Fort Worth’s Problem Isn’t Urban Gas Drilling, Fort Worth’s Problem Is Chesapeake Energy
by Jim Bradbury
Jim Bradbury is a Fort Worth attorney and the District 9 representative on the Fort Worth Gas Drilling Task Force.
Friends and Neighbors:
I am writing you to address a significant issue, which I ask you to think about. As everyone knows, urban drilling has presented us all with a mixture of benefits, questions and burdens as we have moved through the story of the Barnett Shale. For most of this year, the City Of Fort Worth’s Gas Drilling Task Force has been meeting almost weekly to learn, discuss and debate what changes and protections our City needs. These changes are coming up for consideration by the City Council within a few weeks and I hope that you will familiarize yourself with these changes to be better informed. But that’s not why I am writing you tonight.
Many people believe that we have an urban drilling problem here in Fort Worth and for sure we have a lot to learn and a lot of issues to address. But there are a lot of intelligent people giving thought to solving those problems. We do have a problem, but I don’t think that it’s urban drilling. I think that our problem is Chesapeake. More to the point, I think that our problem is how a few key individuals at Chesapeake think that they should conduct their affairs here in Fort Worth.
There are far more reliable sources than me, but I have been involved a number of gas drilling debates and debacles and have had the opportunity to observe how the various operators interact with neighborhoods, City Staff, elected officials and their approaches to problem solving. While it may shock some of you to hear me say this, but a number of our operators are trying to get it right. You don’t see their name in the newspaper for threatening homeowners because they avoid it. There is one name we keep hearing though.
Time and again, its Chesapeake. I don’t think it’s coincidence, and I don’t think its just because Chesapeake has more to do. I think it’s because a handful of Chesapeake executives have come to believe that they write the rules.
Thursday night, Chesapeake went over the line and I am not willing to give them a pass on it and hope that you don’t either. The City of Fort Worth scheduled an informational meeting at the Botanic Gardens to present the recommended changes and protections to the current ordinance. These recommendations involved nine months of work by an all volunteer Task Force, hours that cannot be counted by City Staff and an enormous amount of effort by various groups in the City to study these complicated issues. When the recommendations were revealed to City Council several weeks ago, Chesapeake was furious.
What made them angry was that City of Fort Worth Staff, the Mayor and Council all supported additional protections over and above the Task Force recommendations. You should be pleased because they were looking out for you. But they didn’t ask Chesapeake ahead of time and Chesapeake doesn’t want these additional protections put into the ordinance.
So Chesapeake decided to show the City and all of us a lesson. Chesapeake orchestrated its employees, contractors, subcontractors any anyone else that is financially beholden to them to show up at the Botanic Gardens. What resulted was a fiasco, but Chesapeake was pleased and the smiles proved it.
Some estimates had Chesapeake’s entourage at 850 people, who were apparently asked to show up early and take up as much space as possible. When residents began arriving for the meeting, there was little parking left and very little room in the meeting. Chesapeake PR employees had created and handed out stickers to all of its employees, contractors and subcontractors to show their solidarity to what was I presume their message your ordinance
changes are going to threaten my job. Now think about that for a minute.
What kind of company tells its employees, contractors and subcontractors in the midst of an enormous downturn, that they better get down to a City informational meeting and defend their jobs against what the City plans to do in the way of protections? They had no choice, they had to come. They all have jobs and need to keep them. They weren’t the problem, it’s those same few people that thought that the City would learn its lesson if they made a spectacle of throngs of energy workers opposing changes. But last night wasn’t supposed to be a debate. It was organized to inform neighborhoods about how the City was proposing to protect them. And when citizens began to show up, there was no room to park and no room in the Botanic Gardens presentation. The Fire Marshall had to turn people away. That’s not how we do things here. And if you think about it you don’t see any other operators conducting their affairs in that manner.
So form your own opinion and I am fine if you disagree with mine — just think about it.
