Frank E Asked Me About My New Chesapeake Energy Neighbor

I am almost 100% certain that I have mentioned, at least once, that Chesapeake Energy is drilling another Gas Well in my neighborhood. I believe I blogged a few pictures, as well.

Just a second, I'll find the blogging in question.

Found it, from July 24, 2011, titled Chesapeake Energy Wants To Poke Another Hole In My Neighborhood.

This morning Frank E made a blog comment regarding my neighborhood Chesapeake operation...

Frank E has left a new comment on your post "The Confederacy Of Dunces Wants To Know Why The Yard Waterers Of Tarrant County Are Wasting Water That Could Go To Gas Well Fracking ":

Hey Durango, have you been made aware of the sneaky plan by CHK and the city to turn that former Walmart land right near your abode into another heavy industrial drilling site? Yep, it's the one right across the street from the Chinese buffet and Albertson's.....and right next to a large apartment complex, full of people and children which the city's Ordinance classifies as a public-use and thus requires a minimum setback distance of 600 feet. But CHK and its servants the public officials seem to think that people who rent are third-class citizens, deserving little to no protection or input to such a hazardous plan. Maybe, the people in this city is like the proverbial frog-in-the-slow boiling pot of water when it comes to this crazy gas drilling+fracking+pipelining+profiteering enterprise...of the backs, and lungs, of regular people.

Yes, Frank E., I have been aware of this Chesapeake sneakiness. I walked over to the sneakiness this morning to take some new pictures. The picture at the top is a sign announcing in rather convoluted English that "A Gas Well Permit within 600 feet of a Protected Use by Protected Use Waiver to drill for gas has been requested by Chesapeake Operating, Inc."

Now, here is where it gets a little weird. At the top is the Chesapeake sign from today. The sign on the left is what Chesapeake had installed on the site on July 24. On the July 24 sign it says "A Gas Well Permit to drill for gas within 600 feet of a Protected Use has been requested by Chesapeake Operating, Inc. A public hearing is scheduled at City Council Chambers - 1000 Throckmorton Street, Fort Worth, TX on August 6."

Okay, why does today's sign repeat that a waiver has been requested? The project seems to be well underway. I know a resident of the nearby apartment complex was gathering signatures on a petition objecting to this close by drilling operation. Did that petition get presented at the public hearing?

Let's look at some pictures I took this morning of this close to the public Chesapeake Energy gas drilling operation...

Above I am standing at the northeast corner of the Super Bowl Buffet that Frank E references. Albertsons is to my left. Across the street is the Chesapeake Operating Inc. Operation.

Above I am still standing on the Super Bowl Buffet parking lot, looking north across Boca Raton Boulevard at the Chesapeake Energy Operation. At the north end of the drill pad site you see a building. That building is the offices for a big self storage complex. Someone lives, full-time in that office. Thus living well inside the supposed minimum 600 foot setback.

Above I am looking northwest from the north side of Boca Raton, up against Chesapeake's chain link fence that surrounds their operation. This picture gives you a good idea of how close these apartments are to this operation. The last time Chesapeake drilled near these apartments, on the west side, it was so disturbing to the peace and quiet that some residents moved.

I don't understand why the setback rules are so easily ignored, particularly when you are talking about a setback from a densely populated location.

Like I've already said, if, as the sign indicates, a "Protected Use Waiver Has Been Requested", with no mention made of the waiver having been granted, then why is this gas well operation well underway?

It is all very perplexing. And thank you, Frank E, for asking me about it.

Residents Gassed During Last Night's Storm In Southeast Arlington Texas

I got a surprising "URGENT" email message a few minutes ago. I did not know we had a Chesapeake Energy natural gas drilling site incident last night......

Jane Lynn has asked me to contact the media (she has no electricity) about last night's events at this site so that they will be present to over this story tomorrow night when council will be in the hot seat while deciding to permit another six wells tomorrow night at this site.  Anybody else reading this that can attend this meeting is urged to ask council NOT to permit anymore wells until we have a handle on how to prevent such releases in close proximity to people.

She called me this morning to tell me that she was treated by 911. Around 2 am last night, during the storm with lighting and winds, there was this transformer sound just prior to losing electricity. After opening her windows, an extremely loud "rocketship/high compression sound" was heard.  911 was already aware of the problem and said Chesapeake was in route to the Fulson site.  The husband drove by the site and confirmed that gas was escaping. He described the smell as the innertube smell from a bicycle. 

Raw, unprocessed, natural gas contains benzene (a known carcinogen). Fumes from the uncontrolled site quickly filled her home by the time she ran to close all the windows. 

Limiting the public's exposure to drilling (storm/wildfire/human) accidents is within our city council's control by enforcing adequate setback, however, Jane Lynn lives at least two blocks north of the site and suffered dizziness and heart pounding. 

Paramedics arrived and tried to calm her (assessing that she was having a panic attack). The paramedic commented that this was a highly regulated industry and that west Texas always has that "smell" and that she was "safe".  Someone needs to tell the uninformed paramedic that this is mostly a self regulated industry (TCEQ's Permit By Rule) and that toxic BTEX is present in those raw gases.

After the paramedics left, she had uncontrolled coughing. This morning she tells me she is suffering with heart palpitations and is missing work from the trauma of the exposure.

Based on the details I've gathered, the proposed one mile setback from schools by the Ft Worth League of Neighborhood to FISD should also be applied to drilling in all businesses and neighborhoods in urban AND rural areas.  Certainly 600 feet is not adequate and council has been allowing variances even to that distance!

1. Our fire departments need to be equipped with suma canisters. Spectrometers so can take air samples upon dispatch so we do not have to wait up to 12 hours later when TCEQ arrives. 
2. Our paramedics should have the opportunity to draw blood and or urine when they respond to drilling effluent exposures to test for BTEX exposure.
3. Our city should have a gas drilling official on duty on weekends and in the middle of the night to receive calls from citizens needing to report events.

The public needs to have a way to know what their exposure has been after one of these "incidents" so that they and our city council members can make informed decisions about living/permitting drilling in our towns.

How ironic that yesterday Jane Lynn spoke with a neighbor suffering unexplained health issues since this site has come into their neighborhood.

This is only one of many neighbors that are having health (heart/nosebleeds) and evacuation issues.  A 70 year old woman goes to Walmart and walks around for the day when there is activity/fumes coming off that site...FYI.

Living in fear and with the unknown here in the Barnett Shale is what the Arlington TX experience has become for many.