1. Txsharon

   Louisiana Media has picked it up amd I saw it in the Houston Chronicle and the Statesman.

   Aug 8th, 2008

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2. Don Young

   One more ya.

   KSLA-TV Shreveport:

   http://www.ksla.com/global/story.asp?s=8809320

   Aug 8th, 2008

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3. gknudson

   So much for your 15 minutes of fame and glory. I am no fan of Chesapeake at all, but the city cannot and will not stop issuing drilling permits and easements, period. To do such a thing would bring down a flood of lawsuits the likes of which you have never seen. These people have no conception of property rights, eminent domain or the constitution. You can regulate it but not stop it. I AM NOT happy with dear old Chesapeake, not in the least. We need planning not senseless talk.

   Sharon, you do not even live in Fort Worth. You live in Wise County so what chips do you have in the game here in Fort Worth? At least Don has chips in the game. Perhaps you need to spend a little more time going after your hero John Edwards. What a faithful, truthful trial attorney he has been. Poverty my rear end. He is more like a big fake and a liar. Wonder how his terminally ill wife feels today?

   Aug 9th, 2008

      -2

4. sirius_girl

   @ GKnudson:
   wonder if you were able to attend the forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters and the Leagues of Neighborhoods re: Eminent Domain?

   It was interesting, it was enlightening and it was instructive. All 3 attorneys encouraged the CFW to get control of the situation pronto. If we don’t start organizing with all the companies NOW we won’t have a chance later. Pipelines are the issue of the day, next will be water disposal and truck routes. It WILL affect every community in the city,.

   Voice is the key. Communities have to get involved. It will take a concerted effort on our part as citizens to tell the Council what we need and what we want.

   Council seems to think that the entirety of our citizenry is far more interested in getting their royalty checks that preserving quality of life near our homes. That’s one of the reasons that Council has permitted every high impact waiver thus far. And that’s the worry for lawsuits.

   I’d be interested in knowing how many folks would forgo a monthly check to gain the preservation of their parks and neighborhood streets……..

   I wonder if City Council’s method of measuring interest and intent by the number of leases signed is a fair representation of what we want. I suspect that the majority of leases were signed by people that weren’t told the whole story and couldn’t possibly have imagined what is coming.

   I’m not sure who’s to blame for that.

   Aug 9th, 2008

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5. Suzette

   GKNUDSON - Sure the City of Ft. Worth CAN stop issuing drilling permits and easements until there is a plan in place for protecting its citizens, environment and infrastructure. Of course they can, it just takes a majority of our City Council members telling Mayor Moncrief that they are going to vote FOR a moratorium on such. That’s all.
   Also, I’m not buying the fear mongering tactic that the City of Ft. Worth is saddling on us with the lawsuit charge. Since when did the City of Ft. Worth care about private contracts of its residents and I doubt that a lawsuit could be filed against the City concerning a contract that they did not sign. On what basis would it be? If each Council member and our Mayor would have done the job we sent them to office to do and put the safety of the citizens before money, we’d be a much happier crowd. With the State of Texas not knowing who’s responsible for certain parts of the gathering and running pipelines, and not having enough staff to do the required inspections at the present moment, I can only imagine how many lawsuits a catostraphic event (”accident”) would produce. Where’s the City on that one — turning a blind eye, deaf ear & trying to sell us on the argument that they “have no control.” Bullshit.
   Sirius_Girl - who is your City Council rep?

   Aug 9th, 2008

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6. sirius_girl

   coming to you via e-mail

   Aug 9th, 2008

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7. Greg

   GKnudson: “We need planning not senseless talk.”

   I could not agree more. With all due respect to those doing it, we need to stop the senseless talk about lawsuits. And we need to do some good planning.

   But here’s the rub. If we continue permitting and granting easements while we plan, we’ll end up with the plan after the stuff we were planning for is done. Hence, the need for a moratorium on new permits.

   We didn’t arrive at the need for a moratorium as a random act of kindness. It’s really the only logical policy when faced with uncertainty coupled a lack of urgency.

   Aug 9th, 2008

      1

8. gknudson

   All good points, but you don’t have to cuss Suzette. Don’t kid yourself, there will be lawsuits. A moratorium may well bring a lawsuit as well from Chesapeake if that ever transpires. However, whether that occurs one way or another who can know for sure.

   But now to the points we agree on. You all make good points. And Sirius I happen to know several of those attorneys so I know the drill as I hold an SRWA from the International Right-of-Way Association, a Texas Real Estate License as well as a Texas General Real Estate Appraisal License, so I am not completely in the dark as to right-of-way acquisitions, condemnation appraisal and the eminent domain and easement acquisition process. But yes I agree completely that this has been chaos theory at work within CFW with Chesapeake and the city. It has been a cluster, no disagreement there.

   Frankly, I just praise the Lord I do not work for Chesapeake. I would hate to be the target of all the wrath, some of it justified.

   Aug 9th, 2008

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9. Ben

   Not sure why an explanation of why is not allowed, but I would say the fact that Flower Mound is being sued proves that it can happen.

   Aug 9th, 2008

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10. Steve-O

    A serious question for gknudson:

    You seem to agree that gas drilling in Fort Worth has suffered from a lack of planning. Do you think that we are stuck with the situation as it exists or do you think that a better solution is feasible? If you think that a better solution is possible, what would be your ideal outcome?

