Barnett Shale

Erath County saltwater disposal fire

We blogged two weeks ago about the fire at the Infinity saltwater disposal well in Erath County.

A report from the Texas Railroad Commission says the initial explosion blew a saltwater tank up and out of a protective dirt berm. It landed 40 feet away. Contaminated water and hydrocarbons leaked into a nearby stream. Hours later, the operator still had not called a cleanup crew, the report says.

A contractor removed dirt and oil from Alarm Creek, which runs into the Bosque River. No word yet on whether the operator will be fined or penalized.

Saltwater disposal is a big issue in the Barnett Shale, since it takes millions of gallons to process each natural gas well. The industry prefers to get rid of that water using injection wells, which are economical. But opponents say the wells pose a risk not only of fires, but of underground contamination. The water often contains crude oil and other hydrocarbons, along with fracturing fluids, drilling mud and other waste products.

Fort Worth has a moratorium on injection wells, and the city environmental department is working on a pilot project to see if the wastewater can be recycled economically.

You can read the report on the Erath County accident here:

Erath_report.pdf

And a follow-up report here:

Erath_report_part_ii

You can read an in-depth report on the debate over saltwater disposal in Fort Worth here:

Well_plan_injects_pressure_into_wastewater_dispute.htm

-- Mike

Saltwater well fire in Erath County

A saltwater disposal well caught fire in Erath County on Sunday. Fort Worth has a moratorium on the wells, which are used to which are used to dispose of the waste from natural gas drilling. Their safety is a key point in negotiations over whether to allow them inside the city limits.

Industry officials have said that the waste is mostly saltwater, and that the wells are the most effective way to dispose of it. Opponents, including residents of Wise, Parker and Erath counties, have been fighting the wells for years. They claim the water is contaminated with crude oil and other hydrocarbons, and that the wells are dangerous.

Here's a clip from the Stephenville Empire Tribune: http://www.empiretribune.com/articles/2008/04/29/news/doc4817276960d9b251704506.txt

For more information, including previous accidents in North Texas, check this story from November's Star-Telegram: Well_plan_injects_pressure_into_wastewater_dispute.htm

-- Mike Lee

Saltwater moratorium extended

The City Council voted to extend the ban on saltwater injection wells was extended until October 31.

The wells are used to dispose of wastewater from natural gas drilling, which can contain drilling mud, fracturing fluids, crude oil and other hydrocarbons. The gas industry says they’re the most economical way of disposing of the waste, but the city’s environmental department is trying to establish a pilot program to see if the water can be recycled.

The saltwater discussions are taking place between city officials and the gas industry. It’s not among the topics being addressed by a citizens' task force that is working on changes to the city gas drilling ordinance.

For more information on the topic, here's a previous story:

Well_plan_injects_pressure_into_wastewater_dispute.htm

-- Mike Lee

Vote on extending saltwater moratorium set

The Fort Worth City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on extending a moratorium on saltwater injection wells, which are used to get rid of the waste produced in natural gas drilling, as the city environmental department and the drilling industry work on a pilot program to recycle the water.

Getting rid of the water used to drill gas wells is one of the most contentious issues in the Barnett Shale. It takes millions of gallons of water to produce each gas well in the Barnett Shale, and the water becomes contaminated with salt, drilling mud, fracture fluids, well treatment fluids, crude oil and other hydrocarbons, according to the Texas Railroad Commission. (Click here for more:Http://www.rrc.state.tx.us/faqs/saltwaterwells.html#chemicals)

The industry has historically opted for injecting the water deep into the ground, which is the least expensive option.

But city officials are worried about the potential for leaks and groundwater contamination. That's happened in other areas, as we reported in November.

One solution might be to recycle the water. But industry officials have said that's too expensive.

Click here to see the November story on gas drilling: Well_plan_injects_pressure_into_wastewater_dispute.htm

Here's another story about Wise County residents winning a court case about a salt water well: Court:_permit_for_disposal_well_was_improperly_granted.htm

-- Mike Lee

Drilling task force, er, drilling for answers

Lots of discussion Monday at the gas drilling task force meeting: pipelines, chemicals, the Railroad Commission.

Here's the story that ran in the paper about the meeting: http://www.star-telegram.com/metro_news/story/582485.html

And here's a power point presentation that Mike O'Quinn, with the Railroad Commission's office in Kilgore: rrc_report_march_2008.ppt

(That's O'Quinn's boss' name there on the first slide; O'Quinn actually did the speaking)

-- Mike

Chesapeake gets permit for two FW South Side wells

The S-T's Jim Fuquay reports that Chesapeake Energy has received a permit from the Texas Railroad Commission to drill two wells from a site just west of Eighth Avenue in south Fort Worth, a location neighborhood leaders say they will fight if and when the company seeks a drilling permit from the city.

The wells would be high-impact, meaning they're inside the minimally permissible 600-foot distance to structures such as homes. So Chesapeake must take a "high impact" petition to the City Council. Several homeowners within the 600-foot radius on Stanley Avenue in the adjacent Berkeley Place neighborhood aren't likely to sign waivers.

Click here to read the full story at star-telegram.com.

-- Scott Nishimura

Pipeline plans put homeowners on edge

With gas drilling comes pipeline building, and sometimes right through neighborhoods. Here's Mike Lee's story from earlier this week.

Click here to read Mike's story on noise reduction and pipeline proposals the Fort Worth City Council is considering.

And click here to read Jim Fuquay's story on why the industry says we'll need more gas pipelines as demand and production increase.

-- Scott Nishimura

(Photo: Mary Homer of Fort Worth's Greenway is worried about a proposed gas pipeline that will run through her near North Side neighborhood.)

Drilling one-step closer to downtown

Drilling and leasing for natural gas has been hot and heavy all around Fort Worth, but leasing in the actual downtown core has been slow going.

But that could soon change. Property owners in downtown held a meeting last week and agreed to work together to lease their mineral rights.

Well, some of the owners agreed, anyway.

Andy Taft, president of Downtown Fort Worth, Inc., says his non-profit group that represents downtown owners and encourages new development sent out letters to land owners holding about 800 acres in and around downtown. His group received feedback from property owners who own about 120 acres who say they want to organize a gas-lease committee to strike a deal.

The property owners who met last week listened to a presentation from XTO Energy, Finley Resources, and Chesapeake Energy. The gas companies speculated that about 10 percent of downtown had been leased already.

Among those interested in pooling their downtown land: Downtown Fort Worth Inc., which has 11 acres itself; the City of Fort Worth, which owns more than 300 acres; and Chesapeake, which just acquired the Pier 1 building.

Chesapeake also has a drill site just south of the Texas and Pacific warehouse on the south side of downtown. It's been approved by the Railroad Commission, but not by the city.

--David Wethe

Burns says Chesapeake going for Eighth Avenue site

View Larger Map

City Council member Joel Burns told Star-Telegram reporter Anthony Spangler Thursday that Chesapeake Energy is working to drill a well on the Eighth Avenue site south of Windsor Avenue, between the Ryan Place and Berkeley neighborhoods.

"The tack they have adopted is to get waivers from the affected parties," Burns said. "They have hired leasing specialists to go into the neighborhoods and contact the affected property owners in person. I don’t know if they are offering any incentives."

Burns said Chesapeake is "contractually obligated" to pursue putting a well on the site to access the minerals under the Paschal High School neighborhood and the Baylor All Saints Hospital property.

Burns said Berkeley and Ryan Place are majority leased by XTO, which plans a drill site off Main Street in an industrial area.

"I am relieved that in order for Chesapeake to move forward they have to get 100 percent participation from those affected parties," Burns said. "I feel pretty good about the property owner being able to be heard in a public forum."

Below is a letter from the president of the Berkeley neighborhood association:

-- Richard Stubbe

Moncrief touts neighborhood gas deals in address

In his fifth State of the City Address Wednesday, Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief cited gas lease deals struck last summer and fall by several Fort Worth South Side neighborhoods as agreements that work for neighborhoods and gas companies.

"There are model agreements that not only focused on the financials, but also on the placement and operation of wells," Moncrief said. "Any neighborhood approached with leasing proposals should have the very same opportunities to strike such a compromise -- any neighborhood!"

Here's the full text of Moncrief's speech, and here's staffer Mike Lee's story about the speech.

Click here to view the lease forms negotiated by Fort Worth's Ryan Place, Berkeley Place, Mistletoe Heights, and Tanglewood neighborhoods.

Click here to visit the city of Fort Worth's gas drilling web page, including a copy of the city's drilling ordinance.

-- Scott Nishimura

More on the drilling ordinance

We wrote this morning about the plans to review Fort Worth's drilling ordinance.

Here's the lineup of the committee members, with available bio information:

• Marty Craddock, appointed by the mayor, volunteer who has worked on historic preservation

• Wendy Vann Roach, District 2

• Gary Hogan, District 3, served on the earlier gas drilling committee and was an outspoken voice for neighborhood issues.

• Bob Riley, District 4, former head of city development department

• Michael Bell, District 5

• Clarence Wiesepape, District 6

• Jim Beckman, District 7, retired engineer who ran for City Council last year in District 9

• Susan De Los Santos, District 8, served on 1996 District 8 tasl force and the committee negotiating drilling rights for East Fort Worth

• Jim Bradbury, District 9, oil and gas attorney who served on the committee that negotiated the mineral lease for Mistletoe Heights, Berkeley Place and Ryan Place and other southside neighborhoods

Gas companies with representatives on the committee:

• Chesapeake

• XTO

• Quicksilver

• Devon

Real Estate and developer representatives

• Greater Fort Worth Area Realtors, representative to be named later

• Jim Schell, land use attorney

• Lee Nicol, land developer

• Rob Green, Walsh Ranch

• Planning/architecture firm to be named later

To see previous stories about issues that the task force will consider, try these links:

City_residents_voice_drilling_concerns.htm

City_not_collecting_for_road_damage.htm

Gas_pipelines_might_be_hidden_worry.htm

Well_plan_injects_pressure_into_wastewater_dispute.htm

-- Mike Lee

Groups line up to give input on City gas ordinance

The City Council re-opens its discussions about the gas drilling ordinance Tuesday.

The League of Women Voters of Tarrant County is calling for tighter restrictions on pipelines. The Fort Worth League of Neighborhoods, which had previously called for a moratorium on new permits until the ordinance is rewritten, is gathering input from its members about what issues to push.

The drilling ordinance is important because Fort Worth is the largest city in the Barnett Shale gas field. There are more than 500 gas wells inside the city limits, and counting. Also, many smaller cities have followed Fort Worth's lead when they adopted their own ordinances. 

City Council members will discuss two key points during an early afternoon workshop on Tuesday: Who gets to sit on the task force and what topics they'll discuss. The last task force was criticized as being too industry-friendly.

Mayor Mike Moncrief has already said he wants to keep the committee focused on a few key issues, and has said he wants to let an industry group work out a solution on saltwater disposal wells.

Click here  to see a map of gas wells in Fort Worth. Also, the city has a page of gas drilling information linked to its main web page: www.fortworthgov.org

Here's the League of Women Voters' position paper on pipelines http://www.lwvtarrantcounty.org/files/gas_pipeline_advocacy.pdf

To see more from the League of Neighborhoods, go to www.fwlna.org

-- Mike Lee

One more thing. . .

Two City Council members say they want the city's gas drilling committee to look at putting more restrictions on gas wells in environmentally sensitive areas, such as watersheds around lakes.

Joe Waller, president of the Lake Worth Alliance, a neighborhood group, raised the issue at the end of Tuesday's council meeting. Lake Worth is one of several reservoirs that supply Fort Worth, and it is also expected to be a major location for gas drilling. Waller and other residents are worried that gas wells might be placed too close to the lake or that erosion from the sites might get into the lake. He suggested requiring those wells to use closed-loop systems, a type of drilling rig that doesn't require open pits to store drilling mud.

Councilman Chuck Silcox said Tuesday he'll ask his appointee to the gas drilling committee to bring up the issue, and Councilwoman Kathleen Hicks said she "concurred" with Waller's concern. The gas drilling committee is scheduled to be appointed in early February and will hold a series of meetings intended to come up with changes to Fort Worth's ordinance governing drilling. The City Council will have to approve any recommendations.

-- Mike Lee

(Photos, L-R: Kathleen Hicks, Chuck Silcox)

And we all know how painful that can be

The Fort Worth City Council hasn't started formal discussions of the gas drilling ordinance, but a couple of council members hinted Tuesday that at least one proposal is a non-starter.

The Fort Worth League of Neighborhoods has called for a moratorium on new drilling permits until a task force can be formed and new rules drawn up.

Councilman Jungus Jordan wondered at Tuesday's council meeting if that would be practical. The city has seen a couple of cases, including one on Tuesday, where gas companies asked for expedited permits because their leases for property were about to expire.

"If we imposed a moratorium ..." Jordan began ...

"You would find yourself in a legal morass," Mayor Mike Moncrief said, completing the sentence.

Click here for the schedule of public meetings Fort Worth is having on gas drilling.

Click here to read Fort Worth's gas drilling ordinance.

-- Mike Lee

Having a meeting on the Barnett Shale? Publicize it here, on our new Community Calendar!

More on the drilling ordinance

Matthew Hudson, president of the Fort Worth League of Neighborhoods (www.fwlna.org), offered this input about Fort Worth's drilling ordinance in an e-mail to local neighborhood associations. Fort Worth is preparing to re-open the debate about its gas drilling ordinance, possibly in January. Hudson writes:

Well, as you all know, we have been actively working with the city Council and Mayor to reopen the gas drilling task force and we finally got a commitment this week to do so!

While this is great news, we also asked the the city for 2 other things:

1.Conduct and independent study of the environmental impacts of urban drilling on our neighborhoods including water, earth, noise, light, etc.

2. Declare a moratorium on new drilling permits while the study and task force work.

As you can imagine, the second point did not go over too well. But we will still keep trying. We believe it is time to call a timeout or halftime if you will and dig deep into the impact that gas drilling has had on our city and plan for the future.

To aid in this matter, we have created a new section of our website that lists resources you can use for your NA meetings. As always, all of the League material is open to all members. Which means, feel free to download any of it and use it in your communications or meetings.

We do have one request though. During our last Gas Drilling Education event, we asked those present to send us their concerns about drilling. In other words, we are trying to compile a list of issues we as neighborhoods want the task force to address when they reconvene after the Holidays.

Please email us (president@fwlna.org)  your list and we will compile the results.

Also, we will be sending out a survey asking for your support on the two points outlined above. the more people who respond, the better voice we will have with the city.

The FWLNA believes that there are unanswered questions regarding urban gas drilling and we want the city to make sure we get the answers before it is too late.

-- Mike

(Click here to read Fort Worth's gas drilling ordinance.)

(Photo: Drill site in far north Fort Worth)

Pressure builds on City Council

Two homeowners urged the Fort Worth City Council Tuesday to take a tougher stance on natural gas drilling.

Jay Marcom, who found benzene in a pipeline under his ranch in Stephens County, warned the council that they need to pass strict regulations on gas pipelines, otherwise the city could be contaminated if the pipes start leaking. Faithful readers of Blogging the Barnett Shale might remember Marcom from a September post. He called the railroad commission after he saw and smelled liquids leaking in his fields. A Texas Railroad Commission inspector visited the site and said there was no benzene. Marcom sent a soil sample to a private chemist, who found that the benzene level was dangerously high.

Marcom has continued to do his homework, presenting the council with a 33-slide powerpoint presentation (read it here ).

