but Mark Twain says it best...
“Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting over.”
Pay attention people...YOUR future depends on it.
Read about YOUR Water in the FW Weekly. Kudos to them for bringing OUR water up again. Too bad other "news" sources aren't concerned.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY!
Tell your friends. Tell your neighbors. Tell your City Council.
Straight from the Shale, it's the Ruggiero's. And of course, Aruba Petroleum.
Kudos to Colleyville
We salute you!
To all our Veterans, thank YOU for our freedom!
YOU make the difference.
Bless you all.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Another gas drilling study...
Another failure.
We received the following email from a Fort Worth resident.
Well...if you can't trust a corrupt city council...who can you trust?
Citizens and City Council of Fort Worth, Texas
Air quality testing - Pre-Council Item 11/9/10
68% of the Sites tested have fugitive emissions. This is an unacceptable crisis in Fort Worth. The citizens have been mis-led by our city government, the state government and the gas drilling industry every step of the way.
On Thursday, November 4, 2010 there was a meeting held between the City of Fort Worth and their Air Quality Committee. The Air Quality Committee was formed to select a company to test the air quality in Fort Worth, Texas, as a result of the proliferation of gas drilling operations in the City and numerous complaints by citizens.
The purpose of this meeting was to inform the Air Quality Committee that the company they helped select to study the Air Quality in Fort Worth had only partially completed the air study. The City learned a short time ago, that ERG, the company that was hired to test air emissions, was going to complete testing and study of only 50% of the natural gas operations in Fort Worth and not the 75% that was agreed on, and for which a contract had been signed in the amount of $650,000.
The City Staff has known about this for several weeks, but only recently has the information been available to the public and the Air Quality Committee.
The City Staff recommendation is to accept this breech of contract, as in their opinion; it would provide enough information to make decisions. However, their opinion is not based on any facts or experience.
There was no other opinions or facts from outside experts sought or previous history to support that decision.
The previous City Environmental director, who now works for Chesapeake Energy, had told the Air Quality Committee the contract was a good contract and all of the testing would be done for the contract price. The company, ERG had also told the Air Quality Committee they could actually do 100% of the sites for the contract amount. The City Staff negotiated and settled for the 75% testing.
The Company, now claims there has been much more work needed to properly monitor and test the gas drilling operations. There bid was apparently based on information of previous tests from TCEQ, and probably the gas drilling companies along with information provided by the City that indicated emissions would be expected to be found at about 25 to 30% of the sites. After their testing began, much to their surprise, the emissions from natural gas operations turned out to be almost 70% and not 25 or 30 percent.
The City Staff recommendation is still to end the contract at 50% of the sites being tested and pay the $650,000 for the information. In my opinion this is a foolish option.
Think of it as penny wise, and pound-foolish.
The Company has stated that for less than an additional $110,000 they would complete the assignment and provide the results of the original 75% of the gas drilling operations.
The original contract negotiations were made without the input of the Air Quality Committee and were much different than what they understood. I wasn't there and I don't know what happened, but a thorough accurate study needs to be completed and not just a make do, or that’s good enough.
Assuming the 75% study will actually provide good information, it seems obvious that to pay the additional $110,000 for a test that results in 25% more of the sites being tested is a bargain.
One way, the $650,000 is spent and only 50% of the random sites are tested and not the 75%. That is a loss of 1 out every 3 sites being tested.
The alternative proposal is to pay an additional $110,000 and get 75% of the sites tested as was agreed on. That equates to an additional cost of about 12% over the current $650,00, but what you receive is 50% more well sites being tested. That would be 50% + 25% more, equals 75%. That is a lot of information.
There should be some negotiation that takes place about the amount perhaps. This can be a big bragging-rights for ERG in their future or it can be a bad mark.
The City owes its voters an explanation as to why the Air Quality Committee and citizens were shut out of the negotiation information and process. The City obviously did a bad job of communicating. As a matter of fact, the citizens have been mostly shut out of the entire process.
We received the following email from a Fort Worth resident.
Well...if you can't trust a corrupt city council...who can you trust?
Citizens and City Council of Fort Worth, Texas
Air quality testing - Pre-Council Item 11/9/10
68% of the Sites tested have fugitive emissions. This is an unacceptable crisis in Fort Worth. The citizens have been mis-led by our city government, the state government and the gas drilling industry every step of the way.
On Thursday, November 4, 2010 there was a meeting held between the City of Fort Worth and their Air Quality Committee. The Air Quality Committee was formed to select a company to test the air quality in Fort Worth, Texas, as a result of the proliferation of gas drilling operations in the City and numerous complaints by citizens.
The purpose of this meeting was to inform the Air Quality Committee that the company they helped select to study the Air Quality in Fort Worth had only partially completed the air study. The City learned a short time ago, that ERG, the company that was hired to test air emissions, was going to complete testing and study of only 50% of the natural gas operations in Fort Worth and not the 75% that was agreed on, and for which a contract had been signed in the amount of $650,000.
The City Staff has known about this for several weeks, but only recently has the information been available to the public and the Air Quality Committee.
The City Staff recommendation is to accept this breech of contract, as in their opinion; it would provide enough information to make decisions. However, their opinion is not based on any facts or experience.