    Aug 9th, 2008

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11. Suzette

    Thanks GK, you are absolutely correct in saying I don’t have to cuss. However, BS was the perfect word at the moment. BTW, I loved what Greg said, “If we continue permitting and granting easements while we plan, we’ll end up with the plan after the stuff we were planning for is done.” That sentence is brilliant!! I’m looking forward to hearing your answer to Steve-O’s question above.

    “Money talks and everything else walks.” Mayor Moncrief, Council meeting 8/5/2008

    Aug 9th, 2008

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12. Ben

    I would say allow pipelines in city streets. Insist on CAD files for all installations. Require a pipeline plan for all permits. Not so much for denial of permits as for attempting to coordinate with other companies. No point in tearing up the streets twice. We went through this during the telecom boom. Some cities were more involved than others. Unfortunately FW was not one of them. Ideal situation? CHESAPEAKE GOES AWAY. They are only making things difficult for the rest of the companies, including mine.

    Aug 10th, 2008

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13. Txsharon

    GKNUDSON

    I was born in Ft. Worth and lived there for 43 years and very soon I may live there again. When I have “funny money” I spend it in Ft Worth just like I did last Thurs. People can live elsewhere and still have interest in peoperty and pay taxes in another city.

    You seem to be saying that we are not allowed to care about what happens anywhere unless we live there. Is that your premise? If so, maybe you can explain to me why we are in Iraq.

    Are you saying that you don’t care about the money people who live elsewhere bring yo Ft. Worth?

    I was not the only person there who lives in a nearby rural area. Rural Texas was well represented because we know that what happens in one area effects all Texans.

    We rural people know better than most the cost of NIMBYism. People tend to say keep drilling in the rural areas “where no one lives.” HELLO? People live in rural Texas and we grow what YOU eat! Here we don’t have ordinances to protect us. We are stuck with state rules that say it’s OK to put a well 200 ft. from our homes. They NEVER inspect pipelines out here. NIMBYism only empowers Big Oil who could and should clean up their act. Remember it all rolls down hill or in the case of water it flows downhill.

    Who will help pay for environmental clean up in Ft Worth? It won’t be Chesapeake because oil and gas was given broad exemptions to our FEDERAL environmetal laws with the 2005 energy bill passed by the Republican controlled Congress at the strong urging of Dick Cheney. So the answer to that question is: TAXPAYERS will ultimately pay the consequences of YOUR poor decisions and poor planning.

    instead of attacking me, why not try to debate the facts I present?

    Like it or not, I intend to stay involved.

    Aug 10th, 2008

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14. Suzette

    So Ben, are you implying that you feel comfortable with the safety of pipelines in general? Also, who pays for the street to be put back together when the pipeline has to be repaired? If something happens and my property is damaged or house is burned down from a pipeline explosion, who pays for it? I’m hearing that the insurance companies are not going to insure our houses for such things and that insurance is going to become big issue here in Ft. Worth. Whynot run the lines to the nearest highway easement and the City get total control of the pipeline routing as the law says they can. This law says that TXDOT can’t say no to pipelines along their easements:

    § 111.020. PIPELINE ON PUBLIC STREAM OR HIGHWAY.
    (a) Subject to the provisions of Subsection (b) of this section,
    all common carriers are entitled to lay, maintain, and operate
    along, across, or under a public stream or highway in this state
    pipelines, together with telegraph and telephone lines incidental
    to and designed for use only in connection with the operation of the
    pipelines.

    http://tlo2.tlc.state.tx.us/statutes/docs/NR/content/htm/nr.003.00.000111.00.htm#111.020.00

    Also, would you agree that the regulation of pipeline maintenance, repair, etc. is more a paper formality than a real practice of such, in the State of Texas?

    Aug 10th, 2008

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15. Ben

    I am more concerned about older pipelines than I am about new pipelines. A lot of them do not even show up on any maps. I assume you missed the stories about people dying in Cleburne/neighborhoods being evacuated in McKinney. The companies pay for all street work just like other utility companies. I have obtained many street cut permits from cities/agencies in Texas/Oklahoma. You are also incorrect regarding TxDOT. Here is the link describing their policy: http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/771551.html

    Aug 10th, 2008

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16. Greg

    I’m quite worried about the older pipelines, too. The ones being installed today will be older pipelines someday.

    Interestingly, in the McKinney case a new pipeline hit a 9 month old pipeline and both were Atmos pipes. Granted, they were on the distribution end of things, but human error is always available at a work site.

    Aug 10th, 2008

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17. Suzette

    Exactly, older pipelines……which is where this City will be in what…..20 years…what is the shelf life of the steel of these pipelines? Is the steel some of the cheap stuff coming out of China? The epoxy on the outside of the pipe doesn’t really matter if the steel corrodes from the inside. Is the welding regulated on all of the welds? By whom and who’s checking and how often? Thanks for the link about TXDOT, but I would think State Law overrides TXDOT policy. This is an area that I’m not clear on where the gray area begins and ends and is an area our City Attorneys and State Reps should be digging into and the Council and Mayor should be requesting this be done and the truth be communicated to the people of Ft. Worth.

    Aug 10th, 2008

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