Denton extends drilling moratorium until 2015; vote on frack ban looms

Enlarge Photo

Jake Dean

A producing well near homes in Denton.

12 photos

Home of the Day

Sponsor Listing

Nicholas Sakelaris

Staff Writer- Dallas Business Journal

Email  |  LinkedIn  |  Twitter  |  Google+

Land-use conflicts between Barnett Shale wells and homes continues to pose a “major impediment” to Denton’s future quality of life and economic development, gas well administrator Darren Groth told the City Council Tuesday.

The Council agreed, voting unanimously Tuesday to approve a moratorium on gas wells applications and permits through Jan. 20.

This moratorium is separate from the Nov. 4 referendum to ban hydraulic fracking in the city of Denton, a first for Texas.

Got Energy? Sign up for our Energy Inc. newsletter here

The four-and-a-half-month extension gives city staff time to iron out problems with the city ordinance to prevent a repeat of what happened in the Vintage neighborhood last year. The city initially asked for a 45-day extension but the Council agreed to extend it to 134 days.

“I don’t think 45 days is enough time to make these changes,” Groth said.

Eagle Ridge Energy drilled several Barnett Shale wells last year off Vintage Boulevard in close proximity to several neighborhoods. The wells were drilled and later fracked less than 300 feet from homes because the sites had old oil wells with permits that were granted in perpetuity before the houses were built.

Residents quickly discovered that the city’s ordinance, which requires a 1,200-foot buffer from homes, was powerless to protect them against grandfathered well sites. That’s what spawned the petition drive, which put the fracking ban on the Nov. 4 ballot.

The oil and gas industry has fought back against the fracking ban, enlisting the help of economist Ray Perryman, who said the fracking ban would cost Denton’s economy $251.4 million over 10 years.

Nicholas covers the energy, manufacturing, aviation and transportation beats for the Dallas Business Journal. Subscribe the Energy Inc. newsletter