Protesters call for gas drilling moratorium at Fort Worth City Council session

by Erin Rice

Just over 100 people stood outside Will Rogers Auditorium Thursday morning to voice their support for a moratorium on drilling in the Barnett Shale. Protesters wore yellow buttons and carried signs reading “Just Say Whoa,” a play on the famous anti-drug statement, as they jockeyed for precious space in the shade created by the Fort Worth landmark. It felt anti-climactic when, just hours later, city staff members would dispassionately advise the Fort Worth City Council against the moratorium.

Photo by Laura Seewoester

Ann Reatz, who lives on Suffolk Drive, is upset that the pipeline will go right by her house. While she feels it will lower her property value, she is mainly concerned about safety.

The rally was organized by the Coalition for a Reformed Drilling Ordinance (CREDO). CREDO organizer Cathy Hirt stressed that the group is not in opposition to drilling in general, but is asking for the city council to approve a moratorium to cease green-lighting drilling leases until certain procedural guidelines have been put into place.

With less than an hour before the council meeting’s noon start time, speakers took the microphone for short, but fervent speeches. Hirt was first to the microphone: "You have to make sure your citizens are safe and that your city will survive."

Texas House Representative and Executive Director of the Dallas Peace Center Lon Burnam spoke to the need for more transparency and education distinguishing the difference between corporate rights and rights of eminent domain. Rep. Burnam also criticized Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief for making city-related decisions behind closed doors. “All we are asking for is a little open government.”

FWISD Trustee Juan Rangel and Pati Lee, President of the Summerfields Neighborhood Association, also spoke to the crowd.

Photo by Laura Seewoester

State Rep. Lon Burnam spoke in support of the moratorium.

As noon neared, many of the protesters made their way indoors to observe the workshop sessions, though public comment was not allowed. Mayor Mike Moncrief opened the meeting, explaining that the speakers to follow were there to present information to the council and the task force concerning natural gas pipelines, to be used at, one would assume, a later date.

The crowd of just over 200 remained fairly quiet throughout the presentations. With two sections of seating split down the middle, the left half of the group was composed mostly of protesters from outside. The right half was made up more of Public Relations and other representatives from Chesapeake and Devon Energy (based on overheard conversations and company paraphernalia) and others who were not a part of the earlier rally.

Pipeline Safety

The three-hour session was fairly dry in nature, though the issue of pipeline safety in an urban setting was paramount among the many slides and council/task force questions. John Pepper of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Pipeline Safety opened the presentations explaining the role his office plays in maintaining pipeline safety measures.

Mary McDaniel, an engineer with the Texas Railroad Commission since 1983, presented a slew of facts, figures, and numbers. McDaniel explained that there are 7,500 pipeline systems in Texas, making up 270,000 miles of pipeline currently in the ground. Currently, the RRC is budgeted for 25 pipeline field inspectors, with just six to cover this region that spans around 30 counties from the Oklahoma border to Waco.

Photo by Laura Seewoester

Protesters made their presence known by sitting front and center wearing those very large buttons.

While those numbers were mildly distressing to the crowd and the council, the left half of the room was shocked to learn that, depending on certain factors, the RRC allowed for a six-month to three-year window for pipeline gas leaks to be repaired. During questions, Mayor Moncrief asked McDaniel to repeat the figure, to make sure he and the rest of the room heard her right. Going into further detail, she explained that hazardous leaks, those in which the gas “migrates” or are in an urban setting, are to be fixed immediately, leaving much of the room a little confused as to what kind of gas leak was not deemed so urgent.

The next presenter, Bill Byrd, President of RCP, Inc., went through some of the basics of pipeline construction and designation. While repeated questions on the nature of gas odorization went unanswered by the first two presenters, Byrd more or less dashed the hopes of those who favor odorizing gas straight from the well. He explained that the particular pipelines that distribute natural gas to homes and other buildings are typically made of plastic with non-welded joints and fittings, increasing the risk of a leak, requiring that odorization takes place. Pipelines closer to the well, essentially all those excluding the distribution lines, are made of steel with welded joints, thus a lower risk of leak. He continued by saying that odorization at this step of the transportation process would not be useful. His explanations, though seemingly complete, didn’t exactly assuage the fears of everyone in the room.

A lawyer retained by the City of Fort Worth would follow to provide a discussion of pipeline jurisdiction in Texas.

Droppin' the Bomb

Finally, and well over the proposed end time of 2:45 p.m., two city staffers who support the Task Force presented preliminary recommendations to the council. Susan Alanis, Director of Planning and Development for the City of Fort Worth, proposed that pipeline companies consult the city first and that lines be built under city streets to lessen the number of private easements. Among other recommendations, she asked that the council pursue more timely state-led clean-up of abandoned wells and that the RRC and TXDOT confer to obtain a consistent definition of a “gas utility.”

Assistant City Attorney Susan Fullenwider then provided the anti-climax that the protesters were probably prepared for. She advised against a moratorium halting drilling leases, citing the large number of active leases currently in place, claiming that slowing the process would hurt mineral rights owners/citizens.

After several council members vocally jumped on the no-moratorium-wagon, Mayor Moncrief closed the meeting with an oddly-placed tale about dancing with a bear. According to the mayor, when dancing with a bear, you don’t ever stop first, but push on and wait for the bear to get tired. Considering the slew of criticism his office has received in the past, it’s fair to wonder who or what he actually considers to be the bear in this situation. Is the bear all the issues surrounding breaking new ground in urban drilling? Or was it perhaps those folks wearing the bright yellow buttons today?

The mayor must be confused. The only dancing bears I know of pass out pretty quickly.