Final Hearings on Gas Drilling Recommendations Dec. 2, 9
Title: Final Hearings on Gas Drilling Recommendations Dec. 2, 9
Location: City Hall, 1000 Throckmorton St.
Link out: Click here
Description: Final comments on the proposed gas drilling ordinance revisions will be heard at a public hearing during the council’s regular meeting Dec. 2, with consideration of the amendments set for its Dec. 9 meeting. Both meetings begin at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 1000 Throckmorton St.
Date: December 2 AND December 9 at 7pm
Public Hearing on Gas Drilling Recommendations
Title: Public Hearing on Gas Drilling Recommendations
Location: Botanic Garden Center, 3220 Botanic Garden Blvd.
Link out: Click here
Description: After months of study and with direction provided by the City Council, Fort Worth’s Gas Drilling Task Force and city staff are recommending several revisions to the current ordinance governing gas drilling.
The recommendations were presented to the City Council during a special workshop last week. Residents will have an opportunity to learn more about them and provide comment during a public hearing scheduled for Nov. 20. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Botanic Garden Center, 3220 Botanic Garden Blvd. For more information, click on the link provided
Start Time: 7:00pm
Date: 11-20-2008
Blog posting written by Charlie Murphy, AHNA resident
If we take the effects of pollution:
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20081113/D94E0KJG0.html
Study: Calif dirty air kills more than car crashes
To illustrate its point, the study noted that the California Highway Patrol recorded 2,521 vehicular deaths in the San Joaquin Valley and South Coast Air Basin in 2006, compared to 3,812 deaths attributed to respiratory illness caused by particulate pollution.
and add in a few patchwork suggestions by the gas industry driven Task Force…
Sprinkle in a 200% increase in emissions …
NOx and VOC emissions in 2009 from all Barnett Shale sources (engines and tanks, plus fugitives) will be more than 200% greater than emissions from mobile sources in the entire DFW NAA
Bring to a simmer, and serve with a nice side dish of safety aspects:
http://newsok.com/article/3321932
A natural gas pipeline exploded today about 3 a.m. near Alex in Grady County, injuring two people and causing the closure of a highway. The pipeline has been shut down.
No problems were found when its integrity was inspected last year and when a routine maintenance operation was performed within the last week, Broyles said.
We get the new gourmet recipe developed for us by our illustrious City Council. Luckily, the City’s Legal Department has decided that our City Council is a 100% Conflict of Interest FREE ZONE. Therefore, this recipe can be served to all residents regardless of their concerns for health and safety and quality of life. You can also serve this up at schools and churches and parks since mineral rights always outweigh any documented concerns.
Serving suggestions:
Peel back the fabric of the City slowly so that residents that are not paying attention to the real issues remain unaware of the dangers.
Please serve with a side dish of complete denial and baked platitudes.
Disclosure:
Remember to tell your dinner guests that the loss of a few lives here or there is a necessary sacrifice of the unwashed masses that are trying to interfere with the “blessed” profit motives of the gas industry.
All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. www.arlingtonheightsna.com makes no representations as to accuracy, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. The views and opinions expressed in the AHNA Gas Lease Blog are not necessarily those of AHNA or its members.
AHNA Gas Update & Gas Survey Results
The dominoes began to fall in early September soon after Chesapeake Energy notified AHNA that they would not acquire any more gas leases in our neighborhood for the time being. In a matter of weeks, Chesapeake closed down negotiations of lease agreements in Westover Hills, Crestline, North Hi Mount, Ridglea North, Ridglea Hills, Crestwood and TCU neighborhoods, to name a few.
The Vantage-Caffey Group also stopped paying bonuses on lease agreements with the Southwest Fort Worth Alliance, which had successfully negotiated a neighborhood gas lease for 25 neighborhood groups in south Fort Worth. The announcement was made October 14 at a signing event at Southcliff Baptist Church, where more than 1,000 stunned residents came to get their bonus checks. About half of the neighborhoods in the alliance had already signed contracts and will still get their bonus checks.
Things have changed at City Hall, too. The City Council voted in early October to reject Chesapeake’s request for a proposed drilling site at Eighth Avenue that was less than 600 feet from almost 50 homes. It was the first time the city denied a highimpact variance request.
The city’s Gas Drilling Task Force has given the City Council its final recommendations for changes to the city’s gas well ordinance. The Council will likely vote in December on the changes.
Meanwhile, AHNA is working on a plan of action for negotiating a neighborhood gas lease based on residents’ feedback from our Web survey.
GAS SURVEY RESULTS:
We asked you to give us your opinion by completing a gas survey. One hundred and thirty residents completed the survey between September 17 and October 23.
So far, the results show that 96% of respondents have not signed a gas lease. However, 82% of the respondents intend to sign a lease, and 90% are waiting for AHNA to endorse the gas lease before they sign.
More than 70% of residents said they would not sign a lease if the location of pipelines and drill sites became an issue. Approximately 60% of respondents stated that they would not sign a lease if concerns about eminent domain surfaced.
When asked if they were worried about the long-term impacts of urban gas drilling, 30% were very worried, 36% answered that they were somewhat worried, 18% were not sure, and 16% were
not at all worried.
The top issues of concern were, in order of importance: pipeline safety, location of wells, environmental and noise pollution, eminent domain, truck traffic, property values, wastewater disposal,
upfront bonus money, regulatory oversight, long-term royalty payment, and finally, mortgage subordination.
Some respondents told us in the Comments Section of the survey that they are upset that Chesapeake pulled out of Arlington Heights and they are upset about missing out on a neighborhood lease that might have promised a large signing bonus and royalty payments. Some were also concerned about the time it took for AHNA to get an answer from Chesapeake or from another operator.
Most respondents commended the association for educating residents about the potential risks of urban gas drilling. Several respondents were against drilling altogether in our neighborhood regardless
of financial incentives, and many stated that they were in no hurry to sign a gas lease. Residents also expressed grave concerns about the environment and the safety and health of Fort Worth residents
as well as the accountability of gas drilling throughout the city.
If you haven’t completed a gas survey yet, please do so. It will help AHNA make decisions about how move forward in the coming months.
Drilling Ordinance Update
Tuesday, November 4, the City Council began reviewing proposals for the Fort Worth’s gas drilling ordinance. Among those were recommendations by the city’s gas drilling task force, a minority report from neighborhood representatives who served on the gas drilling task force, and other recommendations from city staff.
The presentation to the City Council: Gas Ordinance Recommendations
Marked-up Version of the Ordinance: Ordinance Revisions
Gas Drilling Task Force Recommendations: Recommendations
Neighborhood Represenative Minority Report: Minority Report
