Watchdogs and Horned Frogs

Dang it! I want a replay.

The mighty TCU Horned Frog football team lost the Fiesta Bowl to Boise State last Monday causing purple tears to flow like a river in Dirty Ol' Town. But don't blame the team. They were jinxed by Mayor Moncrief and cheated by the Barnett Shale.

Mayor Mikey's dumb idea to dye the Trinity River purple in honor of the Frogs was bad enough. Any scientist could have told him that. They could have also told him that Fort Worth air is so polluted from Barnett Shale gas drilling it's a wonder the team made it to the bowl game.

But, in his defense, Mayor Mikey can't help it. He's science-challenged.

Even though he was raised on oil and gas, his income depends on oil and gas and he's the mayor of the largest city in the USA to allow urban gas drilling he was dumfounded to recently learn that natural gas drilling is dangerous to human health.

He was shocked to discover that benzene and other toxic by-products of drilling are polluting north Texas air on a massive scale (not to mention our water and land). But he claims to be very concerned about the residents and quality of life in Fort Worth. He wants more testing done, dadgumitt, and he wants the State of Texas to do it with help from the polluters.

But, sorry, no moratorium on new drilling permits, says the mayor. We can't risk getting sued by the drillers. Besides, his income depends on the drilling. (Uh-oh!)

The university itself deserves some of the credit for TCU students and players getting a daily dose of benzene. They have been cheerleading the Barnett Shale for years. Maybe that's because several alumni own one of the largest drilling companies in FW.

As a result of their influence and the lure of Dirty Dollars, TCU set up the TCU Energy Institute, basically a lobbying group for gas drillers opposed to regulation and drilling reform.

If we keep waiting for drillers to do the right thing, we will all end up like the endangered Texas Horned Lizard. Don't it make your purple heart blue?


DY


PS: After you've had a good cry, write a letter to or call TCU Chancellor, Victor Boschini and tell him how you feel about TCU's support of gas drilling.

Chancellor@tcu.edu
817-257-7783


Still mad? Tell Mayor Moncrief to stop issuing drilling permits until the industry learns how to Drill Right:

Mike.Moncrief@fortworthgov.org
817-392-6118



Don Young
FWCanDo
P.O. Box 470041
Fort Worth, TX 76147
http://www.fwcando.org
"God bless Fort Worth, Texas. Help us save some of it."