Everybody loves Denton and now Denton residents need our help!
The Big Gas Mafia has Denton firmly in their grips. First, they imported drilling enabler, Darren Groth, from Arlington to fling the door wide open for “unconventional” shale gas drilling in Denton’s backyard. A look at what has happened in Arlington will let you know what is coming to Denton if you do not take strong action now. Then they stacked the Drilling Task Force with known industry shills and people who profit from drilling.
The text below was received in an email. Please sign and distribute this petition.
Go to this website and sign the petition asking the city of Denton to remove all task force members who are not residents of Denton. We want them replaced with a 7 member committee appointed by the city council and all meeting must be public and allow public input. All decisions made by the current gas well drilling task force should be null and void.
Please forward this link to anyone who would be interested in bring about a positive change in Denton. Post it on your Facebook pages and blogs to help get the word out. Denton needs your help now.
I received several emails after the most recent–and first public–meeting to date of the task force criticizing Ed Ireland for his inattention during the public comments. He was reading email and sending texts.
Sometimes I think the news media made a mistake by allowing reader comments to their online news. If people want to comment on a news article, they can write a letter to the editor and sign their names. Then I run across a gem like this one found in the comments section of the Denton Record Chronicle.
12:56 PM on 12/10/2011
Ed Ireland has a PhD in ECONOMICS. His salary is paid for by the drilling industry. Why does this make him an expert?
I have a Bachelor of Science degree so does this mean I am an expert in plumbing? I know how to flush a toilet so call me City of Denton when you are handing out those large consulting fees because I can recognize a load of doodoo when I see it.
UPDATE: Sneaking, slimy treachery by the Denton City Council… Read the comment below! “…last August the city quietly passed an ordinance making it impossible for the citizens of Denton to force a vote on a moratorium.” Let’s see, who is up for election? The names Borroughs, King, and Kamp spring to mind. And, why is it that even the friendly council members never mentioned this to us.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Darren Groth came from Arlington and brought his strong love for underregulated gas well drilling with him, remember 21 well within 300ft of a daycare center. If gas well drilling was stopped or curtail here in Denton there would no longer be a nice salary for Mr. Groth. Mr. Groth is also sitting on the drilling task force and he lives in Arlington.
Ed Ireland, who lives in Fort Worth and works for natural gas industry, was not on the city’s radar until Mr. Groth came to town and when the city was looking for someone for the gas well drilling task force Mr. Ireland’s name was pulled out of some gashole and here we are.
Denton residents have stood up in strong numbers to demand a drilling moratorium until Phase 2 of the drilling ordinances can be implemented. The next course of action was a petition to force the city to vote for a moratorium but last August the city quietly passed an ordinance making it impossible for the citizens of Denton to force a vote on a moratorium.
Now, I am not saying Mr. Groth is the cause of all our misfortunes but it certainly seems he has taught some old dogs, our corrupt city government, some new tricks.
What has natural gas done for you lately?
One cannot serve the best interests of the people of Denton with a bias towards drilling. The Task Force needs to be comprised of people who will look at science and the truth, not spin and political bias. Ed Ireland is an expert-at spinning the truth or just ignoring it. He and his ‘non-profit’s’ core mission is to PROMOTE DRILLING. His livelihood depends on it.If Groth’s claim to fame is Arlington, then he needs to go as well.
Just another example of why we, the ordinary citizens, are having less and less confidence in our government at all levels.
Here is the ordinance saying the city of Denton will not institute a Moratorium and below is the restrictions of a referendum. In order to overturn the ordinance we would have to have a referendum but we can’t because we would have had to do it in twenty day.
Ordinance 2010-181 reads:
Whereas, pursuant to Ordinance No 2002-040, the City Council of the City of Denton, Texas adopted the Denton Development Code (the Development Code); and
Whereas, the authority of a home rule municipality to regulate the exploration and production of natural gas within its city limits and extraterritorial jurisdiction as provided herein, is legislatively recognized, inter alia, at §92.007 of the Texas Natural Resources Code; §§54.012, 212.003, 212.044 and 217.042 of the Texas Local Government Code; and numerous other legislative and Constitutional provisions of the State of Texas; and
Whereas, the City has codified its regulations governing gas well drilling and production within the City and extraterritorial jurisdiction in Subchapters 16 and 22 of the Denton Development Code, and applicable procedures and definitions in Subchapters 3 and 23; and
Whereas, it has come to the attention of the City Council and the City’s current standards may not fully implement the City’s dual goals of allowing gas well drilling and production, and at the same time protection the public’s health, safety and general welfare; and
Whereas, a multitude of gas well permit applications have been filed recently with the apparent goal of vesting against additional health and safety standards that may be promulgated by the City; and
Whereas, the City has authority to impose a moratorium on authorizations for gas well drilling and production pending a thorough investigation into the need for additional procedural and substantive safeguards; and
Whereas, in LEIU of a moratorium on the issuance of gas well permits and other applications authorizing gas well drilling and production, the City Council finds that it is necessary in order to promote the health, safety and general welfare of the community to promulgate a set of procedural and substantive standards pending the City’s complete study of the impacts of gas well drilling and production in the City and its ETJ
Sec. 4.02. – Power of referendum.
The electors shall have power to approve or reject at the polls any ordinance passed by the council or submitted by the council to a vote of the electors, except an ordinance appropriating money, issuing bonds or authorizing the levying of taxes, such power being known as the referendum. Within twenty (20) days after the enactment by the council of any ordinance which is subject to a referendum, a petition signed by qualified voters of the city equal in number to at least twenty-five percent (25%) of the number of votes cast at the last preceding regular municipal election may be filed with the city secretary requesting that any such ordinance be either repealed or submitted to a vote of the electors.