Tags: Barnett Shale, Chesapeake Energy
38 Comments, Comments or Pings
Txsharon
Very poor judgment.
Nov 22nd, 2008
Billy Bradbury
Chesapeake could have never pulled that off without some sort of inside collusion within the council itself.
Nov 22nd, 2008
sirius_girl
Is it fair to look at the long time Fort Worth wheeler & dealers at the top of CHK’s Fort Worth administrative tier and wonder what they were thinking? Were Ken and Julie instrumental in developing such a poor plan or were they encouraging CHK to heed the Mayor’s favorite reprimand about the Fort Worth Way?
It’s way past time for CHK to get the real deal and learn how to play, work and live in FW. Or just go on home.
Nov 23rd, 2008
James
Natural gas and urban gas drilling is the future. It will ultimately help the U.S. economy and ourcity. Give me a break liberals.
Nov 23rd, 2008
Roger
James, thanks for moving this long-standing community conversation forward with such a textured, cogent and nuanced comment. The word “liberal” is so poorly used these days, but I just don’t see what that has to do with the urban gas drilling conversation at hand.
Nov 23rd, 2008
John Peter Smith
Let’s see, a couple of hundred people from upscale neighborhoods, their gas royalty checks safely deposited in their bank accounts, show up to express shock and dismay that someone would actually want to drill a gas well to get the gas they paid for. They convince the City Council to turn down the gas well. This we are assured is a great victory for “the people”.
Yet when over eight hundred people, from neighborhoods across the city, show up to express concerns that new regulations will hurt their livelihoods and possibly put them out of work, that we are told is “a problem”.
What am I missing here? Someone show me where the City Charter states that a citizen forfeits their civic rights upon becoming employed by a gas company. A frequent whine on this blog is that so few Fort Worthians have attended the gas ordinance meetings. Yet when a crowd does show up, it is evil? The only thing evil about it is that the people that showed up happen to have opinions at odds with the prevailing view of this blog.
Nov 23rd, 2008
b kooistra
I see where BP is looking to buy Chesapeake Energy to supply Europe with cheap, safe, clean Natural Gas. They’ve already bought out Chesapake’s stake in several gas fields, and are eyeing buying the company whole.
So much for the “patriotism flag” that is waved by Chesapeake on how wonderful this gas is an how it will lead to US energy independence!
Nov 23rd, 2008
Steve-O
That’s just it JPS, these people weren’t. Julie Wilson wants you to believe that. If all of these hundreds of people who showed up were actually Fort Worth residents, that would be one thing. But the vast majority who did show up were from elsewhere — west of Weatherford, east of Dallas, south of Burleson, north of the Red River. This was essentially a corporate temper tantrum — not an expression of community will.
The people who actually live in Fort Worth should be the ones to decide on the rules governing gas drilling in their communities — no matter who they work for or which side of the issue they are on.
This meeting wasn’t about comment, it was about information. The fact is that these “supporters” never showed up at the the three public hearings that the gas drilling task force held. Instead, they materialize at a meeting that was strictly intended to be an informational meeting. Not only are these people not from Fort Worth, the only reason they are there is to disrupt the attempts of city staff to explain to residents the changes to the ordinance that the City Council will eventually vote on. Sounds kind of evil to me.
I have spoken to lots of people in the industry who say the same thing — Chesapeake makes it harder for us than it should be. Stunts like this are why.
Nov 23rd, 2008
Suzette Watkins
That’s Councilman Mr. Joel Burns front and center of the picture above. What is he thinkin? Did we have a study group for this Urban Gas Drilling thing?
Nov 23rd, 2008
Kevin Buchanan
I’m thinking that Joel was thinking he’d go to the meeting, since he’s pretty heavily involved in these sorts of things. His presence, I’m guessing, was unrelated to Chesapeake’s stunt.
Joel’s one of the good guys. Give him a break.
