Photo: Jack Dean
Without a doubt, the best environmental news from Tuesday's election in Texas was the City of Denton voting to ban new fracking in the city. The proposition passed by roughly 17%, with 58.64% voting yes and 41.36% voting no. Predictably, however, almost immediately after the vote, pro-fracking interests moved to try to stop it in what marks the next great battle in the struggle over a city's right to protect its citizens.
While the impending legal challenges cast a shadow over the victory in Denton, grassroots groups who fought hard and overcame a well-funded opposition campaign fueled by money from outside interest groups recognized this as a significant moment.
Harrison Wicks, a volunteer with Frack Free Denton, sent us this statement on the passing of the ban:
"Last night was a momentous victory for the environment in Texas. Residents of the City of Denton voted to approve an ordinance prohibiting hydraulic fracturing within city limits, carrying almost 60% of the vote. Residents cited the protection of neighborhoods, playgrounds, and schools as well as the risk of greater health and safety hazards for their reasoning to deny hydraulic fracturing within the city. It was a community organizing effort, led by dedicated Dentonites, which made this outcome possible. This is truly an example of a community coming together to express their concerns and say with a unified voice that their health, environment, and quality of life are more important than an outside company’s bottom line.
The non-profit organizations Denton Drilling Awareness Group (Denton DAG) and Frack Free Denton led an outstanding grassroots organizing campaign to raise awareness about the problem facing the City of Denton and using facts to convey the point that hydraulic fracturing is bad news for the city. Their dedicated volunteers covered the full spectrum of residents ranging from mothers, fathers, nurses, educators, and students. The round the clock effort leading up to November 4 required extraordinary dedication and serves as a great example for other communities facing a similar challenge that success is achievable"
Indeed, other communities are watching. From an AP story on the Texas General Land Office already seeking an injunction on the Denton ban:
"Lori Glover, the co-chair of the Sierra Club in Big Bend, made a presentation to the Alpine City Council in southwest Texas in July, asking it to preemptively ban fracking. If the ban holds up in Denton, it will likely create a precedent that makes it easier to pass a similar law in Alpine, she said."
In response to the industry lawsuit, Frack Free Denton's Adam Briggle issued the following statement:
"We expected the oil and gas industry to sue the citizens of Denton after we voted to ban fracking. Unfortunately, industry has met our expectations. They have apparently learned nothing from last night’s landslide vote. They have taken no time to reflect on their own irresponsible actions that brought the people of Denton to this point. Industry could have taken this moment to address why the ban was passed. Instead they’re going to try to squash it. If justice prevails, and we think it will, they will lose."
Stay tuned for more updates.