The Calvary is coming...to Azle

Folks living in Azle need to get caught up on Gas Drilling 101.  The meeting held by the paid politicians didn't help at all.

So in rides some of our favorite activists to the rescue.

North Central Texas Communities Alliance in partnership with Earthworks’ Oil & Gas Accountability Project and Calvin Tillman will host their own meeting in Azle, Monday January 13th @ 6:30 at the Azle Community Center.

 Be there.  YOU can't afford not to be.

More info in the FW Weekly.

“Don’t ask questions, demand answers,” Wilson said. “Learn how. Come to the Azle Community Center on Jan 13th.”

The meeting to “force our ‘regulators’ to do their jobs and protect our property and communities” begins at 6:30 p.m. on Monday at Azle Community Center, 404 W. Main St.

Well?

That is the question.  Will the Fort Worth gas drilling disposal well moratorium expire?  WHY should you care?  WHEN is the next meeting?

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram actually tells you some reasons YOU should care.

Should the natural gas drillers who have blanketed the city with wells be allowed to discard their millions of gallons of wastewater by forcing it back underground through disposal wells within Fort Worth's boundaries?

Does it matter? Probably not a whole lot, really -- unless a disposal well ends up near your home.

Then you might worry about things like how near it will be, how noisy it will be, what kind of traffic impact it will have and whether it will foul the air in your neighborhood.

Even if none are near your home, you might worry about that much water going to waste when North Texas and the rest of the state are suffering from such a terrible drought.

Or maybe earthquakes worry you. Some people say there's reason to believe these deep disposal wells might be behind increased seismic activity in North Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and other states.

They've been trucking their waste, the leftovers from the 3 million to 5 million gallons of water used on each well to fracture the deep Barnett Shale rock and free up the trapped gas, to disposal wells outside the city.

There are 10 such wells in Tarrant County and 14 in surrounding counties.

But heavy trucks tear up streets and add to local air quality problems. Trucking isn't a good long-term solution.

Now Hillwood Development, the company responsible for the 17,000-acre Alliance industrial, office, retail and residential communities, wants a disposal well for Quicksilver Resources, the company that is drilling for gas on Alliance land.

Maybe the best thing would be if the drillers would recycle or reuse at least some of the water from their wells. But that water is loaded with salt and toxic chemicals. Drilling industry representatives say they've poured a lot of time and money into developing reuse and recycling technologies but with limited success. They haven't come up with one they believe is effective and cost-efficient.

Air Quality and Your Family

Open Letter to Members:

Since our inception,  the North Central Texas Communities Alliance has been involved with encouraging the EPA to enact stronger Air Regulations for the Oil and Natural Gas Industry.  One of our very first speakers was newly appointed Region 6 Administrator Dr. Al Armendarez (February 2010) in one of  his first  public presentations in the DFW area after his appointment.

We know that Dr. Armendarez's  knowledge about natural gas  drilling in the higher density population areas  of the DFW Metroplex, the Barnett Shale, and Texas  has been a tremendous asset in moving forward these much needed safeguards.  His first priority always has been and remains the protection of the CITIZENS' health and safety.  We are grateful for  his awareness and diligent  efforts in this regard, and for the EPA's  follow through on the requests of the CITIZENS.

Please circulate this to your family, friends, colleagues  throughout Texas and beyond, and encourage them to do the same.  And then, a "thank you" email to our Region 6 EPA Administrator Dr. Al Armandarez, would also be appropriate and welcome!

Details of the proposed rule can be found at the following EPA website.  The website will contain the press release and more detailed information. http://www.epa.gov/airquality/oilandgas/actions.html

Here are some key points to remember about the announcement:

• On July 28, 2011, to meet a court-ordered deadline, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will propose a suite of highly cost-effective regulations that would reduce harmful air pollution from the oil and natural gas industry while allowing continued, responsible growth in U.S. oil and natural gas production.
• The proposals are based on proven technology and best practices that the oil and gas industry is using in some states today.  It will include the first federal air standards for wells that are hydraulically fractured, along with requirements for several other sources of pollution in the oil and gas industry that currently are not regulated at the federal level. 
• The proposals include four (4) air regulations for the oil and natural gas industry; 1) a new source performance standard for volatile organic compounds (VOC's); 2) a new source performance standard for sulfur dioxide; 3) an air toxics standard for oil and natural gas production and 4) an air toxics standard for natural gas transmission and storage. 
• The proposals would cut emissions of smog-forming VOC's , air toxics such benzene, and sulfur dioxide.

North Central Texas Communities Alliance 
Follow us at www.nctca.net, and let us know how we're doing.

North Central Texas Communities Alliance: Urgent Meeting

NOVEMBER 2010

Greetings Friends,

NCTCA has been a Partnering organization with Sierra Clubs throughout the State, and with all of the other advocate and environmental organizations represented in ACT statewide.  This hearing is an excellent opportunity for you to get the most current information on the upcoming Sunset Review Hearings and learn how the process works.  The two agencies that most directly impact and regulate the gas drilling and pipeline industry in Texas - the Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) and the TX Commission on Environmental  Quality (TCEQ) are going to be reevaluated for their performance, and how they are (or are not) serving the citizens of Texas!

At this Town Hall, you will be given 3 minutes for oral comments, and will also be able to submit your written statements. Also, there will be handouts with important facts that you should know about these agencies, and suggested changes and improvements.

Also, NCTCA is going to have SIGN-UP SHEETS at the Town Hall for persons who are interested in the possibility of riding a chartered bus to Austin for the Public Testimony Hearings for RRC & TCEQ that will take place on either Dec. 15th or 16th (date has not yet been finalized by Sunset Review Committee).

PLAN ON JOINING NCTCA this coming Thursday, Nov. 11th at 6:30 pm for our FIRST BIRTHDAY Celebration!

See our EBLAST this weekend!

North Central Texas Communities Alliance April Meeting in Southlake

Those who say it cannot be done should get out of the way of those doing it.

NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COMMUNITIES ALLIANCE 

Together we Bargain, Divided we Beg 

APRIL PUBLIC MEETING
GAS DRILLING BASICS 101

When:  Thursday, April 29, 2010 - 7pm
Where: Southlake Town Hall, Rooms C & D

1400 South Main Street - Southlake
 
YOU asked for it...... we listened! We'll have a panel of knowledgable, experienced, Community Leaders who have been involved in promoting measures to protect our HEALTH, SAFETY AND PROPERTY RIGHTS!

Whether you're a real novice at this subject of gas drilling or have had your fair share of public meetings about it, get ready to learn the most current information & the TRUTH WITHOUT the industry "slant!"

 www.nctca.net

 
As the time honored saying goes, you can be a part of the solution or continue to be a part of the problem.  Only by working together for the common good can we even begin to protect our communities from unwanted and/or unneeded industrial activities that continue to harm the air we breathe or the water needed to sustain our quality of life.

North Central Texas Communities Alliance
Esther McElfish, Pres.
Gary Hogan, V.P.
Louis McBee, Treas.

The most at risk for even low to moderate levels of Benzene are children and pregnant mothers.  If we continue to "drill baby drill" without fully knowing and understanding the risks involved, the drillers will be long gone before our citizens begin to show symptoms of exposure to Benzene and other harmful byproducts of gas drilling.

What are the health risks?

• Cancer
• Leukemia
• Neurological disorders
• Birth defects
• Emphysema 
• Citizens for a Responsible Drilling Ordinance

Look for us....in your face!

North Central Texas Communities Alliance
2320 Oakland Blvd., Ste 11 | Fort Worth | TX | 76103

Be there!