Nov 23rd, 2008
Suzette Watkins
“Joel’s one of the good guys. Give him a break.” No break needed, wasn’t criticizing any part of Mr. Burns — this drilling thing started way before Mr. Burns was even on the council. It would be very telling to show the pre-council tape where Senator elect Wendy Davis was calling for stronger City Ordinance and Mayor Moncrief was getting a bit hot under the collar with Ms. Davis’ call for more depth to the City’s Gas Drilling Ordinance. Must have been in, or around, Sept. 2007. Can I get a witness?
Nov 23rd, 2008
Greg
Fort Worth’s problem is a failure of leadership. From elected officials to civic leaders to our local news media, there has been a collective failure to understand impacts before allowing urban gas drilling. An ideologically narrow view of property rights coupled with falling for a snake-oil salesman’s pitch about easy riches has backed the city, and the region, into a corner.
Without any comprehensive study Fort Worth has allowed a heavy industrial process to operate virtually anywhere without providing citizens with the property rights protections embodied in our zoning ordinance. Beyond just Fort Worth, the region is allowing the industry to pollute our air, put our water supply at risk and crush our roads.
The problem is not that bullying tactics have moved from media purchases to city council offices and now to public meetings. I welcome the fact it is so brazen. Perhaps now whose on the fence will grasp the scope of the battle. Unfortunately, in an environment where changing position is considered evidence of weakness, I don’t expect much from those we’ve elected.
Our problem is not Chesapeake, it is our own inability to deal with petty tyranny.
Nov 24th, 2008
Ben
Typical response Greg! The government didn’t warn us enough. I suppose we should have warned people there was a possibility their houses might not appreciate in value before they bought their new McMansions in the suburbs. Perhaps the government should discourage any development in the North Suburbs because 35W can’t handle the traffic. Over 100,000 people VOTED by signing leases. Get over it!
Nov 24th, 2008
Kevin Buchanan
So the fact that people signed leases means it’s A-OK for drilling to occur wherever and and whatever manner that the gas companies want it to?
Don’t think it works that way.
Nov 24th, 2008
Ben
No, they should follow the rules that were in place at the time they acquired the leases. Changing the rules in midstream doesn’t make you look weak, it makes you look stupid. How would you like it if every time you submitted plans to the city the rules changed?
Nov 24th, 2008
Suzette Watkins
“the rules that were in place” are the operative words, imo. That is the crux of the matter that Greg speaks of above. Our elected “leaders” are responsible for protecting the people. Our first line of defense here in Cowtown is our City Council. They failed to do their homework including research, and halt this Urban Drilling train until the “studying” was completed and some sort of plan and appropriate protections/rules were put in place. They like to claim that the rules were not something they could affect, but that was a sales job that they bought from a few powerful individuals and then tried to sell it to us and succeeded for the most part. All the while, bandits were grabbing the money and running, ie. predatory leases and the like and it was a hay day in Ft. Worth for the people pocketing big money. Yhea…I’m with Greg….it’s about lack of leadership (and more) and it still is about lack of leadership (and more). Now come the pipelines!
What is this town going to look like in 10 years? What will happen to the abandoned well sites? Who’s water will we be drinking then? The bandit’s and politicians will be long gone and once again, the taxpayers will be left holding the bag and cleaning up the mess. Call me/it what you want to, but that’s how I see it.
Nov 24th, 2008
Linda Ld Jacobson, APR
Jim,
Having some dealings with Chesapeake, I can sympathize with your point. Some individuals and some drilling companies have chosen to “strong arm” their way through the urban gas drilling scenario while there are certainly better and more neighborly ways of approaching it (i.e.; ensuring proper safeguards to protect quality of life).
No, stacking the audience wasn’t the right thing to do as far as Fort Worth residents are concerned, but I’m sure it was the politically astute thing to do as far as Chesapeake is concerned.
Although I’m a proponent of urban gas drilling – with appropriate safeguards in place – I also have a bad aftertaste in my mouth after attempting to deal with Chesapeake. Just think: what kind of company extends a lease offer one day only to rescind it the next, with no explanation? That isn’t the way I do business, economic downturn or not. But it is telling of the company’s mindset, which seems to be: We’re going to do it our way. Play or get out of the way.
