What they didn't say...

If you saw the news on WFAA about the Texas earthquake on Labor Day weekend, you didn't see the whole story.  We know, you aren't surprised.

While WFAA made quick mention of there being a fault in the area of the quakes, they left out the part that there are 27 injection wells in the area.  And that Timpson hadn't had earthquakes until they had wells.

You can read about it here.

Read More

Let the shakedown begin.

Taking bets on if the USGS stands up for itself.  Hopefully they stand their ground, for YOU.

Read about it on Yahoo.

According to the Associated Press, a study from the U.S. Geological Survey has found a link between oil and natural gas production and a recent spike in small earthquakes in the country. The study looked at an increase in tectonic activity in the U.S. just west of Ohio and east of Utah. It found that starting in 2001 between the state lines of Colorado and New Mexico, an increase that occurred as methane production in the area occurred. Earthquake frequency spiked again since 2009, which was around the same time and in the same area as natural gas production increased.

Read More

Fort Worth showdown – Tuesday. Be There.

Don’t miss the Fort Worth City Council meeting tomorrow.  YOU can’t afford to miss it.

Read the letter in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram concerning the meeting.  

You can cross your fingers, but we wouldn’t hold your breath.

Injection wells

I wonder what the Fort Worth City Council will decide Tuesday about salt-water injection wells. I hope it's not the same decision made 12 years ago, when the council, without any research, voted to make Fort Worth the first city in America allowing urban gas drilling while requiring almost no safety regulations of well sites or restrictions on water usage or pollution controls.

Today, fracking is suspected in increasing ozone levels, contaminating ground water and causing earthquakes. Some scientists believe that injecting 3 million to 5 million gallons of water and chemicals into one well can, in some cases, crack a home's foundation. What kind of seismic activity can we expect if tens of millions of gallons of wastewater are continually pumped into these proposed wells?

That's the question Fort Worth residents should be asking the council. Maybe then this council will finally put the health and welfare of residents first and, after 12 years, have the courage to stand up to the gas industry.

-- Sharon Austry, Fort Worth

Read More