"We made mistakes out in West Texas," he said, and urged the council not to repeat those mistakes in Fort Worth.

City Councilwoman Wendy Davis said it's another reason why Fort Worth needs to pass regulations on pipelines similar to those in Flower Mound, where pipeline companies have to get a license. Mayor Mike Moncrief said he wants to study Marcom's presentation. Fort Worth is preparing to revise its gas drilling ordinance, probably in January, and pipelines are likely to be a topic.

"If we err, we're going to err on the side of caution," Moncrief said.

Another homeowner, Jim Ashford, urged the city to crack down on the noise from compressor stations. Anderson has been in a running battle with a compressor owned by Chesapeake Energy near his home in East Fort Worth. He says it's so loud he can't sleep, but the city can't touch it because it was built before the current gas ordinance went into effect. City officials said Tuesday they have checked the site and said it was in compliance, but Ashford said the city hasn't heard the station when it really gets loud.

(We're checking with Chesapeake Energy to get their side of the dispute)

- Mike

(Photo: Gas pipeline being built in southeast Fort Worth's Highland Hills neighborhood, October)

S-T Shale coverage wins FWWeekly Turkey Award

The annual Fort Worth Weekly Turkey Awards are out, and the Barnett Shale was the big thread that ran through several of the awards.

First, the basis for the awards, according to FWWeekly: "How to recognize Turkeys when they are picking your pocket, stealing your future, and generally leaving their droppings all over the civic landscape."

Some of this year's award winners:

David Williams (we guess this is the former sheriff) Memorial Big Bird: Urban gas drilling. The FWWeekly takes us through a fictional dialogue between homeowners Ethyl and Tex, in which they announce their signing bonus paid for a radio and porch swing, and their monthly royalty checks "ought to buy a new spittoon and...armadillo-shaped wind chime." Then, to their surprise, a "40-foot tall mutant mosquito carrying a giant straw descends from the sky and heads directly for Tex and Ethyl. Behind it are more swarms just like it." Tex: "My gawd! This ain't want we bargained for!" Ethyl: "Call the Texas Railroad Commission! The environmental commission! The Fort Worth City Council!" Laugh track, laugh track, laugh track.

Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief, for his handling of a citizens committee formed to make recommendations to the city on what to do with the big money it's making off the Barnett Shale.

Fort Worth City Councilman Danny Scarth, for serving on the committee that wrote the city's gas drilling ordinance and also accepting campaign contributions from gas interests in his first campaign. FWWeekly also took issue with Scarth's late payment of property taxes.

Star-Telegram and gas drilling. "The city's daily newspaper has celebrated gas drilling from the outset of the Barnett Shale phenomenon," FWWeekly says, citing "nauseating" and "gushing" editorials, and Bud Kennedy's column on the Trinity Trees dispute. The FWWeekly also suggests the S-T's news coverage might be colored by "how much Barnett Shale money is making its way to the Star-T's bank account, either through advertisements or from drilling royalties from its properties." FWWeekly says the S-T has acted as an "uncritical apologist" for the gas industry. "Recently, however," FWWeekly says, "the newspaper has begun offering a little more balance in its coverage and on its blog site devoted to the Barnett. So, in the spirit of the day, we give thanks for small wonders."

Leonard Briscoe Sr. and "Questionable Deals" through his Glencrest Resources.

Mayor Moncrief II. The mayor has substantial energy investments, and his most recently reported earnings included income from Chesapeake Energy. He says he doesn't view his investments as a conflict of interest. The FWWeekly says it is a conflict.

-- Scott

(Photo: S-T of a turkey)

FW council to vote on saltwater well moratorium

Fort Worth City Council members are scheduled to vote today on extending a moratorium on saltwater disposal wells for six more months, giving city and natural gas industry officials time to work out rules on the wells.

Here's Mike Lee's Star-Telegram story from today on this topic.

-- Scott

City grants drilling permit at "Trinity Trees site"

View Larger Map

The city of Fort Worth has granted a permit to Chesapeake Energy to locate a gas well on the "Trinity Trees" site off University Drive near the Trinity River.

