Frack Free Denton would like to thank the residents of Robson Ranch for inviting us to participate in a very important forum last night. It was an honor to have the chance to speak to such well-informed citizens. Members of our group have long admired the civic spirit and volunteerism of the Robson community. It was a delight to be so warmly welcomed by such wonderful people.
We know you all are going to do your homework on this issue. We invite you to browse our website and check us out on Facebook. A good place to start might be our “ten reasons to ban fracking in Denton” tab and our “frequently asked questions.” To see how the fracking ban will strengthen Denton’s economy, please visit our post “grow strong and healthy,” where you can crunch the numbers for yourselves.
A lot was said about the science. It is indeed complex, but a growing body of peer-reviewed research is showing just how dangerous fracking is. You can find an independent database of peer-reviewed studies at “scientific studies.” You can also talk to any City Council member and they will tell you that not even the industry representatives they speak with want to live near fracking sites.
If you’d like to speak to members of our group, feel free to write to info@frackfreedenton.com. You can also call Denton Drilling Awareness Group President Cathy McMullen at (940) 600-4122 or fellow board member Adam Briggle at 940-536-8710.
It’s unfortunate that the other speaker did not know the name of the group opposing the ban. That makes it difficult for you to access their information and conduct a balanced inquiry into the issue. In the spirit of democracy, we’d like to point you to their website here so that you can measure their side against ours.
Thank you all again for the invitation!
Tom Giovanetti says:
Your last paragraph is a lie and you know it. I demand a correction.
No one paid me to appear at Robson Ranch on Wednesday night. I was speaking for my own organization, which I made very clear. I was not speaking for anyone else. You accuse me for being a shill for industry and then you ridicule me for not knowing the name of the group that I wasn’t speaking for in the first place! How about a little honesty?
Frack Free Denton says:
Thank you for engaging with our website. We have amended the post to reflect your concerns.
It’s unclear whether or not you were paid to appear. You say you were not, but in the next sentence you say you were representing your own organization, IPI, which presumably pays you. Regardless, we have dropped any reference to being hired by anyone.
The question asked was specifically about the board members of the groups behind the ‘for’ and ‘against’ campaigns. That would be Frack Free Denton and Denton Taxpayers for a Strong Economy.
Those are the organizations created for the purpose of advocating for and against the ban. That was the wording and intent of the question.
You said you did not know the name of that organization.
The problem that created was that the voters in attendance then did not know where to turn for information about the opposing side’s perspective. If they go to IPI’s website, they will find a wealth of information on a variety of policy issues, but nothing about the proposed Denton fracking ban. That’s because IPI has nothing to do with the ban, even though for some reason you continue to speak on behalf of the group opposing the ban.
Hopefully, you can see how that might be confusing for folks – at least it certainly is for us!
The other part of the question was about who is financing the group opposed to the ban.
Your answer should have stopped with simply “I don’t know” given that you didn’t even know the name of the group. But instead you continued to give financial information about IPI, which was not pertinent to the question but did serve to add further confusion to the issue.
Tom Giovanetti says:
When there is a critical public policy issue affecting voters, such as the proposed ban on fracking on the November ballot, you don’t get to restrict discussion to approved groups, or groups you prefer to deal with. There has already been one instance where I was invited by a group to debate the proposed ban on October 14th, but your group refused and said they would only debate someone from the other group. If facts and truth are on your side you should be willing to take on all comers, not just opponents of which you approve.
Frack Free Denton says:
Mr. Giovanetti:
We have debated you twice on the Denton fracking ban already. We’re not “restricting discussion.”
Who have we not debated?
The group from Denton that is plastering the City with advertising opposing the ban, or anyone else who lives in the City that opposes the ban.
We think Denton voters deserve to hear from someone from Denton who is actually (purportedly?) leading the opposition. The name of the group leading the opposition is, after all, Denton Taxpayers for a Strong Economy.
This is a local issue on OUR local ballot. The ban would only apply only in OUR city. And it’s OUR right to self-determine because it’s OUR DENTON.
It will speak volumes, libraries even, about the legitimacy of the opposition to the Denton fracking ban if it can’t scare up someone from Denton to speak on behalf of their position. What it will say, loud and clear, is that it’s not people from Denton that oppose a Denton fracking ban.
And Denton voters should know that.
Tim Ruggiero says:
It would seem to me that the opposition group, who can afford billboards, full page ads in the local paper, the hiring of outsiders to dupe locals into signing their bogus ballot should be able to provide someone other than a paid shill to debate the issues. Where are the Denton residents that are all for fracking? Any one? Please, I’d love to hear all about how your rights are greater than those of us whose property gets destroyed. Oh, and here’s a tidbit on Giovanetti: http://www.texassharon.com/2014/10/03/the-not-from-denton-master-debator/
Frack Free Denton says:
Tim: We couldn’t agree more.
We have heard it said that there’s no such thing as a fracking supporter who actually has fracking operations in their back yard.