Corinth Cares

The Corinth Gas Well Committee met on June 10 for the first time.  During the meeting several items were discussed including:

• Use of an independent Environmental Consultant/Company to review appropriate parts of the ordinance, or conditions at a proposed well site.
• Presentation titled ‘Gas Drilling 101’ by NCTCA to provide information on the drilling process from a non industry perspective.
• Submitting recommended ordinance changes for review by an Oil and Gas Attorney towards the end our committee.
• Sage Environmental could provide more detailed analysis of the BTEX emissions concerns raised at the XTO Permit Hearings.
• A study of property value changes due to gas well proximity.
• Each committee member began reviewing the ordinance and creating a document tracking recommended changes.

The next meeting was a joint City Council and Gas Well Committee meeting for the ‘Gas Drilling 101’ by NCTCA presentation on June 29.  This was attended by several citizens also who asked questions of the panel after the presentation was over.

The third meeting was on July 6 and the topics on the agenda included:

• The need more information about compressors, tank servicing and maintenance since it is becoming more common that up to 20+ wells could be on a single pad site.
• Inviting the Barnett Shale Energy Education Council to present information on Gas Well Drilling and Production, a fracturing fluid recycling operator, a vapor recovery company, the gas inspector who handles much of Tarrant County and performs well inspection for Flower Mound and Argyle, and Society of Petroleum Engineers possibly from local schools such as UNT, UTA.
• Inquiring about the courses as NCTC on Gas & Oil Production and utilizing the College as a resource.
• Committee member initial recommendations on Chapter 114 Corinth Code of Ordinances.
• Special Use Permit or changes to existing zoning that require Council to adopt a zoning ordinance; Planning and Zoning Commission must have a public hearing and take action first. Last possible P&Z meeting would be Aug 23, 2010. The City Council would then be able to take action at the September 2 or September 16 meetings.

The fourth meeting was held on July 13.  Items on the agenda included

• Following up on previously mentioned presenters. 
  • The Barnett Shale Energy Education Council contact had not replied due to being out of the area until the week July 12
  • The fracturing fluid recycling operator, Fountain Quail offered to attend a meeting and allow the committee to tour the facility in Justin
  • The NCTC Gas & Oil Production courses are held at the Bowie Campus but the instructor was open to email correspondence in regards to questions.
  • Other presenters had not been contacted or responded
• It was generally decided that the priority had to be completing our review of Chapter 114 Corinth Code of Ordinances and multiple presentations may take valuable meeting time away from that process.
• Recommending the City Council consider the process of  a Specific Use Permit for gas well drilling operations in its next meeting.
• Some information on property values in proximity to gas well in Colorado was presented by Dave Goodwin.
• Randy Gibbons suggested utilizing the Southlake ordinance as a comparision to our current ordinance for parameters since it has greater distances on setbacks.
• Continued discussing the review by each member and some consultant recommendations on Chapter 114 Corinth Code of Ordinances.

Our next two meeting dates are Monday July 19 and Wednesday August 10 at 7 p.m. at Corinth City Hall.  If you have any questions or comments please post and we will request our resident representatives to respond to them.

On another topic: If you are a Cypress Pointe Resident, please read the message on the Facebook page in regards to our landscape fund.  Click here