Area devastated by Domestic Drilling; homes taken by eminent domain for private profit

[Coexist]

Fort Worth Residents Rally Support for Moratorium on Barnett Shale

While John McCain is trying to sell his energy policy of "Drill here. Drill now. Drill. Drill. Drill..." those affected by the devastation of the Domestic Drilling Agenda are calling for a moratorium.

Fort Worth woke up just in time to discover the free money promised to them by Chesapeake Energy landmen comes with a high price. Chesapeake Energy wants to run high pressure-100 psi minimum-gas pipelines through Fort Worth Neighborhoods. The highly corrosive, raw, wet gas can eat through a new pipeline in 3 or 4 years and is unodorized, invisible and extremely explosive.

Chesapeake, a private company, is using eminent domain to take yards and sometimes the entire home for their profit. Eminent domain should be used only for public gain with no private stakeholders.

If you are in the Barnett Shale area, you should try to attend this rally and learn from the mistakes made by Fort Worth residents.

Did you read that - UNODORIZED!

The tone of the meeting was hopeful desperation

The tone of the meeting was hopeful desperation. There were a number of homeowners in attendance who had been approached by gas companies, allegedly lied to concerning rights of eminent domain, tricked into signing contracts, and given incomplete information throughout their process. There were also representatives of neighborhood associations, grappling with selling drilling rights and how to not get bullied. Then were was a subsection of those who belonged in neither group but were concerned about the environmental and societal impacts of drilling a proposed 3,000 gas wells in the Interstates 820 Loop.

The feeling of desperation came from all the individuals who had experienced how little the laws protected their property rights and quality of life. They were mostly fed up with the Fort Worth City Council, who one speaker remarked, "has yet to see a high impact permit it wouldn't approve." For many in the room, the Task Force represented their last hope to be protected, and several reminded Chairman Bob Riley and the other members of that responsibility during their allotted three minutes.

While I drove to the meeting, under Tommy Lee Jones crooked smile (who was the character he played in Batman Forever?), I prepared myself for a rather empty chamber and some complacent speakers. To see, however, the vast number of people who turned out (several standing against the wall and sitting on the ground because there were no seats left), 37 of whom signed up to speak, most of them with much more than three minutes to say, it hit me how affected so many of our neighbors are by drilling in the Barnett Shale. As one of the final speakers reminded the crowd, if they wanted things to change, they would need this kind of turnout at council meetings. It remains to be seen.

Urban Gas Drilling Causes Backlash In Boomtown

Jerry Lobdell, a neighborhood activist in Fort Worth, said he feels the energy companies played bait and switch now that pipeline companies are coming into neighborhoods with the power of eminent domain and plans to run odorless gas lines under front yards. The companies insist the gas lines are perfectly safe.

"They came in, they spoke of bonus money and royalties," he said. "They never said anything about pipelines whatsoever or any of the other bad things that we've learned about."

....

"In the past, drilling was not taking place in the heart of the city," said glass artist Don Young, who is leading the charge to halt drilling. "Now we're having all the problems associated with gas-drilling compressor stations, pipelines, drill pads. They're taking away our green space. They're bringing in pollution. They're bringing in truck traffic — affecting our neighborhoods in a very negative way."

In response to talk like this, Chesapeake Energy mounted a media campaign almost as aggressive as its drilling program to highlight the company's safety and community-friendly agenda.

An infomercial called "Citizens of the Shale" has been airing on local television for months. It calls the drilling a "small inconvenience for a big gain" and says trees can grow back.

Video of explosion of gasline in Fort Worth. There was a fatality.




*sigh*

[peacetalksforall]

1. It is amazing how a paycheck can allow people to do very wrong things.

The head people conning these people, the leaders who pass on it - they're not th eones to sit down and sway people that it's OK to take things from them - they have people on a paycheck who do it for them. What a way to feed your family.

[NMDemDist2]

2. they are drilling in our little town too

you haven't lived until you've tried to sleep with a drilling rig a quarter mile away working 24/7 pounding pounding pounding

luckily, it's NIMBY but I feel for the folks who live nearby with the pounding and the heavy trucks at all hours

[Warpy]

3. One of these lines blew near Carlsbad, NM, in 2000

and killed 12 people who were camping a hundred or so yards away. The crater was huge and there had been no warning because the gas was not odorized.

The report is here: http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/2003/PAR0301.pdf

No way should these lines go through anyone's neighborhood. The whole area needs to be bought up if there is no alternative route.

[formercia]

4. "A big gain" for whom?

"An infomercial called "Citizens of the Shale" has been airing on local television for months. It calls the drilling a "small inconvenience for a big gain" and says trees can grow back."

[wvbygod]

5. This argues for drilling away from the public

Maybe out at sea or way up north where nobody lives. :o)

[Coexist]

6. yeah, then we get it to people through pipelines that go through towns..

er.... never mind.

[DCKit]

7. Well I guess Pickles won't be looking at any homes in Fort Worth. n/t

[Coexist]

8. they finally gave up the pretense of pretending to be ranchers.