In the wake of State House Bill 40, Texas cities in the Barnett Shale region, including Denton and Fort Worth, find themselves stripped of rights to develop health and safety ordinances for subsurface oil and gas operations and subjected to a vague standard for regulations governing surface operations.
The bill was enacted in reaction to Denton’s fracking ban and other cities’ strict drilling ordinances.
The Fischer Store Bridge near Wimberley was toppled by the Blanco River floodwaters. A new report shows that the economic damage of climate change in Texas could be in the tens of billions of dollars.
Frack Free Denton lobbyied representativies in Austin earlier this year to save the fracking ban. The group continues to build coalitions to fight fracking. Courtesy of Frack Free Denton.
July 28, 2015
Since Denton’s fracking ban was given the boot in May, those keeping up with environmental news may be wondering – is the fight over?
Texas Climate News, overseen by former Houston Chronicle environmental reporter Bill Dawson, features a newly expanded format with more original coverage by staff and contributors. Above, photo of the People's Climate March in New York City in September. Courtesy of Earth Justice.
Last week, Pope Francis delivered a blunt message to the world regarding the environment in a 184-page encyclical, entitled "Laudato Si," an Italian phrase meaning "Praised Be To You" taken from a song penned by St. Francis, the patron saint of ecology.