Denton TX Residents Pissed-Off Enough About Past Oil Company Conduct To Vote On Fracking Ban

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But as an exercise in voicing frustration with oil and gas company tactics over the years and the failure of city leaders to aggressively protect the interests of neighborhoods, the campaign for a ban has already been wildly successful. Proponents achieved that goal by getting the measure on the ballot. When they accomplished that, the drilling companies and their supporters took extreme interest.

Now the industry is pouring money into a campaign against the ban. But they’re not pushing for the bad old drilling that aroused frustration and concern. They’re for responsible drilling.

During the past decade, companies operating in the gas-rich Barnett Shale, the 5,000-square-mile field that includes Denton, have learned a lot and refined their tactics. That includes how they deal with owners of property on which they wish to set up drilling rigs and those who live nearby. Unfortunately, sins of the past have a way of lingering, even compounding. People who have been treated poorly never forget, and neither do people who have heard stories about others being treated poorly.

When Barnett Shale drilling started in earnest, wells could be drilled only 100 feet from a home, business or school. Protections evolved, and now wells must be set back at least 1,200 feet. But developers built homes within 250 feet of existing wells, and some of those sites had permits for almost unlimited drilling. In 2009, Range Resources opted to drill a well 300 feet from McKenna Park, near the home of Cathy McMullen. Other drillers also pushed the envelope.

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http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/10/21/6219716/denton-fracking-vote-is-a-measure.html?rh=1