The well is considered a high-impact gas well, and Chesapeake secured permission to drill the well from all property owners within 600 feet of the site, said Cecilia Jacobs, chief communications officer for the city.

The city's full statement read as follows:

"On August 30, 2007, Chesapeake Energy applied for a pad site permit on the Pearson Lease site. The site is located north of the Trinity Trail and west of University Drive. Because of concerns about the site's proximity to the Trinity Trail, the operator has complied with additional requirements for a high-impact gas well classification.

"The corresponding gas drilling permits were issued Monday afternoon because Chesapeake met the requirements under the City of Fort Worth's gas drilling ordinance."

We'll be updating this as we learn more. -- Richard Stubbe, (rstubbe@star-telegram.com, 817-390-7084)

Pipeline trouble?

We wrote last year about the potential headaches from the gathering pipelines that have to be built whenever a natural gas well is drilled. Pipelines may also be an issue when the city starts looking at changes to its gas drilling regulations later this year. As the drilling boom continues, we'd like to know if you, the readers, have had any trouble with pipelines in your neighborhoods. You can post a comment here on the blog or shoot us an e-mail: Mikelee@star-telegram.com

Mayor says ordinance will get review

Mayor Mike Moncrief reconfirmed Tuesday that the city will start reviewing its gas drilling ordinance, probably by re-empaneling the city gas drilling task force. The question, still, is when and what they'll discuss.

City Councilman Chuck Silcox said he has heard "some concerns being voiced by citizens."

"Are we going to try bringing that task force back up?" he asked.

Moncrief said the council is "looking at having perhaps some workshops before engaging the task force."

"I want to be sure of exactly what charge we give that committee. It's going to be significant. When they start talking about saltwater wells, start talking about pipelines -- I want to make sure we don’t overburden them."

City staffers will start trying to coordinate time for the council members to hold a workshop, City Manager Charles Boswell said.

-- Mike Lee

No waiver near existing well

Fort Worth City Council members voted down a proposal to allow new homes to be built within 100 feet of an existing gas well at a subdivision in Far North Fort Worth. The normal limit is 200 feet, but the developer of the Willow Springs subdivision asked the council to waive that rule in order to allow six more homes in the subdivision.

The Fire Department and city planning department opposed the idea. They said the extra homes would not allow enough room for emergency equipment to get to the drilling rig.

“The person asking for the waiver is not going to be the one to purchase the home and live in it,” Councilman Carter Burdette said.

-- Mike Lee

Barnett Shale resources

CURIOUS ABOUT THE BARNETT SHALE? HERE ARE SOME USEFUL LINKS:

CORPORATE

Carrizo Oil and Gas

www.askchesapeake.com (Chesapeake Energy site)

Colt Exploration

Dale Resources

Fleet Oil and Gas

Harding Co.

Holland Acquisitions

Paloma Oil and Gas

Potestas Corp.

Western Production Co.

XTO Energy

DRILLING ORDINANCES

Arlington (includes city gas drilling resource page)

Bedford (city's gas drilling page, including ordinance and property owner Q&A)

Bedford  (city's comparison of provisions in several area drilling ordinances)

Colleyville (city web site)

Fort Worth (includes city gas drilling resource page)

Grapevine (Type "gas drilling" in the search bar to find the ordinance)

ECONOMIC IMPACT/ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Barnett Shale Economic Impact Study, Ray Perryman, 2007

The Economic and Fiscal Impacts of Devon Energy in Denton, Tarrant and Wise Counties, Bernard Weinstein and Terry Clower, University of North Texas, 2004

Public Perception of the Natural Gas Industry: Insights from Two Barnett Shale Counties, Sam Houston State University, 2007 (Johnson County results, Wise County results)

Credit FAQ: Why the Barnett Shale Gas Basin Could Benefit Texas Municipalities, Standard & Poor's, 2008

LEASE FORMS

Leases negotiated by the Berkeley Place, Ryan Place, Mistletoe Heights, and Tanglewood neighborhoods in Fort Worth

NEIGHBORHOODS

Arlington Neighborhood Network, City of Arlington site. Includes updated contact info.

