Barnett Shale News Items

South Side Update: The FWWeekly offers a catch-up story on the gas drilling battle on the South Side, primarily focusing on Don Young and Liane Janovsky. Not really much new in here, but I think it is worth remembering that XTO's alternative to its Eighth Avenue drilling site is, as Liann reminds us, "within 1,000 feet of the Fort Worth ISD’s Daggett Montessori school, as well as Daggett Elementary and [Daggett] Middle School and the Montessori preschool. There are also a couple of dozen poor rental properties over there. And I object to the idea of a gas well that close to schools.”

In the article, Young also says that a gas drilling pad site has been staked out just south of the beautiful old Texas & Pacific warehouse on Lancaster Avenue, which is going to be developed for high-end condos. I asked Kevin Buchanan at Fort Worthology about this the other day, and he actually went down to the site and took some pictures. He didn't see anything. Did he miss it? Nonetheless, I find it hard to believe that drilling would be allowed so close to a building complex that is on the National Register of Historic Places and an active residential complex at that. But there are so many dumbfounding aspects to urban gas drilling, where do you begin the list?

Oh, funny running into you here: Talk about an awkward moment. Mayor Mikey decided to take a little stroll down by the Trinity Trees the other day. Maybe he was thinking about the $620,000 he earned from his oil and gas holdings in 2006. 2007 should be a better year. Then, boom! He runs into Melissa Kohout, who is suing the city over the Trinity Trees drilling site. Wow. Where can a Mayor go to get away around here anyway?

Neighborhoods at Crossroads

If you read the Startlegram this morning, you saw that representatives of the Berkeley Place and Ryan Place neighborhoods say they have come to terms with XTO Energy on a mineral-rights lease.

These neighborhood associations believe the terms incorporate residents' safety and quality-of-life concerns and could become a model for other neighborhoods in the area.

Writes Jim Fuquay: "Principal among the Ryan Place and Berkeley concerns was the drill site. Fort Worth Energy plans to use a site east of Jennings Avenue and north of Page Avenue, in an industrial area, to reach those neighborhoods. The lease specifically excludes the use of a site between Eighth and Stanley avenues, land held by Four Sevens Resources, which leases in the area for Chesapeake."

Also, Bill Conley, the head of the Ryan Place leasing committee, told the S-T that the Ryan Place/Berkeley lease specifies which drill sites may and may not be used, and guarantees that drilling activities must be at least 600 feet from neighborhood properties, a figure that would rise if the city of Fort Worth increases its 600-foot separation rule.

However, what the S-T didn't mention is that according to local attorney Liane Janovsky, the proposed drill site is 4 blocks from Daggett Montessori Elementary, and 6 blocks from Daggett Elementary. Below is part of a letter she wrote to her neighbors:

Needless to say, I’m very disappointed with the outcome, and particularly disappointed that the RPIA Gas Taskforce (of which I was a member) was not briefed or informed about the plan before it was presented and endorsed.

The lease is modeled after the Tanglewood N’hood Assoc lease. Variations with different drill sites are being proposed throughout the 10 Southside neighborhood associations. Berkeley has already proposed a similar lease (drilling at a “secret site” north of I-30, but not on 8th Avenue), and the other Southside neighborhoods will roll out their proposals in the days ahead under the auspices of the “Joint Neighborhood Committee.”

I bring this to you attention so you can be aware that the gauntlet is now down for people to demand (and get) $10,000 / acre signing bonuses. Judging by the standing ovation the RPIA plan got last night, some people are clearly more thrilled with the cash than they are concerned about the risk to the children in nearby schools, high traffic, pipelines, water abuse and safety.

We are at a crossroads. Unless we devote time and money to publicize information about the adverse effects of these lease proposals, then most residents will probably sign the Southside leases with XTO / Fort Worth Energy.

Please contact me if you are interested in helping distribute information to Southside residents about the adverse consequences of signing these leases.

You may contact Ms. Janovsky at:
314 Main Street, Suite 300
Fort Worth, Texas 76102
Phone: 817-332-6800
Fax: 817-332-6810
Email: liane.janovsky@janovskylaw.com

My own take: don't sign. But you knew that already.