Denton answers the top questions about the frack ban

Enlarge Photo

Jake Dean

A producing well near homes in Denton.

Nicholas Sakelaris

Staff Writer- Dallas Business Journal

Email  |  LinkedIn  |  Twitter  |  Google+

Denton's historic hydraulic fracking ban goes into effect Tuesday. The city is the first in the state to prohibit the well completion process.

The ban passed with 59 percent of the vote on Nov. 4, ending one of the most costly elections in the city's history. The oil and gas industry alone pumped at least $680,000 into the group trying to defeat the ban.

The day after voters approved it, two legal challenges were filed trying to block enforcement. Neither has a court date, so they won't stop the ban from going into effect, at least not yet.

With that in mind, I asked Denton officials questions about current drilling operations in the city and how the ban will be enforced.

Sign up for the free Energy Inc. Texas newsletter here and get the multistate Who's Who in Energy 2014 publication free.

Will this ban shut down any current fracking operations in Denton?

There are not currently hydraulic fracturing operations being performed within the city of Denton.

Did any companies plan to frack in 2015?

Operators are not required to notify the city for operations planned to occur more than 30 days in the future. Therefore, at this point in time, it is too early to tell the number of oil or gas operators that had planned fracking operations in 2015.

How will the city enforce the ban?

Per city ordinance #2014-397, hydraulic fracturing will be prohibited in the city of Denton effective Dec. 2, 2014. As is customarily the case with municipal regulations, the city is prepared to exercise its authority, as necessary, to enforce the effective ordinance at that time.

If oil or gas operators plan fracking operations in the city in 2015 that are subject to City Ordinance 2014-397, then those operations will be prohibited.

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