Arlington neighborhoods, neighborhoodlink.com. Spotty, but includes some info, such as neighborhood association email addresses, that isn't on the city site.

Bedford neighborhood associations, City of Bedford site, includes updated contact info.

Benbrook neighborhood associations, City of Benbrook site. Includes updated contact info.

Colleyville neighborhood associations, City of Colleyville site, includes updated contact info.

Fort Worth neighborhood database, City of Fort Worth site. Includes updated contact info.

Grapevine homeowner associations. City of Grapevine site. Includes contact info.

Neighborhoodlink.com

ORGANIZATIONS

Barnett Shale Energy Education Council

Fort Worth League of Neighborhoods Gas Drilling Resource Page, including "Tips for Neighborhoods Negotiating Gas Leases."

FWCanDo (Fort Worth Citizens Against Gas Drilling Ordinance)

Texas Land and Mineral Association (represents mineral rights owner)

Trinitytrees.org

PUBLICATIONS

pegasusnews.com

Powell Barnett Shale Newsletter (paid subscription)

Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University (oil and gas publications)

texasinsider.org

GOVERNMENT

Railroad Commission of Texas, includes Barnett Shale resource page, information on regulations.

Tarrant County public records site (Includes lease/lease memo lookup so you can check out how many leases energy companies are filing in Tarrant County, and where.)

ROYALTY CALCULATOR

Fort Worth League of Neighborhoods gas resource drilling page

CONTINUING EDUCATION

TCU Energy Institute's Petroleum Land Practices Program

KNOW OF A GREAT LINK THAT'S NOT LISTED HERE? Let us know about it! snishimura@star-telegram.com

The Trinity Trail: a park, or not a park?

If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, is it a park?

We reported Friday that a local woman is fighting Chesapeake Energy’s application to drill for gas next to the river by arguing that the trail has always been considered a park. The city even made the same argument during a 1996 zoning case.

Here's Jason Smith's letter to the city on behalf of Melissa Kohout, along with a clip from our archives about the 1996 zoning case.

If you really want to get technical, you can check out the city drilling ordinance at:

http://www.fortworthgov.org/uploadedFiles/Development/PDF_Files/Applications/gaswell_ordinance.pdf

--- Mike

(S-T photo: Melissa Kohout, and her doberman, Barbie)

Urban drilling and the Barnett Shale = tension

Check out the S-T's front page Saturday morning. Here's a tease to the story from Mike Lee, one of our Fort Worth City Hall reporters and an author of this blog, that you'll see there:

City Councilman Sal Espino should have been at ease Monday night.

He was leading a community meeting on the North Side, the neighborhood where he grew up, in the parish hall where his parents recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary.

He was telling a crowd of about 40 residents that the city was about to spend $4.8 million to fix up Rockwood Park.

But the group wanted to talk about the source of the money: a natural gas well next to the park.

The residents, including Fort Worth school trustee Camille Rodriguez, were concerned about noise, truck traffic, pipelines, the potential for accidents. They felt like they hadn’t gotten enough notice about the drilling site.

“If we can do this right, we can benefit the park and we can protect the neighborhood,” Espino said. “If, for whatever reason it doesn’t work, you can hold me accountable.”

The tension over gas drilling is becoming more common as natural gas drilling pushes into the center of Fort Worth.

• During the summer, residents in the Rolling Hills neighborhood learned they were powerless to stop a rig that was planned for the Glen Garden Country Club because the drilling company had obtained waivers from property owners.
• Negotiations are still going on about saltwater injection wells used to dispose of gas drilling waste.
• Most recently, opponents of a drilling site in a grove of trees next to the Trinity River hike-and-bike trail learned that the ordinance doesn’t consider the trail system a park. More than 1,200 people signed a petition opposing the site.

-- Scott