Scenes from Meadowbrook
by Steve-OToday was the first day in a long time that I felt any sense of optimism about urban gas drilling.
This may surprise some of you, especially considering that as our city creeps closer to the dog days of August, tempers on the gas drilling issue have been flaring. To support my point, I reference Ms. Horton’s outburst at Mayor Mikey the other day. I believe you are going to see more of that. The Mayor and the City Council and the gas drilling interests have been unwilling to deal with this issue and it is starting to get out of their control. If you drive south down Oakland Boulevard from I-30 you will see what I mean. Yard after yard of anti-pipeline signs. One asked the Mayor how he would like a pipeline in his front yard.
And really that places the blame squarely where it belongs. Mayor Mikey — you made this happen. you didn’t protect Fort Worth neighborhoods and now you have the makings on an insurrection on your hands. Way to go.
And as much as I would like to see this whole thing blow up in your face because you deserve it, you actually have an opportunity to pull your ass out of the sling and fix this whole mess. And I’m going to tell you how to do it.
You have an opportunity to bridge the gap between the gas drilling interests and the people of Fort Worth. As Jim Bradbury masterfully articulated in Sunday’s Star-Telegram, the city of Fort Worth needs a Master Plan for urban gas drilling. This is not going to be easy. You are going to have to push back on your friends at Chesapeake, XTO, Devon and others. Citizens will have to give some, too. But the people of Fort Worth need safe urban gas drilling that we can live with. We need to establish planned well sites, truck routes, common pipeline corridors under city streets and locations for compressor stations. We need citizen involvement on the wastewater question. We need pipeline standards like Southlake or Flower Mound. We need protection on eminent domain. We need setbacks that aren’t subject to variances. Most importantly we need a plan that will encourage operators to share locations to eliminate duplication.
Mike, you can make this happen. And if you can do it, it would make you the greatest mayor in the history of Fort Worth. And if you don’t?
Let me paint you a picture.
The people I saw at the Meadowbrook First United Methodist Church were using words like “dialogue.” They want to be engaged in this process. They are tired of Chesapeake’s one-way communication. They don’t need an out-of-state company telling them how things are going to be in their town. Many of the people last night want to develop their mineral rights, but they don’t want a pipeline run through their front yard. They don’t want houses in their neighborhoods torn down. They don’t want their environment poisoned. They want some protection from the city and the state.
They want to be engaged in this process. But there is also an ugly side. People are pissed. They are throwing around words like “recall” and “class action lawsuit.” Mike, much of this is your own doing. People are not fooled by the way you neutered the Task Force process. Gary Hogan and Susan De Los Santos from the Gas Drilling Task Force spoke about how the gas industry has high-jacked the work of this committee. And even though you could have started fixing this process in February, you didn’t. Now people are demanding a real solution before the work of the previous task force has even concluded. The newly formed Coalition for a Reformed Drilling Ordinance (CREDO) calling for a moratorium on issuing any new drilling permits and pipelines until a master plan can be implemented. The group’s first rally is set for 11 a.m. Aug. 7 in front of the Will Rogers Memorial Center’s Round Up Inn. Many of those people will be making their way to the City Council/Gas Drilling Task Force Joint Meeting later that day.
Opposition is spreading — there will be another pipeline meeting tomorrow in Westcliff. There is still time to show some leadership on this issue, Mike. But the window is rapidly closing. It’s time to get on board or get left behind.
Other local leaders are getting on board. Joel Burns and Kathleen Hicks are actually turning out to meetings and listening to their constituents. Lon Burnam is, too.
I’m optimistic that something positive can come out of this, Mike. Show some leadership. Something is going to happen and you can’t stop it. It’s time to get on the bus. The rest of Fort Worth is waiting for you.
Tags: Barnett Shale, Chesapeake Energy, gas drilling task force, lon burnham, Mayor Moncrief, Meadowbrook
3 Comments, Comments or Pings
Philip Hennen
This is a very insightful article! It should be required reading for all Fort Worth citizens and the City Council and city staff.
Jul 31st, 2008
Eastsider
I agree with Philip!
Thank you Steve-O for your great work!
Power to the People!! That’s what I’m talkin bout!
Jul 31st, 2008
Eastsider
See for yourself what was said at Meadowbrook meeting http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yb4kdyjnQLI
Aug 10th, 2008
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