Smokey Joe's Back and He Won! **Update**

**Update** ~ Just a reminder of another Congressman Joe Barton "moment" earlier this year. He must be choosing his battles.

Click Here for that quick reminder.

**This just in...Dr. Al Armendariz Resigned Today.**

We were wondering why Congressman Joe Barton has been so quiet since the feeding frenzy began. But now we find this 7-Pages of correspondence sent to Dr. Armendariz from Joe Barton this past Friday (April 27, 2012)...and we see that Congressman Barton is front and center with all the hoopla.


Page 1

Page 2

Flashback ~ This is what our Texas Congressman, Joe Barton, said in 2009:

"CO2 is odorless, colorless, tasteless – it’s not a threat to human health in terms of being exposed to it. We create it as we talk back and forth. So, and if you go beyond that, on a net basis, there’s ample evidence that [global] warming generically — however it is caused — is a net benefit to mankind." [emphasis added]

Let's remember that.

Okay. So, now why don't we watch and remember another classic Joe Barton moment ~ the apology to BP's Tony Hayward in June of 2010:

Joe says he doesn't like "shakedowns" or "slush funds." Let's remember that, too.

Click Here to read the CBS News Story About Congressman Barton's Outrageous Apology to BP.

Here's an important excerpt from that story:

Rep. Jeff Miller, a Florida Republican, has called for Barton to resign as the ranking Republican on the committee, Politico reports.

"I condemn Mr. Barton's statement," Miller said. "Mr. Barton's remarks are out of touch with this tragedy and I feel his comments call into question his judgment and ability to serve in a leadership on the Energy and Commerce Committee."

According to the Associated Press, Barton has taken more than $100,000 in political contributions from oil and gas interests since the beginning of 2009 [slush fund?], more than all but one other member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. [emphasis added]

Whew! Why don't we just pause for a quick Looney Tune?

So, now, at this very moment, please write or call  Lisa Jackson, Administrator of the EPA, TODAY.   
Click Here.

Email: jackson.lisap@epa.gov

Here's an example of an e-mail that you may wish to use or add your own thoughts to it as well:

Dear Ms. Jackson,

The current Region 6 EPA Administrator, Dr. Al Armendariz, has been working diligently for those of us in Region 6 since 2009. As you know, the Gas and Oil politicians are using a video (taken out of context from a very serious situation, by the way) to smear and diminish the work of the EPA in Texas. These politicians are NOT advocating for We, the People. In fact, based on what we have learned, they are more likely working for They, The Oil and Gas Industry.

Many individuals and families are suffering because of the lack of adequate regulation of the shale gas industry in the Barnett Shale, the Haynesville Shale and the Eagle Ford Shale.  This build-out of drilling operations so close to where people live and breathe has created problems for so many of our communities.  We believe that Dr. Armendariz is uniquely qualified to head up Region 6 of the EPA. We know that he cares about the health effects many are experiencing now, and will, more than likely, experience in the future.

Thank you, Ms. Jackson. Please continue to employ Dr. Armendariz as Region 6 EPA Administrator no matter what congressional politicians like Rep. Joe Barton or Senator James Inhofe say or do with this "shakedown."

Respectfully,

[Your Name, City and Phone #]

Stay tuned to this developing story...(and be sure to write that letter.) Thank you! Update: Dr. Armendariz Resigned Today (April 30, 2012).  Joe Wins.

Environmental Protection for Texas the Inhofe Way **Update**

We Welcome Senator James Inhofe to the Westchester Gasette.

_______________

**Update, April 29, 2012** Well, we almost missed this, but now it appears that our very own Texas Congressman Joe Barton is signing on to this feeding frenzy. Click Here to See the 7-Page Letter with Congressman Barton's signature Front and Center. Oh, and there's more. Stay tuned. OK. Click here for the rest of the story.
________________

Now wait just a minute, Senator Inhofe.  What did Dr. Armendariz really say?

So, just in case you've been busy...here's the deal. There is a certain story (introduced by Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma on the Senate Floor this past week) that our very own EPA Region 6 Administrator, Dr. Al Armendariz, wants to "crucify" the oil and gas industry.  Holy Cow!

Of course, when we heard this, a couple of days ago, we were shocked beyond words.  I mean, who wouldn't be?  But then, taking a step back from a feeding frenzy sometimes helps us see things in an entirely different way. And definitely not the way Oklahoma sees it. Lord have mercy for they know not what they do. 

In the Senate floor speech (here) Senator Inhofe apparently believes that Dr. Armendariz is promoting the "crucifixion" of the oil and gas industry. Wow. That's some power. However, we believe that Dr. Armendariz was simply offering what's called an "analogy" during a discussion with the citizens of this small North Texas community, when he said:

 
"You make examples of people who are NOT complying with the law..."

Keep in mind, that the video in question was taped when Dr. Armendariz travelled to Dish, TX in the Spring of 2010 to meet with the Mayor of Dish ~ Mayor Calvin Tillman ~ and his community.  His community was worried, stressed and concerned about safety and health effects from the 11 Shale Gas Compressor Stations that had recently landed in his very small town in Denton County, TX. 

