The Texas town bans Oil Fracking

Hydraulic Fracking (“Fracking”) is the newest technology used in drilling for oil and gas stored deep in the earth. While it has allowed for the oil and gas industry to drill in areas that once were deemed “dried up”, it has also drawn significant criticism from various parties who say that fracking causes groundwater and other contamination, as well as other parties who have claimed that fracking has resulted in a significant increase in noise and traffic. While Oil and Gas companies have refuted all claims that fracking causes pollution and other contaminates, this has not stopped the people from wanting the drilling out of their backyard.

Denton, Texas is where fracking first began, has now banned fracking from the town altogether. While Oil and Gas trade groups and even the head of the railroad commission (the entity in charge of regulating the oil and gas industry in Texas) have stated that they believe that the provision should be thrown out, one of the parties that joined a lawsuit fighting against Fracking in Denton is Exxon Mobil’s very own CEO, Rex Tillerson. Like any operation which causes pollution or other disturbances, no one wants those operations in their own backyard, despite their background.

Other cities across the United States have proposed similar bans on fracking, and it is yet to be seen the overall effect such bans may have. These proposed bans are not expected, however, to have any meaningful effect on the overall output of crude oil in the United States.

The issues surrounding these bans are often supported by the owners of mineral rights within the towns where the oil and gas companies are drilling. Mineral Right owners are concerned because groundwater and other contamination has the effect of destroying the use of the land for future generations, and it can be very expensive or impossible to restore the land to its original condition. Mineral Right owners may often recover remediation costs when an operator causes pollution on their land or groundwater, however the viability of such claims often depend on the mineral lease contracts.

If you or someone you know has had their land or groundwater polluted by an oil and gas company, call the law offices of Zar Law, PLLC today to see if you have a claim at (713) 333-5533.