If you have not been following what has been happening across the Barnett Shale area of our metroplex, you may not know that drilling companies have been suing town and cities across this area--trying to intimidate them to approve drilling permits.

To counter this, Representative Lon Burnham introduced a bill (HB 3792) that would give cities the right to deny drilling and pipeline permits. His bill was only one person short of getting passed through the committee.

It was rejected by  Representative Stefani Carter of Dallas. And she went a step further... She voted for HB 3105 which will make it easier for drilling companies to sue.

In Brett Shipp's report from WFAA news, Local Lawmaker Accused of Cozying Up to the Gas Industry, Stefani Carter is noted as having received funding of nearly $59,000 from the oil and gas industry toward her 2010 election campaigns.