Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Texas anymore.
More than 800 rural Texans filled the high school auditorium in Azle last night. They came to a town hall held by the Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) hoping to get answers about the recent earthquakes in North Texas. The audience booed when David Porter, Texas Railroad Commissioner announced that they were there to hear from the people but would not be answering any questions.
For some background on the recent North Texas earthquakes, read Fracking Earthquakes and Industry’s Deadbeat Dad Problem
The audience was filled with people in denim and flannel shirts, including State Rep. Lon Burnam who, each legislative session, files bills that, if passed, would help people faced with oil and gas development. During the 83rd Legislative Session, among the bills Burnam wrote were: HB 379, a bill to assess a fee for wastewater disposal to encourage water conservation in fracking; HB 3599, a bill to place restrictions on the siting, drilling, completion, and operation of oil and gas wells in certain locations and HB 3600, a bill relating to the rights of an owner of the surface estate in land in connection with oil and gas exploration and production operations.
“I thought that was totally inappropriate. People are here to get answers. And state government should be able to provide them. Because we’re so incompetent, we can’t,” said Democratic State Representative Lon Burnam. Burnam, of Fort Worth, attended the meeting and sat with the crowd. NBC5
On the stage sat a bunch of men in suits including David Porter, Gil Bujano and Milton Rister from the RRC. Porter announced that the meeting would be cut off after two hours because he had a busy day on Friday. Commissioner Barry Smitherman was busy on the campaign trail. Failing at his job of regulating the oil and gas industry is not enough for Smitherman. He is asking Texans to promote him to a higher office so he can fail at Texas Attorney General. I don’t know where Commissioner Christi Craddick was.
Also on the stage in a suit was State Rep. Charlie Geren who receives campaign money from the oil and gas industry and has interests, dividends, royalties or rents” from several oil and gas companies, including E.O.G. Resources, Exxon Mobil, Cholla Petroleum, Blakemore and Sunoco. State Rep. Phil King was busy but a woman from his office read a statement.
Before the meeting I spoke with a couple who have a sinkhole on their property. That’s why I’m writing this blog post at 3:45 am. They me showed pictures which I hope to share with you later.
What we need is another meeting where people can get some answers. I’ll be working on making that happen.
Here’s my tweet from the very first speaker:
First speaker asks how any studies from RRC can be unbiased due to influence of campaign $$$ from #fracking ind. crowd erupted.
— TXsharon (@TXsharon) January 2, 2014
The audience erupted in applause.
As I listened to the stories, I tried to capture them in tweets. Please excuse typos.
“Recently a spring bubbled up in my yard and it’s oily water. Will my house fall in a sinkhole.” #fracking town hall
— TXsharon (@TXsharon) January 3, 2014
We can’t afford #fracking #earthquake insurance because the drillers get all the money. — TXsharon (@TXsharon) January 3, 2014
When my #water well goes dry from #fracking who do I call? Town hall — TXsharon (@TXsharon) January 3, 2014
#fracking can cause uninhabitable land. Who pays for damages? — TXsharon (@TXsharon) January 3, 2014
“if the earth shakes in Austin, maybe we will get some results.” Azle resident @ town hall — TXsharon (@TXsharon) January 3, 2014
“Shut the wells down.” To see if the #fracking #earthquakes stop. — TXsharon (@TXsharon) January 3, 2014
“I have cracks in every floor in my house… I sleep with my clothes on in case I have to leave…” #fracking #earthquakes — TXsharon (@TXsharon) January 3, 2014
This lady has had to move out of her home three times because the water pipes break from the quakes. She is having to pay for two places to live.
Woman refuses to leave mic until some[one] tells who will pay for the damage to her home. #fracking#earthquakes
— TXsharon (@TXsharon) January 3, 2014
An elementary age boy talked about the wells near his school and said that gas wells should not be allowed so close to schools. Since the earthquakes started, he has been dreaming that his walls collapse on him from the quakes.
“I’ve been having nightmares.” Since #fracking #earthquakes elementary school student.
— TXsharon (@TXsharon) January 3, 2014
And a tweet from Teresa Woodard at Channel 8.
