The failure of the Denton city council to pass a fracking ban in Denton, Texas, after a meeting that went on for over eight hours last night, was no surprise to Cathy McMullen, Denton resident and president of Denton Drilling Awareness Group.
“The vote was theater,” McMullen told DeSmogBlog.
Councilman Kevin Roden was the only one to call for ban. His motion was not seconded. A motion to deny the ban was approved 5 to 2, followed by an unanimous vote to put the ban initiative on the next ballot.
After a landmark ruling in New York State Supreme Court that upheld a city-imposed ban on fracking in Dryden, N.Y, the battle to ban fracking in Denton is being closely watched.
Reagan Stinson, in front of her home in a subdivision at Bonnie Brae Street and Vintage Boulevard, across from an EagleRidge Energy site. Stinson told DeSmogBlog the constant activity at the site made it hard for her to sleep. ©2014 Julie Dermansky
Denton, a college town, sits on top of the natural gas-rich Barnett Shale. Within the city limits, there are fracking sites less then 300 feet from people's homes.
Dozens of residents who spoke at the meeting told city council how fracking has destroyed the quality of life for those who live near the frack sites. The meeting was attended by over 500 people who heard first-hand testimony of health issues, noise, traffic problems and reports of diminishing property values.
McMullen's group gathered close to 2,000 signatures for an initiative to ban new fracking within Denton's city limits. With all signatures verified, the initiative was presented to the city council resulting in last night’s mandatory council vote.