There was no other opinions or facts from outside experts sought or previous history to support that decision.
The previous City Environmental director, who now works for Chesapeake Energy, had told the Air Quality Committee the contract was a good contract and all of the testing would be done for the contract price. The company, ERG had also told the Air Quality Committee they could actually do 100% of the sites for the contract amount. The City Staff negotiated and settled for the 75% testing.
The Company, now claims there has been much more work needed to properly monitor and test the gas drilling operations. There bid was apparently based on information of previous tests from TCEQ, and probably the gas drilling companies along with information provided by the City that indicated emissions would be expected to be found at about 25 to 30% of the sites. After their testing began, much to their surprise, the emissions from natural gas operations turned out to be almost 70% and not 25 or 30 percent.
The City Staff recommendation is still to end the contract at 50% of the sites being tested and pay the $650,000 for the information. In my opinion this is a foolish option.
Think of it as penny wise, and pound-foolish.
The Company has stated that for less than an additional $110,000 they would complete the assignment and provide the results of the original 75% of the gas drilling operations.
The original contract negotiations were made without the input of the Air Quality Committee and were much different than what they understood. I wasn't there and I don't know what happened, but a thorough accurate study needs to be completed and not just a make do, or that’s good enough.
Assuming the 75% study will actually provide good information, it seems obvious that to pay the additional $110,000 for a test that results in 25% more of the sites being tested is a bargain.
One way, the $650,000 is spent and only 50% of the random sites are tested and not the 75%. That is a loss of 1 out every 3 sites being tested.
The alternative proposal is to pay an additional $110,000 and get 75% of the sites tested as was agreed on. That equates to an additional cost of about 12% over the current $650,00, but what you receive is 50% more well sites being tested. That would be 50% + 25% more, equals 75%. That is a lot of information.
There should be some negotiation that takes place about the amount perhaps. This can be a big bragging-rights for ERG in their future or it can be a bad mark.
The City owes its voters an explanation as to why the Air Quality Committee and citizens were shut out of the negotiation information and process. The City obviously did a bad job of communicating. As a matter of fact, the citizens have been mostly shut out of the entire process.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Seeing Red in Texas
Think Texas is a red state? Check this out on TXSharon.
How much was YOUR royalty check? Save it, you'll need it to move somewhere they have clean air and water.
How much was YOUR royalty check? Save it, you'll need it to move somewhere they have clean air and water.
Cleburne Shakes again
At 10:07 last night calls started rolling in about the Cleburne earthquake.
Read about it here. Lots of shaking going on in Texas it seems. WHY?
The study said there was a plausible connection between the series of earthquakes and a disposal process that's done after natural gas drilling. The study, however, didn’t include information about the seven quakes in Cleburne.
Read about it here. Lots of shaking going on in Texas it seems. WHY?
The study said there was a plausible connection between the series of earthquakes and a disposal process that's done after natural gas drilling. The study, however, didn’t include information about the seven quakes in Cleburne.
Friday, November 5, 2010
More - Revolving Door
Read about the Railroad Commissioner election in the Fort Worth Business Press.
Then read below for what THE PEOPLE have to say.
The smooth pivot from regulators and public servants to immediate positions with an active player in the drilling and piping companies is a trend, bordering on a well-conceived system, that at least has a couple of positives for the people and taxpayers: (1) no more confusion about whose best interests these public officials really work for , and (2) tax dollars are no longer used to pay their salaries while they work for interests other than the people's, and often detrimental to the people's health, safety, environment, property, and legal rights..
However, the actions of a former FW mayor, by a director of FW's Environment Dept., by this former outspoken commissioner of the TRRC, (and by several laid off Star-Telegram writers), just to name a few, show that these folks hold high ethical values and do not want to be perceived as having conflicts of interest. Nevermind that their expressions of ethical integrity occur only after the taxpayers are no longer obligated to pay their salaries.
It is also very commendable for the gas drilling and gas pipeline companies for helping to fight unemployment and for helping to preserve these folks' self-esteem and the immense knowledge gained from serving as regulators or as people who possessed the public trust.
What Tony Soprano often said is true: You help me out, and I'll take good care of you. It's nice to take care of one/s of your own.
Then read below for what THE PEOPLE have to say.
The smooth pivot from regulators and public servants to immediate positions with an active player in the drilling and piping companies is a trend, bordering on a well-conceived system, that at least has a couple of positives for the people and taxpayers: (1) no more confusion about whose best interests these public officials really work for , and (2) tax dollars are no longer used to pay their salaries while they work for interests other than the people's, and often detrimental to the people's health, safety, environment, property, and legal rights..
However, the actions of a former FW mayor, by a director of FW's Environment Dept., by this former outspoken commissioner of the TRRC, (and by several laid off Star-Telegram writers), just to name a few, show that these folks hold high ethical values and do not want to be perceived as having conflicts of interest. Nevermind that their expressions of ethical integrity occur only after the taxpayers are no longer obligated to pay their salaries.
It is also very commendable for the gas drilling and gas pipeline companies for helping to fight unemployment and for helping to preserve these folks' self-esteem and the immense knowledge gained from serving as regulators or as people who possessed the public trust.
What Tony Soprano often said is true: You help me out, and I'll take good care of you. It's nice to take care of one/s of your own.
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