That’s the rub, and therein, also the problem.
Nov 24th, 2008
mikeh
If the detractors of Chesapeake are this committed, they should take their royalty checks each month not to their banks where they can use this free money to benefit themselves, rather, they should donate the entire check each month to local neighborhood associations trying to prevent further drilling. If any one of the posters to this site are collecting money for which they did nothing but accept Chesapeake’s lease bonus check, deposit it, then go to the mailbox each month and rip open the Chesapeake envelope and remove the check, deposit it, then board the bus fueled by natural gas to attend the rally against Chesapeake, well then I guess self serving hypocrisy becomes you.
Nov 25th, 2008
Philip Hennen
When the citizens and government of a community are disrespected, ignored, thwarted and circumvented in their legitimate efforts to ensure the health, safety and aesthetics of their community, that community becomes no longer a “human” community but merely a “resource” to be exploited for profit by a small group with the means to do so. This is what is happening to North Texas. Sure, we get money and jobs — but in exchange for losing our rights as citizens of a COMMUNITY.
I very much respect Jim Bradbury for the efforts he has made to help our community deal with these issues, but I don’t fully agree with the headline of this article. Urban gas drilling IS a problem for Fort Worth, Chesapeake Energy or not.
I do not know if shale gas development can be done in a way that reasonably protects the environment and respects citizens and communities rights and property. I have my doubts, and I know it is not now being done in that manner. This is the dilemma so few are willing to address: the “devils bargain” of fossil fuel. Again, I don’t claim to know a certain solution, but too many just choose to put their head in the sand on the issue.
Nov 25th, 2008
Philip Hennen
mikeh reveals the “true” purpose of the lease and royalty money: to “buy off” citizen’s concerns about the gas production process. “TAKE THE MONEY AND SHUT UP”!
He is reiterating my point: they don’t want the common citizen to have any say in what happens in the community, particularly concerning gas production.
Where is the hypocrisy?: citizens do get to have a say in many other things that happen in the community that they may ultimately benefit from.
Nov 25th, 2008
mikeh
Valiant effort, Phil. But your shot missed. Chesapeake and its competitors exercise an abundance of caution when drilling wells and laying pipelines. They live here too. And to say that community input is lacking is just wrong. I used to work for Chesapeake and the hoops we jumped through to exercise rights we paid for was amazing, and continues to be so. Citizens have had plenty to say. Drilling and pipeline construction have been delayed, costing millions, because of Chesapeake’s willingness to engage the public and answer questions at numerous community sponsored events. The Barnett Shale has been a blessing and Chespeake has been diligent in its efforts to enrich the state, county and city while fending off fanatical reisistance by half-informed activists. I appreciate your concern, which seems logical and reasoned, but there’s nuts out there who rebel just to break up their afternoon with Oprah.
Nov 25th, 2008
Philip Hennen
Not sure what’s so “valiant” about it: just calling it as I see it, as I know you are as well.
Any time the topic of “big business” and “big money” is discussed, it can become complicated. There seems to be a tendency among people who wish to “defend” a big company to believe that anyone who is critical of that company or industry is completely naive, pollyanish, and is someone who yearns for some kind of medieval lifestyle. That’s innacurate and unfair, of course.
Really this topic is not about some “half-informed” activists picking on Chesapeake; it’s about people desiring to have a reasonable amount of say about what happens in THEIR community. It would not matter if it is gas wells, Chesapeake, or whatever. It’s about ANY activity that has that kind of impact on the fabric of a community. Of course it’s reasonable that there be an appropriate balance between various interests. But I think if we choose MONEY as our main interest to defend, we are going down a very risky and unsatisfying path.
Nov 25th, 2008
mikeh
Fair enough. Have a good Thanksgiving.
