FWISD Says No To Property Gas Drilling
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM/AP) - Fort Worth school board members have rejected $2.5 million in bids to drill for natural gas on district property.
The vote Tuesday night was 5-4 against the leases.
Last month the board placed a 90-day waiting period on two gas leases. Many Fort Worth residents were under the impression the waiting period would also apply to any new leases.
Parents and residents flooded the school board meeting to debate the leases. Thinking the 90-day waiting period was in effect, the public was upset when 10 new gas leases suddenly appeared on the Tuesday night agenda for final approval.
Some critics, raising safety and environmental concerns, cited an incident Monday in Fort Worth in which vapor was released from a natural gas well. Nobody was hurt, but emergency personnel responded and traffic had to be rerouted.
Gas company representatives say they abide by safety standards set by regulators.
No gas wells were set to be placed on any school property. The Fort Worth Independent School District has a policy against contracts with gas companies if the well site is within 1,200 feet of district property. But the City of Fort Worth can overrule the school district because a city ordinance requires only a 600 foot buffer, and city law trumps school district policy.
"You have the opportunity to negotiate out of strength and out of the moral compass that points to what is best for the health and safety of the children," Fort Worth resident Margaret Demoss told school board officials.
The public hearing concerning the issue lasted nearly three hours.
Chesepeake and XTO representatives left the meeting without commenting.
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