Oil and gas groups are fighting back after environmentalists say “no more” in the state where fracking was born
Fracking seems to be under fire everywhere, from the East Coast all the way to the West Coast. Even in Texas, where the natural-gas extraction technique began.
Voters in Denton, in the Barnett Shale formation, passed a measure on Nov. 4 to ban fracking with 59 percent of the vote. The pivotal vote marks the first time a Texas town has attempted to ban the process.
Texas wasn’t the only state with anti-fracking questions on ballots. In Ohio, three of four anti-fracking measures were defeated, but in California two of three anti-fracking measures passed.
Environmentalists say the Denton anti-fracking measure is a major success since Texas is the largest oil producing state.
Texas Railroad Commissioner David Porter said he was disappointed in voters who “fell prey to scare tactics and mischaracterizations of the truth in passing the hydraulic fracturing ban.”
Opponents say fracking is an environmental disaster that pollutes the air, contaminates the groundwater and triggers earthquakes. Supporters of the technology say it’s the key to energy independence and the creation of thousands of jobs.
“Texas is a global energy leader and has the best job climate in the country because of our fair, even-handed regulatory environment,” says Porter. “Bans based on misinformation – instead of science and fact – potentially threaten this energy renaissance and as a result, the well-being of all Texas.”
Oil and gas industry groups had already filed a lawsuit against the Denton ballot measure the morning after the election.
What does the public misunderstand the most about fracking?
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