Nov 25th, 2008
Philip Hennen
I wish the same for you and all reading this blog. The spirit of Thanksgiving is noble.
And I hope for everyone to keep a cheerful and thankful outlook, even and especially in these times of confusion and trouble.
Nov 25th, 2008
Bill
As someone who is in the industry I find it refreshing that people are finally figuring out about the operational routine of Chesapeake. It has made it very hard on other companies who try to do the right thing. While economic times have become extreme and difficult, Chesapeake is their own worst enemy.
Nov 25th, 2008
John C.
Mike touched on an interesting point … It seems like a lot of folks with questions and serious concerns about drilling near their houses jumped at the money first, then tried to get answers second, when the cash was already in their pockets. (Full disclosure: I live in Fairmount, but have not signed a lease nor received money due to the existing question over well location on 8th.)
I think this is a healthy process we’re going through now (questioning, pushing for answers and input), but it all seems a bit backwards. Having said that, the PR gaffes and outright stubbornness shown by Chesapeake are simply mind-boggling …
Nov 25th, 2008
Steve-O
I agree with Phillip on this point — the question isn’t whether or not we will have gas drilling in Fort Worth — we had yesterday, we have it today and we’ll have it tomorrow. The question is whether or not the citizens will have a say in formulating guidelines that provide citizens and neighborhoods a baseline of protection.
The city has pretty much bungled gas drilling regulations from the get-go. We should have been having the discussions we are having right now several years ago. However, the city deserves at least a little bit of credit for trying to do the right thing with the drilling ordinance now. I doubt the results will be perfect, but it is shaping up to be better than citizens could have hoped for before. I don’t believe this is because Mayor Moncrief had a Road to Damascus moment — community pressure forced his hand.
(An aside — I’ve been to plenty of Chesapeake meetings. It’s not a dialogue — if they were better communicators. Instead, it’s always a monologue — strictly one way communication.)
Regarding lease payments, I would point out that during the 8th Avenue hearings, the Paschal neighborhood that would have had its minerals developed by that very site actually came out against it. Turns out that they didn’t want to be that close to a drilling site. Did they do anything wrong? No. J. Paul Getty once said that if you owe the bank $100, that’s your problem. If you owe the bank $100 million, that’s the bank’s problem. Aubrey McClendon and CHK have lost their shirts throwing around money they borrowed, now they want to blame their people who signed the leases. Nice try. Better luck next time.
Chesapeake IS Fort Worth’s problem. If more people in the industry at XTO or Devon would stand up and tell them to knock it off, more people in Fort Worth would change the way they look at the industry.
Nov 25th, 2008
Suzette Watkins
Steve-O said “If more people in the industry at XTO or Devon would stand up and tell them to knock it off, more people in Fort Worth would change the way they look at the industry.”
A Ron Paul supporter said,
“In the drilling arena, government regulation over how drilling happens
means companies don’t have to deal with the public concerns at all, they
can just say they’re abiding by the relevant regulations. Public groups
that run to the government for tighter regulations only play into their
hands by conceeding the argument about where the regulations belong and
agreeing that both sides should deal with the government instead of each
other.”
I found these two comments synonymous and telling. Pretty interesting stuff! Happy Turkey Day eve everyone. Thanks W&C for such a great site!
Nov 25th, 2008
Johnny
@Bill, ditto.
Nov 26th, 2008
Johnny
@Bill,
“As someone who is in the industry I find it refreshing that people are finally figuring out about the operational routine of Chesapeake. It has made it very hard on other companies who try to do the right thing. While economic times have become extreme and difficult, Chesapeake is their own worst enemy.”
-Ditto…I can vouch for this statement as well.
Nov 26th, 2008
Bill
Devon, Encana, Range, etc. et al have tried to influence Chesapeake, however they do not control the Big “C”. There is no grand conspiracy here.
