First Lawsuits Filed Over Denton's New Fracking Ban
*Editor's note: This story has been updated throughout.
That was fast.
Just hours after Denton residents voted to ban hydraulic fracturing, the Texas General Land Office and the state’s biggest petroleum group fired off separate legal challenges to the new rule.
“This ban on hydraulic fracturing is not constitutional and it won’t stand,” said Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, who filed a lawsuit in Travis County courts Wednesday seeking a permanent injunction against the ban.
Patterson called the ban “arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable” and said it threatens the state's royalty interests, which flow into the $37.7 ...
Comments (40)
Bill Blackmon via Texas Tribune on Facebook
so much for local government - what is Big Oil going to do - jail the entire town or just try to destroy it in the process of fracking it out of existence. Pathetic.
Kelly Karels Reiff via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Well, imagine that.
Diana Perea via Texas Tribune on Facebook
By their logic, if state law should supersede local law then federal law should supersede state law. Medicaid expanded healthcare-people of Denton need it.
Stephen Smith via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Oh, come on.
David Presley via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Watch their property,city and school taxes goes sky high, Without that city getting those energy dollars. Good luck
John Deike via Texas Tribune on Facebook
dont like fracking, stop using natural gas and oil products
Daryl Corbin via Texas Tribune on Facebook
funny...when courts overturn public votes on same-sex marriage or abortion laws or voter ID initiatives, it's "legislating from the bench" or "denying people their voice", but when people don't vote the way they want, then its off to court! Imagine that.
Glenda Hawthorne via Texas Tribune on Facebook
By all means, let's subvert the will of the people. Bastards.
Mary Morrison via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Good for Denton, I hope they can make it stick.
Shahid Zaman via Texas Tribune on Facebook
That is a good thing. Now we can finally get away from Middle Eastern oil.
Flower Daisy via Texas Tribune on Facebook
If you don't like fracturing, then don't pull the trigger. What I mean by that is, if someone shoots someone, from their own gun, with their own bullets, you aren't going to jail and charge the bullet manufacturing company, you are going to jail, and blame the person who bought the gun and pulled the trigger. If you BUY and USE what is created by the fracutring process, than you are a HYPOCRITE (by connotation).
Laurie Sargent Parry via Texas Tribune on Facebook
why is that surprising ? big oil owns Texas
Chris Leal via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Lara Tomlin
Lara Tomlin via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Saw it Chris. This is a good picture of the fracking feet from people's homes. Why would people not enjoy that great view?
Sam Davis via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Is there any doubt that the state will support fracking regardless of current scientific evidence about the dangers and long-term consequences?
Anthony J Rodarte via Texas Tribune on Facebook
How productive, send in the clowns. Where's JR Ewing when we most.
Chris Carlos Castle via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I'm an oilfield worker. I find it so ironic that people object to the very thing
Chris Carlos Castle via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Without oil and gas, there are so many things in our lives that aren't even possible. Like the computers phones and pads we use to communicate here. But, okay, put us all out of business. Then cry when gas goes up 400% and you have no gas or oil from which to heat your homes this winter.
Sam Davis via Texas Tribune on Facebook
How do you explain the upsurge in earthquakes in OK? What about excessive water use and the problem of disposal? This reminds me of the Exxon campaign to disprove global warming. The real key is for Texans to own their own mineral rights, something that will never happen in the oil crazy government.
Sam Davis via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Lots of reasons to slow down fracking including major health concerns. This is an article from propublica that quotes facts from recent studies. Of course in Texas the use of facts is highly frowned upon. http://www.propublica.org/article/drilling-for-certainty-the-latest-in-fracking-health-studies
Jon Conners via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Hypocrites. The reason oil has gone down is because of fracking. Don't want fracking, go sell your car and walk or ride a bicycle everywhere.
Mike Haynes via Texas Tribune on Facebook
If you don't like fracking.. Don't use makeup, drive a car,and move your butt to the sticks and live off the land
Tammie Bullin Moore via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The people in Denton aren't any better than the rest of us! We have fracking all around us!!!
Karen Oliver via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Does anyone out there in that big old state read and comprehend anything going on outside their big world? Look at the studies emerging from PA and other states. Toxins aside, there is the issue of a 10-fold increase in small earthquakes in the Raton Basin region of CO and NM since August 2001. This can be linked directly to injecting millions of cubic meters worth of wastewater underground. More proof that injecting fluids underground is a great way to make an earthquake...perhaps the biggest problem faced by the fracking industry may be to figure out what to do with all that wastewater.
William Ardis
This is why conservatives like Patterson, have a problem with letting people vote. The people will make decisions that conservatives don't approve of, that is, that aren't in the interests of their constituents (the wealthy, big business). The state can dictate what its citizens and local governments can and cannot do, but the local entities CANNOT act in their best interests if that will hurt the interests of the state (which means the interests of those that have contributed so much to the politicians that were elected).
Dustin Rector via Texas Tribune on Facebook
That's actually not the " fracing industry". That would be a problem faced by the well operator, not the company that does the frac. It might be wise to actually learn how it works before you damn something. All wells produce water that has to be disposed off, regardless of them being frac'd or not.
Neil Moyer via Texas Tribune on Facebook
damned SOBs!!!
Matthew Cowan via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Sam Davis, The up-surge is not well known. It is believe that disposal wells are the most likely culprit. Disposal wells predate fracking and are used by a variety of industries. You make the claim of excess water usage but Fracking accounts for less than 1% of the water in the state. There are no problems with disposal and in fact it can be recycled and reused. As to mineral rights, Texan's do own their own mineral rights.
David Cargill via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Wow! Imagine that with a guy like Abbott leading the way. The voters of the state screwed themselves.
David Cargill via Texas Tribune on Facebook
It sucks to be you folks living in that mess.
Steve West via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Surprise surprise...
Jackie L. Taylor via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Without a livable planet, oil and gas really doesn't matter.
Alicia Reddick Helton via Texas Tribune on Facebook
They knew how the vote would go and had the papers signed and all but delivered. Good for you, Denton! Hang in there!
Elizabeth Grous via Texas Tribune on Facebook
You know what doesn't require fracking? Peanut oil. Buy clean diesel cars. They last longer, pollute less, get great MPG and can run without fossil fuels. I ? my Jetta TDI.
Kerry Brix via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Let's drill a few wells in Highland Park and Westlake to share the danger, dirt, noise and toxic wastes with the financiers that think it is such a great thing to impact neighborhoods, schools and hospitals. You notice that Colleyville has no wells next to the 10 acre estates with 20 room mansions. Why is that? Stand firm Denton.
Matt Marxer via Texas Tribune on Facebook
This is ridiculous. Of course, the ones that will argue that the ban is illegal are all conservatives supported by the oil and gas industry. They are the ones who are supposed to be for small government. The people of Denton spoke, 59% is a significant majority, and clearly, efforts by the city previously to support responsible drilling hasn't worked.
Jordan Lee Looper via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Kyle Looper
Heather Ammons via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Keep fighting Denton!
Aaron Baker via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Money always wins. Period.
Lisa Crider via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Of course they did. Can't have the locals deciding what to do with their own community, now can we?