Three Out of Four Lawyers Surveyed Say: City Needs a Master Plan for Drilling Infrastructure
by Steve SmithSo four lawyers walk into a Presbyterian Church last night and three lawyers say that the city needs a master plan on pipeline infrastucture. Who was the odd person out? Was it:
The answer, surprisingly, is not B. The correct answer is D. That’s right, the attorney for Chesapeake Energy said that producers are actually open to sharing gas drilling infrastructure. “Coordination makes good sense,” he said.
Sodd, who comes across like Randy Galloway’s smarter brother, was more direct in his assessment of the need for a better approach to pipelines. “Tarrant County and the City of Fort Worth are in deep trouble if you don’t get control of the situation.”
And of course, there’s Bradbury, who has recommended developing a Master Plan on gas drilling to avoid the risk of duplicating infrastructure. “We are smarter than this problem,” he said. “We need a new way of thinking about this issue.” Bradbury was very clear — the Gas Drilling Task Force is not going to get this issue right. The task force has already narrowed the definition of a city park, declared that the Trinity Trails do not fall in a protected class and narrowed the definition of public buildings. If Chesapeake’s Mayor Kenneth Barr would just go kick someone’s dog, I think they will have hit for the cycle.
So the three eminent domain attorneys agree — let’s get a plan.
But there’s one more lawyer in the mix, and it just so happens that Fullenwider has the most pull. Yesterday, she declared “no” on the need for a Master Plan and “no” on the need for a Moratorium on Drilling and Pipeline Permits until this can get figured out. As long as we are channeling Randy Galloway, maybe we ought to start calling Fullenwider “Madam No.”
But is Sarah really to blame for this or is she just carrying the water for Mayor Mike? No matter who is ultimately to blame, the failure to deal with this problem is not going to make it go away. As just about every media outlet pointed out yesterday, the protest that happened yesterday was different. The anger level has gone past a simmer and on to a low boil. And I’m not seeing the City or Mike taking any steps to assuage these feelings.
Mike’s head continues to be stuck in the sand … or, if you feel more creative, some other location. And that’s unfortunate, because it doesn’t have to be this way. A gas industry representative told me that privately yesterday. “We bear some of the responsibility, but so does the city. This should have been planned out better years ago. This never should have reached this point.”
But here we are, and things are different now. I’m seeing lots of new faces at meetings and they are from all over the City. I’m also hearing some of the names of people working behind the scenes, people with big names and big bank accounts. The 76107 ZIP code is getting involved. There is more and more talk about sending a message by trying to unseat a single city council person, possibly in a recall election. I hear several names come up, but the one mentioned most often is Danny Scarth.
But while all of the chess pieces move … or in this case don’t move … real people are really suffering. People like Jerry Horton, the 72-year-old widow on Carter Avenue who is facing condemnation proceedings. We spoke for a long time yesterday morning, mostly about God and faith and her work for 35 years at the Dallas Times Herald as a fashion illustrator. She’s a tough lady and she says she’ll keep fighting and I believe her — she will. But she’s also very tired. And my heart goes out to her.
Because it didn’t have to be this way.
Tags: Barnett Shale, Chesapeake Energy, eminent domain, Jerry Horton, jim bradbury, Mayor Moncrief
8 Comments, Comments or Pings
Ben
What about the proposed placement of pipelines in city right of way? Is that really a compromise that people are happy with? If your concern is safety, does 10 feet further out in the street make you feel safer?
Aug 8th, 2008
Steve-O
Eminent domain being a concern, this could be a step in the right direction. Anything that gets pipelines out of people’s yards is a step in the right direction. From a property owner’s standpoint, having a pipeline on your property 10 feet from your front door isn’t going to help your property value either. Having a pipeline in the middle of the street 30 feet from your front door is better, if only by degrees.
From a safety standpoint, it doesn’t make me feel safer if we still have a spider web of pipelines going through neighborhoods. I would prefer the city try to identify common easements and work with the industry to use common gathering lines to minimize the infrastructure footprint and the impact to neighborhoods. To the extent that we can have one pipeline instead of six or 10, that would be an improvement. To the extent that we can get the city involved to plan these routes in advance and minimize impact to neighborhoods, that would be an improvement. The city isn’t moving in that direction yet.
Aug 8th, 2008
Txsharon
To be idealistic for a moment, the best plan is to sink a bunch of money into research to find alternatives sooner rather than later–some technologies are very close. As soon as there is an alternative, the price of the so-called clean burning fuel–a big lie when you factor in the enironmental cost of production–will drop and HIGH IMPACT drilling will come to a screeching halt. That means you won’t get those royalties, but your city and our environment will be safer. And I say this as the owner of more than 40 acres of minerals.
If Ft Worth had a Mayor and City Council without oil & gas ties, then Ft Worth could get out in front with green energy industries that will create jobs for decades instead of getting behind a dying industry.
Aug 8th, 2008
Ben
So then we should not use natural gas in our homes? Wouldn’t a drop in prices encourage businesses/utilities to use more natural gas? Are you against the Pickens Plan? You have to have something when the wind is not blowing and demand is as high as it has been this week. It seems easier to change your fleet to natural gas than somehow “get in front” with green industries, whatever that means. California is certainly going in that direction.
Aug 8th, 2008
Txsharon
As I already stated, we should make developing alternatives the highest priority then the demand for natural gas and other hydrocarbons will drop and so will the price. A price drop will mean that HIGH IMPACT drilling will not be profitable but we won’t care because we will have alternatives. Just last week, a break through in solar energy allowed storage of energy for use when the sun is not shining.
I no longer use gas in my home. I have made major life style changes that are not that hard to make.
Natural gas is not a cleaner fuel when you factor in the cost of HiGH IMPACT drilling to the environment.
Pickens plan will greatly benefit Pickens.
Aug 8th, 2008
b kooistra
I’m glad to see some heads coming out of the sand and starting to look around. I’m amused that all these homeowners held out for the best deal for their royalties, and now that they’ve cashed their checks, are worried about the long-term impacts of this drilling in their neighborhoods. (Not that I wouldn’t have been greedy myself–if they’re throwin’ this money around, I sure want mine!).
Aug 9th, 2008
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