Nov 26th, 2008
Suzette Watkins
Bill says, “people are finally figuring out about the operational routine of Chesapeake.” I say, our City Council has allowed it. If the Council wanted to call a meeting overnight and change the Gas Drilling Ordinance, they probably could. They probably have that authority. If not, I bet they could do it in 1 week to 3 months — if it meant needed measures to protect us, and our City; we had strong leadership, care and concern for the people (and they truly cared about our lands & environment).
Show me the money trail of Chesapeake that it has left in OUR City of Ft. Worth! Who are the top 3 people who made money with Chesapeake and who is their employer? (Yes, taxpayers should be listed as a possible employer.)
Nov 26th, 2008
Eastsider
“a Dallas federal judge ruled Tuesday that Grand Prairie has the right to impose many of its local rules ”
http://www.star-telegram.com/local/story/1059837.html
Nov 26th, 2008
Greg
Steve-O: “…it is shaping up to be better than citizens could have hoped for before.”
That may be, we’ll see. However the problem is the ordinance is still NOT based on answers to basic questions of science and economics. Unfortunately many people will say, “Gee, it’s better than before, now we can go back to watching TV.”
So I do not applaud the half-measures; they lull us into a false sense of security. The underlying issues remain and are just as critical. They will be considered, if at all, in hindsight.
Nov 29th, 2008
Philip Hennen
Air pollution mainly, and water pollution not a distant second, are the biggest questions concerning gas production. These are the potential problems that are generalized to EVERYONE, regardless of whether or not they signed leases, waivers, etc. Not only are the potential consequences spread to everyone regardless of proximity to wells and other production facilities, the consequences are also passed down through time for however long the production occurs in the area — and especially in the case of water pollution in aquifers, for an even much longer time.
As Greg mentions, the scientifically soundly-documented answers to these questions has essentially been “whitewashed” up to now, even by agencies mandated to protect us, such as the E.P.A.
A certain Roman Emporer’s musical obsession comes to mind.
Dec 1st, 2008
Ben
The amount of air polution in this area that is caused by natural gas drilling is small compared to the amount caused by cement manufacturing & electricity generation. Water pollution is essentially a rural issue, since most of the cities in this area get their water from lakes not aquifers. A FW ordinance is going to make these areas more attractive for injection well sites, so you are really just shifting your risk to someone elses town. I would think the it would be more likely a truck accident would contaminate FW’s water supply, so again you have created more problems.
Dec 1st, 2008
Philip Hennen
The thing about air pollution is that obviously all sources contribute to the total. And, different kinds of air pollution have different kinds of potentially harmful effects. There already exists some degree of “political will” to deal with some of the more familiar kinds of air pollution, such as vehicle emissions, however inadequate the solutions may be. Part of the ongoing problem with air pollution is that “new” sources such as gas production can become significant, and population and industrial growth make “solutions” often several steps behind the problem.
Here are some of the reasons gas production air pollution is important: (1) it is relatively new and un-studied, and not familiar to the broad population, (2) even with the current bad economy, we can eventually expect a continued fast-paced growth in gas wells and production facilities, (3) few legal regulations exist to address this source of air pollution, (4) in our urban setting, there is less potential “buffer” from the pollution and those who might be affected by it.
So, paying attention to gas production air pollution does not imply ignoring other sources such as cement kilns and generating plants. It means being prudent in finding whatever opportunities there might be to address this serious public health issue.