So, with ALL of that background about Dish, TX in mind, watch and listen carefully as Dr. Al Armendariz speaks to and answers questions from the worried citizens of Dish, TX on a Spring night in 2010.

Just recently, Mayor Calvin Tillman discussed the actual chemical studies conducted in Dish, TX (February, 2012)

Fox News Reporter Greta Van Susteren does her level best to explain it to Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe ~  who apparently won't accept that he may have gone overboard on the Senate Floor:

By the way, Mayor Tillman eventually left his town behind. 

Link to the Story

Clearly, Senator Inhofe has no idea what has happened to Dish, Texas. And why Dr. Armendariz was there in the first place. 

People in Dish, Texas were simply asking for help and protection. And no one in our state (Texas) was helping.

Now watch Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe on the Floor of the Senate, Wednesday, April 25, 2012. Goodness Gracious. Who Crucified Whom?

This is your U.S. Congress "Protecting" Us from Harm. Oh, and they want to have a hearing, too.
God. Help. Us. Please. Write to Lisa Jackson, Now.

Laura Bush Launches "Taking Care of Texas"

Former First Lady Laura Bush was a Featured Speaker during the weekend's Earth Day festivities.

From all appearances, Mrs. Bush is Fired Up! and Ready to Take Care of our Texas Land! And not a moment too soon!!

Upon further inspection, we certainly don't see anything on the new "Taking Care of Texas" web site that speaks to taking care of shale gas drilling and fracking.

Maybe a nice tour of the old Barnett Shale will provide additional inspiration for Mrs. Bush as she prepares for her 2013 Conference in Fort Worth, Texas.

Taking Care of Texas will highlight exemplary conservation practices and projects at its 2013 conference in Fort Worth, Texas. This will expand and build support and partnership for current efforts and catalyze new efforts that will take care of our state’s land, water, wildlife, and communities. Business leaders, land managers, conservation groups, educators, and other interested citizens will attend the conference. [emphasis added.]

Oh, "Taking Care of Texas" says they Can Do Conservation! Wow. Where have we heard that before? We here at the Westchester Gasette certainly know about Fort Worth Can Do ~ which stands for Fort Worth Citizens Against Neighborhood Drilling Ordinance.

We wish "All the Best" for Mrs. Bush's new project. We hope her project will take a real good look at "conserving" the Mountain Creek area of Southwest Dallas, too. We're concerned that someone she knows has his sites sights set on it. And it doesn't appear to be a conservation effort, either.

Here's the kind of FRAC Job we can expect out in the Mountain Creek area on some of our beautiful Texas land:

And then there's this fracking disaster not far from Dallas:

Of course, now we know,"It Ain't Just Steam." in southeast Arlington, Texas.

Take care, y'all.

The Mineral Deed

In recent years, DR Horton (America's Builder) has been holding on to the minerals and groundwater when they sell homes in their subdivisions.

DR Horton Development. Clark Road. Dallas/Duncanville, TX.

Click here to see all the DR Horton "projects" in the area.

Texas Sharon writes a stunner today on BlueDaze: 

"Amid fracking fears, lenders refuse to fund DR Horton homes."

So, now, in the beautiful Mountain Creek area of southwestern Dallas County, TX ~ a certain kind of property transaction occurred in mid-February 2012:

Mineral Deed ~ DR Horton to DRH Energy*

*Not to be confused with a Gas and/or Oil Lease

Scroll down to Exhibit A in the above mineral deed to see the general location of the property being deeded.

Clark Ridge No. 2 Homes ~ 7002 Mesa Drive, Dallas, TX

Map of the DR Horton Clark Ridge No. 2 Housing Development as described in Exhibit A

Click here and go to the last page of that Mineral Deed to see
Item #5.

Kind of Important Question: So, why are George H.W. Bush's ancestors discussed in a DR Horton Mineral Deed??!!

Oh, they were thumpin' for shale gas just last year out that way...

The End.

Dateline: Fort Worth, TX **UPDATE: Shocking Development**

If it's not one BIG Monster earthquake waiting to happen, what is it?

USGS Says Fracking/Drilling Causes Earthquakes

God Help Fort Worth, TX. Please.

Apparently they're going to vote to "ban" disposal wells in Fort Worth City Limits forever during tonight's City Council Meeting.

Click here to read the story in yesterday's (April 9, 2012) Fort Worth Star Telegram.

Banning disposal wells means some other community or farmer or rancher will continue to receive Fort Worth's toxic waste. It's truly one big fracking mess.

Amen.

***************************

**Update** 

Holy Cow! So, the Fort Worth City Council votes Unanimously to BAN all "waste" water injection wells in the City Limits but then immediately holds a Public Hearing on fracking under the Martin Luther King Rec Community Center. It passed Unanimously, too.

So, they want MORE waste? More Toxic Waste to continue to contaminate North Texas communities via injection wells elsewhere?

This is very, very sad for all of us, Fort Worth.  Thanks so much. 

 ************************************

We apologize for this Update. Now, back to your regular programming.

Does Oprah Know?

