.

Ho, Ho, Ho, and a Lump of Coal

One of our community bloggers gave us the most thoughtful Christmas present.  Why, it's just what we need - a reminder of another dirty fossil fuel.  We think this one should be re-gifted and presented to all  the men and women in the shale gas industry who have been working so industriously in our community this year.

For some highlights from 2012, click here, and here, and here.

Wishing you and yours a Very Merry Christmas!

Industrial Terrorism - Our Children's Future?

Dropping off your child to school and seeing a gas drilling rig in the backdrop will make any parent's heart sink - particularly for those who know what we know.  

We recently listened to Dr. Theo Colborn, Environmental Health Analyst,  read a letter she wrote to President Obama about how chemicals in our environment affect our children's health.  Some of  these chemicals are by-products of the fossil fuel industry. 

Click Here to listen to Dr. Colborn's letter to the President.  In this video she states that her college-aged grandson sums it up well by noting that "this is nothing more than industrial terrorism in the womb."

 

So we must ask the question:  Why is this XTO gas drill site sandwiched between an elementary school and a community college and in very close proximity to several other public schools including two junior highs? 

Look inside the red circle.

The purple marker represents the location of the Sue Barnett Gas Drill Site.

The blue marker to its immediate left is Beckham Elementary School.

The blue marker to its immediate right is Tarrant County Junior College.

Blue marker #1 is Barnett Junior High School (remember the Barnett Sinkhole?)

O.K., you get the rest...

Sue Barnett Gas Drill Site located at 1901 S.E. Parkway, Arlington, TX

Operator:  XTO Energy 
December 19, 2012

  Environmental catastrophe in the making 12/19/12

Shale Gas operators have taken over Arlington, yet our City won't zone these sites as 'Industrial.'

   Y'all come back.

Office space available.  Seems to be a trend around here.

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.) 

Who's Railroading Whom?

The Railroad Commission of Texas inspected our sinkhole at Barnett Junior High.  They sent Mr. Smith, Engineering Technician III, from their Kilgore office.  It's a shame they do not have a local office in our area.  They really need one.

His inspection report included a brief conversation with Javier, an Arlington Independent School District crew worker.  We think Javier was the one carrying the shovel.  After Mr. Smith witnessed Javier patching up this ground collapse at the school's driveway entrance, he popped over to the West Wing Unit of the Fulson Drill Site where he noted that nothing unusual was taking place.   Wait... looks like he forgot to mention all that drilling, fracking, and perfing  under homes and under that sinkhole in 2009.  

We would like to know why the Railroad Commission does not have any ethical or moral obligation to make sure that Javier was remediating this sinkhole correctly.  We are pretty sure there is a certain way this must be done or else it could collapse again and be even larger next time.  Much Larger.

We called a sinkhole remediation expert, and they DO NOT recommend shoveling dirt in the void and patching it with concrete because this, potentially, could happen:

 Click Here for full story.

 

Is the Railroad Commission of Texas regulating the Oil & Gas industry or they enabling the industry to railroad us?

What can you do to change the status quo?   Contact your Representative about how our State Regulators are failing to protect citizens living in Shale Gas Extraction zones.  Click Here to see who represents you.

We encourage you to continue emailing us at Fishcreekneighbor@gmail.com if you have questions or if you have sustained property damage after drilling began in your community.  Include location and photos, please.

For the time being...all you need to know is the hole has been covered up, and all is well in the Gas Patch.