Dec 2nd, 2008
Steve the Condemnee
“Amen” to Brother Bradbury and to poster Greg from one of the little people who has heard consistent reports from neighbors on Carter Ave.(or Pipeline Alley unless Chesapeake wants to change it to Chesapeake’s Way) and witnessed a pattern of behavior consistent with foreign invaders: first they take over the airwaves and media, then they use tactics to show their power–tens of million $$ of saturation ads, headquartering in a gleaming tower right in the “power zone” to remind the old powers who is in charge now; relabeling people’s community identity-”people of the Shale”, encouraging/admonishing the conquered “Shalites” to “get behind the Shale”(“or we will run over you” being the unspoken part as evidenced by the records, Mr. Bradbury’s dead on piece, along my and my neighbors’ experiences–in which the local media/journalists have let us and the public down by not reporting accurately and thoroughly), and other propaganda because it’s more than a PR campaign– along with conducts like this recent “show of force”–I wonder if the brain/s behind this stunt considered having their people wear matching outfits and march in lockstep and even sing anthems extolling the greatness and largess of Chesapeake, who has reappropriated the “Barnett Shale” as a palatable term for us Shalites—-has anyone noticed and/or was offended by the replacement of the star in the Texas flag with a burning gas/flare on their website? Oh yes, the invaders also usually rename the community/place and of course redo its common symbol, which usually is the flag,
Their sense of power and arrogance is aided by the flawed laws that give them the constitutional power of Eminent Domain, which they used/abused as clubs/weapons in getting people to sign the easement “agreements”–more like treaty of surrender; plus can it be a true/legal business agreement/contract when one party is under threat of being dragged through the legal system when Chesapeake’s high-powered lawyers sue to condemn and forcefully “take” the desired front yards (and even under one houses and a few feet from a few homes where families/people live) where our children play and adults socialize or garden, in order to lay 16-inch or larger pipelines (the lines coming into our homes are 1/2-1 inch; you cando the math) under the ground and transporting all kinds of natural materials/chemicals, many classified as hazardous material in and of themselves, nevermind the even more dangerous cocktail of chemicals that will flow continually for years. An example of their callous and condescending attitude regarding the health and safety of PEOPLE (not trees) was uttered by one of their legal eagles during a condemnation/special commissioners’ hearing (a farce since poor people without a lawyer face their team of experts, kinda like taking on Mike Tyson while one is wheelchair-bound): Chesapeake has PLENTY OF INSURANCE, with the effect of people hearing it hissing in protest and giving me the chilling feeling that my child and my neighbors were viewed as replacable things like cars or even precious trees. We little people’s lives and health were simply part of a business calculation, just the cost of doing bid-ness. Of course the reason that they gave for “choosing” (or more accurately “targeting for easy exploitation” since we are a mix of retired/elderly/disabled persons and hard-working immigrant families) my street–and my side of it with modest but well-kept homes–was their going green/”environmental considerations”. If you are familiar with our little neighborhood on the hill off Beach and I-30/overlooks Gateway Park and Fort Woof you will realize that the real green they were considering have pictures of dead presidents (lots) or else why would they not take the straight/direct route for their pipeline(s) through the next street where large hotels, office towers, commercial/bank properties, and large homes owned by fairly wealthy lawyer, banker, businessman–instead of spending extra money to trench and add “elbows” to the pipelines just so they could take exploit our disadvantages—million$ worth, probably. They have insulted (in targeting us, interacting with us,etc.) and injured us (damages to properties, the list of which are fairly common sensical and well documented, and emotional-physical-social). The summary to their insult and injury are the terms in the contract and the so called “just compensation” asrequired by law. Simply put, their invasion of Carter Ave. involved the use of various tactics that are heavy-handed (e.g.threat of lawsuit) and/or under-handed (e.g. misrepresentations, maniplulations, etc.). If you enjoy dealing with a greasy used salesman (not all are bad) then you are going to love interacting with these people. Plus you won’t have to leave your home because they will call and come to your house (even workplace)–no matter what you say. They are coming to a neighborhood near you–or to your door. Remember, be good Shalites and follow orders so you won’t have to go through what I and a handful of my hard-headed, but not as dumb as they think we are, neighbors had and will go through. Invaders also make examples out of a few “uncooperative” people to warn the rest about consequenses for daring to challenge them. They must forget that they are in Texas where we know b.s. when we see/hear it. Even more, we are inheritors of the spirit of the people fighting at the Alamo (they might just think it’s a car rental company and a band of people fighting a large military force)–and San Jacinto. Tell Chesapeake: It’s not OK (!) to mess with Texas and Texans.
Dec 9th, 2008
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