ELECTION LETTERS
The Denton Record-Chronicle welcomes letters to the editor pertaining to the Nov. 4 general election. All regular submission rules apply. Letters concerning statewide races and local propositions on the Nov. 4 ballot must be received in this office by 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24. None will be published after Friday, Oct. 31.
Ban fracking
I live almost a half-mile from a fracked well. Even at that distance there were calm mornings I could smell petroleum. And then there was noise pollution I could hear inside my home. A “blowout” of a well being fracked north of the airport caused the evacuation of area homes.
While we have not yet experienced earthquakes, with intensified drilling, they will come. And, guess what, your homeowner’s insurance will not cover the damage.
Our roads are damaged by heavy water trucks delivering the hundreds of thousands of gallons to each site; plus there is air pollution caused by the idling trucks awaiting their turn.
The industry is dreaming to think it is not causing pollution of drinking water. Perhaps not directly into lakes, but half of Texas cities get their water from wells. From an environmental point, distance between wells and dense urban population should be measured in miles, not feet. Sadly, even that does not protect ranching/farming families from contaminated wells.
Financially, I think the city sees very little benefit from fracking wells. Top production from these wells is short-lived. I would much rather see tax revenue from a subdivision or retail that will contribute for many years. Soon, I can see proximity of wells being part of required full disclosure when you try to sell your home.
Please vote “yes” for the ban on fracking within the city. Oh, yes, ask Denton Chamber of Commerce members you may know if they were polled as to their opinion.
Jo Anne Bixby,
Denton
Support fracking ban
On Sept. 20, Denton residents received a misleading mailer from the same group that previously paid $2 to $4 per signature on an unofficial anti-fracking ban petition. Despite the flier’s claim, the ban ordinance would still allow gas to be procured from traditional drilling as it was for decades.
The flier encourages voters to “support responsible drilling.” I am sure, however, this group knows that the city of Denton has and will be unable to regulate its 281 permitted gas wells due to Texas’ vested rights.
Furthermore, more than 30 percent of our city’s land was permitted for gas wells prior to passage of the drilling ordinance, so industry has claimed the plats are vested, which means they say the ordinance does not apply to those, either.
Wells and fracking are beside (sometimes 200 feet from) schools, parks, hospitals and homes. And more to come. That is not “responsible.”
The circular quotes our Denton Chamber of Commerce and the “Perryman Report,” which was generously paid for by the gas industry, so is completely unreliable. Readers can see this report debunked by reading professor Adam Briggle’s blogs on the economics of fracking.
Council member Gregory’s blog described the fracking fight as “David versus Goliath,” and he was right — Denton residents supporting the ban are taking on one of the richest, most powerful industries in the world.
But Denton can win by getting the facts at frackfreedenton.com and then voting for the ban designed to protect our health, safety, well-being and prosperity.
Sandra Kay Mattox,
Denton
Allow fracking
Why I’m opposed to the ban on fracking:
I attended most of the Gas Drilling Task Force meetings in 2012 and 2013 and have a good understanding of the issues. The regulations didn’t solve all the problems with drilling, but instead of working on a solution, the proponents want to ban the hydraulic fracking step only.
Why just the fracking step and not an overall ban on gas wells? Virtually all gas wells include fracking today. A ban would slowly shut down existing wells as the flow rate diminishes, because these wells would not be allowed to be refracked. Innocent mineral rights owners, miles away from controversy, would lose a source of income.
The anti-fracking activists have been piling on — not just sincere Denton residents. They are now joined by activists opposed to all fossil fuels. One local activist, who works for a national environmental group, commenting on an article in the Sept. 20 DRC, said: “There is only one way to make the U.S. energy independent and that is not by using hydrocarbons.”
Two fracking bans in Colorado have been overturned and I would expect the same in Texas. Lawyers will get rich and our taxes will go up if the ban is approved.
Phillip Sweet,
Denton
Irresponsible fracking
“Support Responsible Drilling” titles a slick, well-financed advertising campaign that conceals the irresponsible fracking that goes on in Denton. By contrast, Anadarko Petroleum at least tries to act responsibly in Dacona, Colorado, where it erects thick-walled barriers around fracking sites to deaden the sound and conceal floodlights.
In Denton, more than 400 large, diesel-powered trucks haul fracking materials to each well site, spewing horrible fumes, rattling pictures off walls and scaring children out of their yards, while in Dacona, Anadarko has reduced the number of trucks to 50 per site.
Drilling is so sloppy in Denton that a wellhead ruptured, releasing thousands of gallons of toxic materials into the air, while Anadarko uses the best methods and the best concrete to seal well sites.
By exchanging their consciences for cash registers, the board of directors of the Denton Chamber of Commerce irresponsibly opposed the proposed fracking ban, citing economic issues.
Almost all of the money from fracking goes outside Denton, while Dentonites are left to repair the city’s structure and clean up the mess. One hopes the chamber’s members and employees will refuse to be intimidated and vote ethically.
The multibillion-dollar oil and gas industry sounds as if the proposed drilling ban inside Denton city limits applies to all of Texas; it’s only within Denton city limits.
Outside Denton, they can frack till their hearts’ content.
Walter Lindrose,
Denton
