Gas Well Leases Pit Parents Against Fort Worth ISD

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - The debate over gas well drilling has pitted the Fort Worth Independent School District against the parents who send their children to the district's schools. More than $2 million in royalties are at stake, but is the cost of potential health risks too high?

No gas wells are set to be placed on any school property. The drills in question would be placed away from school property lines. However, special equipment would be used to siphon natural resources out from underneath the Fort Worth schools.

School district policy prevents such gas well leases from falling within 1,200 feet of a school's property line. 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.

Clarification is what upset parents asked for at a meeting held on Tuesday to discuss the issue. The debate stems from a 90-day waiting period that was placed on two gas well leases that fall within the 1,200 feet of school property. That holding period was enacted in November.

"Take your time," said Fort Worth resident Margaret Demoss. "Don't be like me and regret some decisions that you make. 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."

At the time, school board president Ray Dickerson suggested that other similar gas well leases should also be placed on hiatus while the district studied the environmental impact and options for lowering emissions from the drills. But, despite that recommendation, 10 other leases that fall under district policy were up for a vote on Tuesday night.

"We understood that it was a delay of all of the leases for 90 days, to negotiate protections for our children," said Fort Worth resident Jason Smith.

The confused parents who filled the board meeting wondered why those wells did not fall into the same 90-day waiting period.

"It is shocking to me that so-called good neighbor, community companies like Chesapeake Energy and XTO would exert such coercive pressure on the school district to re-trade the board's decision, which was made in good faith and with the interest of the children at heart," said Fort Worth resident Deborah Rogers.