We Were There (**Updated with the MIPA Hearing Video**)

Railroad Commission of Texas  
Monday morning. January 30, 2012. Austin, Texas. 
9:00 AM

William B. Travis Building in Austin, Texas.

We met Commissioner Smitherman, Examiner Doherty and didn't realize Commissioner Porter was in the auditorium. But after all the speakers completed their "informal" comments, Examiner Doherty (presiding from the dais) asked if anyone else wanted to speak. 

Commissioner Porter then rose up, said something we couldn't hear and slowly made his way to the microphone. That must be what made this a an "Informal "Hearing"  for "Informal Comments" (**See the Hearing Notice below**) because up to that point, there was truly nothing "Informal" about any of it. 

Railroad Commission Chair, Elizabeth Ames Jones, was not present. We recently learned that she is running for a State Senate seat from San Antonio, TX.   We know that must take a lot of her time.  But we're not sure why, since we thought she should be a shoe-in. Maybe she should speak to Rick Perry about those shoes. 

{Oops}

After the close of the hearing, both Commissioners Porter and Smitherman introduced themselves to our groups and were very cordial.  During the hearing, they were very attentive to our comments about the Mineral Interest Pooling Act (MIPA), too. You could have heard a pin drop. We brought our own perspectives and research on all of it.  And we had a lot to share. 

Flower Mound, Fort Worth, Grand Prairie and Wise County were all represented by a speaker or two. Representative Lon Burnam (Fort Worth) presented over 400 petitions from citizens of the Barnett Shale who have concerns about changes to MIPA and how rule making needs to protect "citizens" who don't choose to enter into a business relationship with shale gas operators.

Interesting that the room was certainly filled with many people taking notes ~ but not speaking. We suppose these were the industry people.   But we can't be sure about that.  We just wish they would have all said something instead of leaving it up to the numerous membership organizations speaking on their behalf. That would have meant we could have spent another full day in Austin. And then we could have met more of the nice people at the Railroad Commission who have been so helpful during our Rule 37 discussions over the past year. 

We so wanted to visit the mail room where one of our recent Fed Ex packages was left unopened for a full day!  We were told that the mailman was laid off.  But sadly, we needed to get back to the Barnett Shale so there was no time to make that particular visit. Maybe next time.

Overall, we really enjoyed our time at the William B. Travis Building. It was nice to finally have the opportunity to speak to the commissioners who have been making all the decisions about the property takings in the Barnett Shale. And be in the halls of the very building where so many Rule 37 Spacing Exception Hearings have been heard.

We look forward to more visits to the Railroad Commission of Texas in the near future.  That is, unless they take up the offer and decide to visit us in our Barnett Shale.  We would be truly honored by that.  Then they could meet so many more Citizens of the Shale who also have a lot to share with them. 

**Update**

In case you missed it, here's the link to the January 30, 2012 Hearing Notice:

Link

Here's the link to get to the Video of the January 30, 2012 Hearing (Featuring many citizens of the Barnett Shale). You'll need RealPlayer:

Link

Earth to WFAA: It's NOT Salt Water

Another Fracking Disaster

Link to the Story on WFAA

"Containment is enforced by the Texas Railroad Commission. It says all sites are required to have secondary system, in case storage tanks leak. Laws say rainwater runoff is only a problem if the water contains elevated chlorides. That would prove contact with oil and gas waste.

The Railroad Commission didn't say if it tested the water from this site.

The company did not return calls from News 8, but a manager at the site showed us how standing rainwater was pumped into those same haulers. Once collected, it was then dropped into the trough with the fracking waste.

The manager said there was never a breach in the earthen wall, but from Dunlap's property and inside the wall, one can clearly identify new gravel filling a gap in mud and grass.

Dunlap has hired a private lab to test water samples on her property.

"We know that creek goes into Joe Pool Lake, which is one of the main water sources for North Texas," she said. "I know I would not want to have that lake contaminated."

See BlueDaze's story here.

Joe?

“I feel like they’re a bunch of snakes,” Watson said. “I’m 72 and I don’t have grandchildren, but there are all kinds of kids that play up and down our street here, and if Magnablend moves out here, I fear for the safety of the kids. Please pray for us, and pray for the truth to come out.”

~ Carl Watson, January 23, 2012 Waxahachie, Texas

Magnablend (Fracking) Chemical Fire, October 3, 2011

Click here to read all about what's going on with our neighbors in Waxahachie, Texas.  Many don't want a fracking factory near them.  Especially since the other one blew up. Do you blame them?

Check out Ellis RTK on Facebook for the latest news about the Magnablend debacle.

Oh, and Joe? Well, Congressman Joe Barton is said to have told citizens that this is not a "federal" issue so he won't be involved, thank you very much.

Oh, no. "Say it isn't so, Joe!!!"  

So Sorry. 

Based on everything above and everything else 

we know:

"Your Party's Over. 

Cry If You Want To."

The Power of the Whistleblower

The Story.

"The Problem with the fracking is all the unknowns."

 ~ The Whistleblower

Interesting development today.  Chesapeake will just back away from all of it, for now. What a great idea.

Another Catastrophic Pipeline Explosion

The story about last night's Kentucky pipeline explosion is here.

As of 10:00 p.m. Monday, the fire from a gas pipeline explosion has finally started to die down.

The explosion happened Monday evening at a horse farm in the 8000 block of Winchester Road in northern Estill county.

Officials tell NEWSFIRST at the fire's peak, flames shot between 1,000 and 1,500 feet into the air. Callers to the NEWSFIRST newsroom reported seeing the glow as far away as Lexington, Cynthiana, Fleming county and Mount Olivet.

The Red Cross say 30 homes were evacuated from the blast area. The Red Cross has opened a shelter at Estill Springs Middle School. Anyone in need of a place to stay should proceed to the school before 11:00 p.m. They can also call the Bluegrass Chapter of the American Red Cross at 859-253-1331.

Officials say no one was hurt in the explosion. They also say no structures were ever threatened by the fire. No property damage has been reported.

Officials with Columbia Gas are on the scene. There's no word, right now, on what caused the explosion.

Thank you, TXSharon, for the story on Bluedaze. In light of the Grand Prairie, TX City Council vote this evening...it's just one more reason for our concern about DFW Midstream's gas gathering pipelines going in so close to our neighborhoods.

Link to Grand Prairie, TX City Council Agenda and Details (See Item 17, Page 3) ~ Wait for the file to open...it may be slow.

We are reminded of the the June 7, 2010 North Texas Pipeline Explosion: