Denton becomes first city in Texas to ban fracing
Denton becomes first city in Texas to ban fracing
ROGER JORDAN, Associate Editor
DENTON, Texas – Denton, which sits atop the gas rich Barnett shale, has become the first city in Texas to ban hydraulic fracturing after residents took to the ballet box on Tuesday.
The measure was overwhelmingly passed in the 123,000-strong college town by a margin of 59% to 41%. If approved, the ban will come into force on Dec. 2, two weeks after the City Council certifies the election.
State and industry officials have warned that a ban would be challenged in court, but Chris Watts, the city's mayor, says the city is prepared to defend the result.
"As I have stated numerous times, the democratic process is alive and well in Denton," Watts in a statement. "Hydraulic fracturing, as determined by our citizens, will be prohibited in the Denton city limits. The City Council is committed to defending the ordinance and will exercise the legal remedies that are available to us should the ordinance be challenged."
However, Texas Railroad Commissioner David Porter is confident that the ban will be overturned.
In a statement released after the vote, Porter, who was elected statewide to the regulator in 2010, said he was disappointed that "voters fell prey to scare tactics and mischaracterizations of the truth."
“Texas is a global energy leader and has the best job climate in the country because of our fair, even-handed regulatory environment. Bans based on misinformation -- instead of science and fact -- potentially threaten this energy renaissance and as a result, the well-being of all Texans. This issue will continue to be hotly contested. I am confident that reason and science will triumph, and the ban will be overturned,” Porter added.
And Commissioner Barry T. Smitherman criticized the move, saying that the agency “is exploring all options so as to insure continued development of Texas' natural resources, today and into the future."
Fracing and horizontal drilling have helped propel U.S. oil and gas production to levels that would have been unimaginable less than a decade ago.