Transcendental Meditation's Popularity Surges After Oprah's Recent TV Show

[Clint Eastwood] “I’ve been using it for almost 40 years now. I think that it’s a great tool for anyone to have.”

Frac Job, Argyle, TX ~ March 11, 2011

Help. Please.

Overcoming the Maharishi Development Fund *Update*

P.A. Watson Cemetery (also known as the West Fork Cemetery) 
*Update* (February 10, 2015) We had to fix the link above since it was apparently taken down by the City of Arlington.  We added a new one. If you click on the new one (above) the discussion is about a monument erected
honoring Confederate Veterans  who served during the Civil War.

Drilling and fracking so near this historical cemetery shows such disrespect for our past.  AMEN.

Dateline Arlington, TX:  We have seen it many times before. A church or another business entity owns a fairly large piece of undeveloped land inside City Limits. A shale gas operator finds it, makes a deal and...before we know it, everything is ready to go through the approval stages. The City does a little tap dance and all vote in unison for approval.  Cities all across the Barnett Shale revere their shale gas deals.

And as we so often find in shale gasland...there can be many unknown potholes on the road to that promised land.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Dallas Business Journal, May 8, 2000

The Colony -- An investment group established by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a meditation guru who once inspired the Beatles, is apparently hoping that a mixed-use development in The Colony will hasten its plan to establish "heaven on earth."

[...]

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is credited with bringing transcendental meditation, or "TM," to the world in the 1960s. Transcendental meditation is a meditative technique in which a "mantra" is chanted that aims to nourish creativity and well-being. Today the yogi is said to have 4 million worldwide followers, a global network of meditation centers and universities, his own 24-hour TV channel in Holland and the Maharishi Global Development Fund, which is based in New York City. [emphasis added]

The Marharishi's Empty Hotel, March 12, 2009

The clock is finally ticking for Hartford's 1960s-era Clarion Hotel, the 12-story eyesore in spooling white concrete worthy of an Eastern Bloc nation that sits in the way of hoped-for redevelopment of Constitution Plaza downtown.

[...]

Instead, exactly nothing happened for the past 15 years, resulting in the haggard, water-damaged wreck that today sits astride Kinsley Street on Columbus Boulevard. Hartford City Assessor Larry LaBarbera recently toured the inside of the building, with flashlights since there's no electricity, and describes it as "totally devastated."

In 2003, the MGDF abandoned plans to build a mixed-use development on about 300 acres in The Colony, Texas, that would have included the world's tallest skyscraper, according to the Dallas Morning News.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road (keep going)

Theme Park Proposed for The Colony, TX, November 7, 2011

THE COLONY (CBSDFW.COM) - A theme park in The Colony? It could happen.

The city council agenda for Tuesday night’s meeting lists a proposal for a “1.5 billion dollar” development for “a theme park, hotel, convention center, stores, concessions, restaurants and park facilities.”

[...]

Years ago, the Maharishi Global Development Fund wanted to build a 1,600 foot tower on the land.

That skyscraper project never happened, and neither did a separate mixed-use development the group later proposed for the same location. The land is empty now.[emphasis added.]

The video starts after the ad ~ wait about 28 seconds:

Link to the DFW Channel 11 Video, November 7, 2011

We're Almost There

Budget Inn Suites in Grand Prairie, TX: Just a Few Feet from Proposed "Maharishi Pad Site"

Click Here to View the Arlington, TX City Council Agenda Details for the April 3, 2012 City Council Meeting (It's a very big file so be patient. Go to Pages 228 - 256 for the Marharishi Drill Site Agenda Details.) (New format created later for these files, apparently.)

(Pages 229-230)

On March 16, 2012, the Community Development and Planning Department received a letter opposing the zoning case. As the owner’s signature represents only 7.9 percent of the land area within 200 feet of the subject site, approval of this case will not require super majority vote of the City Council.

REQUEST

The applicant requests approval of a Specific Use Permit (SUP) for gas drilling on a 5.035-acre tract of land zoned Entertainment District-Industrial Manufacturing (ED-IM). The property is addressed at 601 Avenue H East; generally located north of Avenue H East and east of State Highway 360.

ANALYSIS

The subject site is currently undeveloped with frontage on Avenue H East. The City of Grand Prairie borders the north of the subject site, while there is undeveloped land to the east, office and *cemetery uses to the south, and office and gasoline retail uses to the west. The operator plans to drill 14 to 37 wells on the site. However, due to the fluctuating demand of natural gas and market prices, the applicant does not have an estimated timeframe of when drilling activities will be complete.

[...]

(Page 231)

Pipeline Route

The applicant has identified a proposed pipeline from DFW Midstream that will serve the site. The line is an eight-inch Maharishi lateral that will connect to the future Great Southwest Parkway 16-inch lateral.

Warranty Deed, March 29, 2002 for the Avenue H and Highway 360 Land in Arlington, TX

Enough already. Maharishi Global Development Fund is a non-profit organization with assets of $122,580,646 at the end of 2010.

Non-Profit? Really??

*Watson/West Fork Cemetery, Arlington, TX and Historical Landmark