Bartonville’s gift to Flower Mound Part II

What ever happened to prudence? Remember prudence – Prudence is the characteristic of exercising sound judgment in practical affairs.

What if:

What if Bartonville, like Flower Mound, Corinth and DISH, had exercised prudence and enacted a moratorium on new drilling permits until they could update their drilling ordinances? Then they could have annexed that 167 acres in the ETJ and it would have been protected.

As it stands, that 167 could go to Flower Mound if they decide to accept it or it could be left in the hands of the Drill, Baby, Drill Denton County.

Is anyone taking bets?

Gas site planned in relinquished area
Land released from Bartonville’s ETJ includes proposed compressor
August 24, 2010
By Lowell Brown and Candace Carlisle

Oh, and, please note: No one believes anything Kelly Swan says. Just because he says there is no disposal well planned does not mean there is no disposal well planned. Ya know how plans change when Williams is in charge of planning.

UPDATE: Cross Timbers Gazette article. Flower Mound is not thrilled and believes it is too late to stop the facility.

“By releasing this property, the Town of Bartonville has essentially paved the way for the further industrialization of southern Denton County and the development of more gas exploration, drilling, and compression facilities along both borders,” said Michael Ryan, Flower Mound Director of Community Affairs.

Ryan agrees that Bartonville should have annexed the land.

Ryan said in a press release, “Unfortunately, the failure or inability of Bartonville to annex the property in question and the subsequent release of the land created an island of unregulated and unzoned property between the two communities. As the Town of Flower Mound has no legal ability to regulate land uses or apply the current oil and gas ordinance within its ETJ, the assumption that release of the property would create a regulatory environment for the planned natural gas compression facility was both factually and legally inaccurate.”

“If the Town of Bartonville is truly concerned about the health and safety of their residents, I would suggest that they consider taking steps to protect all of their ETJ from additional industrialization by gas exploration companies before another situation like this arises,” said Ryan.

“Unfortunately it’s too late for us legally to regulate this particular project because release of the property occurred after the compression facility application was filed and consequently the facility is vested. The good news is that we would have the ability to apply our ordinances to the remaining undeveloped land, if it were within our town limits.”