Resistance to Gas Drilling Rises on Unlikely Soil
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FORT WORTH -- Texans pride themselves on being the heart of the nation's oil and gas business. But even here, public concern about natural gas drilling is growing.
On Wednesday, several dozen protesters marched through downtown Fort Worth, waving signs and chanting anti-drilling slogans that reflected concern over air and water pollution.
The anxiety centers on a recently expanded drilling method called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, which is now used in more than half of new gas wells drilled in Texas. This practice -- which involves blasting water, sand and chemicals far underground to break up rock and extract gas -- is common in the Barnett Shale, a major shale-gas field around Fort Worth.
"It's our health that's at stake," said Dana Schultes, who lives in south Fort Worth and worries about the impact of the drilling on her young daughter.
The protest, organized by the group Rising Tide North Texas, is the latest sign of a backlash against drilling in Texas. Yard signs saying "Get the Frack Out of Here" and "Protect Our Kids/No Drilling" have appeared in some yards in Southlake, a Dallas suburb. A few communities have declared a temporary moratorium on drilling permits, and Dallas set up a task force last week to examine drilling regulations within its city limits.
Analysts say the discontent appears to be partly inspired by highly publicized concerns in Pennsylvania, a state unaccustomed to drilling and where fracking has recently increased. The federal government is also raising concerns: the Environmental Protection Agency is beginning a study about the method's effect on groundwater, and a report for Congressional Democrats released last week detailed the quantity of chemicals that gas companies are putting into the ground.
Lease payments by gas companies have also dropped significantly in Texas since natural gas prices hit highs in 2008, said Mike Slattery, the director of the Institute for Environmental Studies at Texas Christian University -- even as gas production rises in the state.
First Published April 24, 2011 12:01 am