Railroad Commissioner David Porter refuses to speak to media after town hall. Troopers physically hold reporters back. — Teresa Woodard (@twoodard8) January 3, 2014
Media on this event, so far:
Texas official holds town hall meeting on quakes in Azle
Meeting on Quakes Leaves Some Residents Frustrated
Lack of answers at earthquake meeting rattles Azle residents
Azle Residents Demand Answers About Earthquake
The Brief: Texas Political News for Jan. 3, 2014
Residents frustrated at Azle earthquake meeting
Earthquake meeting leaves some residents frustrated
Azle crowd frustrated by lack of answers about quakes
Texas regulators have few answers on spate of tremors
EnergyWire reported in December that the Railroad Commission’s stance on earthquakes is at odds with the scientific community’s consensus on the role of injection wells. Researchers linked waste disposal to a series of earthquakes at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal near Denver as far back as the 1960s. More recently, Ohio imposed a set of stricter new rules after a rash of quakes near Youngstown was linked to a disposal well in 2012 (EnergyWire, Dec. 18, 2013).
Fear, Home Damage, and Dismayingly Few Answers at Townhall on Azle Earthquakes
Railroad Commissioner David Porter Hosts Town Hall Meeting
After Surprise Quakes, North Texans Speak of Impact
Anger Greets State Officials in Quake-Prone Texas Town
Azle Crowd Rumbles About Drilling, Earthquakes
Update: Here is a response from an industry insider on Twitter. They don’t seem to be understanding that people who live near fracking have DIRECT experience.
@TXsharon @saeverley They’re motivated bc they’re #misinformed. It’s our job to set the facts straight w/o scare tactics and #poorjournalism
— Asa Cozad (@asacozad) January 3, 2014
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
What an incredible waste of every ones time. That’s an unusual format for a town hall meeting? More of a “listening tour” that worked before communication was easy.
I Live in Pottawatomi County Oklahoma, It smells like rotten eggs around here, we want to buy land for a small farm but we are having our doubts about this location because in 20 years or less if this continues there wont be any drinkable water here, the earth is damaged , it will take 100’s of years to heal if we stop fracking now, if we keep on we wont have an earth to live on.
Study released in 2012 by Canadian regulators proved that 272 earthquakes in NE British Columbia between 2009 and 2011 (frac’ing started there in 2009) were directly caused by hydraulic fracturing.
“Conclusion
Horn River Basin seismicity events, from 2009 to late 2011, were caused by fluid injection during hydraulic fracturing. All events occurred during or between hydraulic fracturing stage operations.”
http://www.ernstversusencana.ca/investigation-of-observed-seismicity-in-the-horn-river-basin
No surprise that there were no answers, but I still think it was a positive thing … the more awareness and pressure put on the Gasholes, the better. A lot of the people who are finally waking up, sang to a different tune years ago … thinking drilling was good, “Drill, baby, drill”, etc. More and more are changing their minds, as this crap starts hitting close to home.
Seven years ago, when my own nightmare began, no one would listen to me. Now those same people are horrified.
Publicity has been great for “them”, now the tables are thankfully turning.
“Here is a response from an industry insider on Twitter. They don’t seem to be understanding that people who live near fracking have DIRECT experience.”
And it appears they continue to misunderstand that the direct experience is supported by the industry and regulator’s own reports – on water contamination, earthquakes, gas migration etc.
“@TXsharon @saeverley They’re motivated bc they’re #misinformed. It’s our job to set the facts straight w/o scare tactics and #poorjournalism”
I don’t think the industry execs and employees who took to the streets in Calgary and ran Kaiser out of their community, would consider themselves “misinformed.” But by all means, @saeverely should head on up to Alberta and “set the facts straight,” probably a good idea to do it “w/o scare tactics” … those execs are a delicate bunch … except when they’re “motivated” and putting the run on one of their own.
I was not able to attend, I would have liked to have been there, but it seems Azle was well represented. I understand we can recall all the commissioners from office? If so, I suggest we join forces, get the petitions going, get them out of office and force a recall election. It is beyond time for not only Texas, but the world to hear the truth about the damage to our health, environment, homes, and all the nasty games these folks play. We have all the data, pictures, video, and personal statements from those of us who are not gagged to bring it all down. The industry is out of control and they think they own our government and our lives. Well guess what, you do not. You have all crossed the lines one too many times. My story all started at the end of 2004 and ramped up in 2005. All I have tried to do lately is share my health effects and make a few comments, but no, they continue to hack my computer, even when I’m in the darn hospital. These guys just do not play fair, they play dirty. Enough is enough. All I have been trying to do is make my exit and go live a green, sustainable life, and they still won’t leave me alone. So, time for us to come together and get rid of them and wean ourselves off this poison.