Go Flower Mound!
Press Release:
FLOWER MOUND, TX – Red Oak Gas filed a petition in state district court on June 27 appealing the Town of Flower Mound’s Oil and Gas Board of Appeals’ denial of numerous variances requested for a proposed gas well drilling site.
The Oil and Gas Board of Appeals denied 15 gas well variances requesting reductions in minimum setback requirements submitted by Red Oak Energy Partners during a regular meeting on June 18. The petition was filed against the Town of Flower Mound and the Oil and Gas Board of Appeals. Individual Town Council and Oil and Gas Board of Appeal members were not named in the petition.
“The Town Council has consistently been supportive of Flower Mound’s current oil and gas well drilling ordinance, which attempts to balance the rights of mineral owners and the health, safety and welfare of the community,” said Mayor Jody A. Smith. “We will consider all of our legal options and respond accordingly.”
Flower Mound has until July 21 to file a response to the petition with the District Court. Legal options will be considered by the Town Council in Executive Session during the July 17 regular meeting. The District Court is empowered to affirm, reverse, or modify the decision of the Board of Appeals. The District Court’s ruling can be appealed by either party to the Court of Appeals in Fort Worth and ultimately may be heard by the Texas Supreme Court.
About Sharon Wilson
Sharon Wilson is considered a leading citizen expert on the impacts of shale oil and gas extraction. She is the go-to person whether it’s top EPA officials from D.C., national and international news networks, or residents facing the shock of eminent domain and the devastating environmental effects of natural gas development in their backyards.
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Yes, we here in Flower Mound are having our ordinance challenged. Just some info that might be interesting. Our ordinance was proposed by a stakeholders group. It consisted of members of the Oil and Gas industry and residents. The problem is, the residents have all signed leases. The only two not to resigned because they were harassed by the other members. Then our town council approved it. Now people from the oil and gas industry are unhappy. They made the recommendations in the first place. This property needed 15 variances. Not 1 or 2 but 15! This will not be an easy fight. All support will be welcomed.
Red Oak Energy has not challenged the Flower Mound ordinance. They are appealing the Oil and Gas Board of Appeals denial of the variance requests. When the current ordinance had public hearings for citizen review and comment there was little to no input. Now goofballs are attepting to spread fear by making it sound like big oil and gas companies were involved in passing the ordinance and the current elected officals are somehow personally benefiting from gas drilling within the city limits. Of course most of the goofballs won’t give any details, they dream up a story or hear somthing from Mrs. Kravitz [fictional character from Bewitched 64-72] and then spread it to other goofballs that are hungry to belive. Then they continue to vomit bad information.
Calling people who are concerned about urban drilling goofballs doesn’t play well on this blog.
Appealing the O & G Board denial of the variances is challenging the ordinance. By the way, I read the stakeholders recommendations over and over again and all the minutes from the meetings where there were citizens speaking against it. The town approved it because back then the gas companies were throwing out threats of law suits. I was even at some of the meetings. So don't tell me there was little input. I have done a lot of research and spoke with gas company officials (two of them who said, off the record of course, they wouldn't want a gas well anywhere near their house) and environmental engineers. I would trust their opinion over yours anyday. Your name calling and sarcastic remarks just prove how unethical those who are for gas drilling are.