Not Even the Head of Exxon Wants Fracking Operations In His Neighborhood

Two friends who attended this meeting told me Tillerson got unlimited time to speak but common people made sick by fracking were limited to three minutes.

Here’s some excerpts for those who can’t see the full story.

BARTONVILLE, Texas—One evening last November, a tall, white-haired man turned up at a Town Council meeting to protest construction of a water tower near his home in this wealthy community outside Dallas.

The man was Rex Tillerson, chairman and chief executive of Exxon Mobil Corp. He and his neighbors had filed suit to block the tower, saying it is illegal and would create “a noise nuisance and traffic hazards,” in part because it would provide water for use in hydraulic fracturing. Fracking, which requires heavy trucks to haul and pump massive amounts of water, unlocks oil and gas from dense rock and has helped touch off a surge in U.S. energy output.

It also is a core part of Exxon’s business.

While the lawsuit Mr. Tillerson joined cites the side effects of fracking, a lawyer representing the Exxon CEO said he hadn’t complained about such disturbances. “I have other clients who were concerned about the potential for noise and traffic
problems, but he’s never expressed that to me or anyone else,” said Michael Whitten, who runs a small law practice in Denton, Texas. Mr. Whitten said Mr. Tillerson’s primary concern is that his property value would be harmed.

The tower would be almost 15 stories tall, adjacent to the 83-acre horse ranch Mr. Tillerson and his wife own and a short distance from their 18-acre homestead. Mr. Tillerson sat for a three-hour deposition in the lawsuit last May, attended an all-day mediation session in September and has spoken out against the tower during at least two Town Council meetings, according to public records and people involved with the case.

The Exxon chief isn’t the most vocal or well-known opponent of the tower. He and his wife are suing with three other couples. The lead plaintiffs are former U.S. House Majority Leader Dick Armey (founder of the Tea Party) and his wife, who have become fixtures at Town Council meetings.

Since 2007, companies have fracked at least nine shale wells within a mile of the Tillerson home, according to Texas records.

The last to do so was XTO Energy Inc., in August 2009, according to Texas regulators. Mr. Tillerson had just begun talks for Exxon to acquire XTO.
Four months later, Exxon swallowed its smaller rival for $25 billion, becoming America’s biggest gas producer.

XTO drills and fracks hundreds of shale wells a year

ha ha ha ha ha

absolutely beyond belief! The gall and audacity of rich people never fails to amaze! I, too, Mr Stupid Tillerson have boatloads invested in my farm, every cent my husband and I ever made is tied up in this farm, our home, leaving us w/o an option to move out of fracking/cryogenics hell. Kiss my A$$ Rex Tillerson!

Funny how that works. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of people living in PA without clean safe water for more than 4 years now from fracking related impacts. I’ve been saying all along, once your tell people their property values might plummet from fracking in your community you make some heads turn! They want the jobs and money but NOT IN MY BACK YARD!

empiresentry got it right – this is a non-story