As Election Day nears in this small city 30 miles north of Dallas, a wary unease has settled over the early voting on a local referendum of national significance. If passed, the proposition would be the first to completely ban the petroleum extraction technique known as hydraulic fracturing in one small corner of the great oil and gas boom state of Texas.
Reporter Michael Brick spent some time in this college town talking to residents on both sides of the issue.
Ed Soph, of anti-fracking group Pass the Ban, told Brick he is in the fight for the long haul. “Persistence pays off, especially if the truth is on your side,” he said, “And that’s what we’re doing now with the fracking people.”
Rancher Bobby Jones of Denton Taxpayers for a Strong Economy sees hydraulic fracturing as nothing but a benefit. “It’s our minerals,” he said. “We’ve had them here for 72 years, and we’ve finally found a way to develop them. We’ve been developing them for 12 years. And they’re trying to take that away.”
For more details on what people in Denton are saying, where the money for the fight is coming from and a look at what is expected to happen if the ban passes, read the full story at HoustonChronicle.com.
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