Lee Nichol Gets It Wrong on the Master Plan
by Steve SmithFrequent West and Clear readers might recall a story we wrote about the first public meeting of the Fort Worth Gas Drilling Task Force. At that meeting, a Fort Worth resident named Mike Dean, spoke quite movingly about nearly being asphyxiated by carbon monoxide from a nearby gas well. The man wept openly as he told about how gas from a nearby well nearly took his life.
How did the Task Force respond to this testimony? They ignored it. And in one instance, one member of the Task Force actually made light of Dean, having a laugh at the expense of man who almost died, according to two people in attendance at the meeting.
That man was Lee Nichol, the same man who wrote an op-ed in the Star-Telegram yesterday claiming that the City of Fort Worth does not need a master plan for drilling as fellow Task Force member Jim Bradbury wrote in the S-T last Sunday and the newly formed FWCREDO is calling for. It’s also interesting that Nichol was instrumental in making sure minutes of Task Force meetings aren’t maintained, presumably so comments like the one he made about Dean wouldn’t be made public.
Nichol’s op-ed starkly presents the choice that we in Fort Worth have:
The crux of the argument comes back to the same issue: does signing a mineral lease constitute giving the industry permission to conduct operations in any way they wish? The answer is no. This came up again and again at pipeline meetings last week in Meadowbrook and Westcliff. Many speakers said the same thing: I support developing mineral rights and oppose the way it is currently being done today. The people of Fort Worth want a better way.
In leasing meetings, landmen do not talk about pipelines, wet gas vs. dry gas, odorized vs. unodorized gas, eminent domain, disposal of wastewater or other quality of life, environment and safety issues. How many leases would they sign if they said: “There’s a chance we might use our eminent domain superpowers to seize your land at a fraction of its value and possibly tear down your house”? The people of Fort Worth didn’t agree to that.
Now is the time to make meaningful, substantive changes to the way gas drilling is done in Fort Worth. Southlake and Flower Mound both have state-of-the-art pipeline ordinances. Why shouldn’t Fort Worth? Southlake has a 1,000-foot setback requirement for wells when the City of Fort Worth is unwilling to stop any waiver request that the industry puts in front of it. We can’t wait any longer.
Quality of life issues and developing mineral rights are not mutually exclusive. Whether a person signed a lease or not, it is well within their rights as citizens to say, “Let’s find a better way.”
Can the citizens of Fort Worth really trust what Lee Nichol has to say on this issue? I don’t think so. Nichol was on the wrong side of the issue on the Transportation Impact Fee — a fee that would have encouraged smart development of the urban core of Fort Worth as it discouraged suburban sprawl. And Nichol is on the wrong side of the issue on the Master Plan for gas drilling. The protections for the people of Fort Worth aren’t there. Protections to maximize corporate profits are.
As Mike Dean, the man who was nearly asphyxiated, told the Task Force back in June, “I hope you can live with what you create.” I have no doubt that Lee Nichol can, but the rest of us can’t. There is a better way. Fort Worth can have a gas drilling ordinance that allows gas drilling companies, the city and the people of Fort Worth to make money AND enjoy safety and quality of life. Write the Mayor and your City Council representative today and urge them to take steps to develop a Master Plan for gas drilling.
Tags: Barnett Shale, gas drilling task force, Lee Nichol, Master Plan
One Comment, Comments or Pings
Don Young
Thanks to Lee Nichol we now have a clear understanding of what is meant by, “the Fort Worth Way.” For many of us, it’s, “the highway.” As in “robbery.”
His attack on Jim Bradbury’s measured call for a Master Plan echos that of the man behind the curtain the Wizard of Oz. One has to bite the tongue to resist a personal attack on such a man. But what he represents should be met head-on with unyielding resistance.
We can also thank Lee for expanding the middle ground. That is, those who favor tough restrictions on urban gas drilling while not opposed to leasing their minerals.
Although I find this, personally, to be a cop out, I do have a measure of sympathy for those who were misled into signing a lease, especially the elderly and the desperately poor.
Life is for learning. The next time snake-oil salesmen come calling there will be a chance for redemption. Guess what? They are calling again.
Aug 4th, 2008
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