Construction of Whitehead well - Near Argyle Intermediate School

Why is there construction equipment at Old Justin Rd. and Front St.?
Construction is beginning on the Whitehead natural gas pad site. There will be 24 wells at this location. One of the concerns was traffic safety. A couple of people addressed this with the school board and town council in March.  The town council voted to approve the wells ( and the Jenkins site, 12 wells behind AIS) but said they would form a group to look at the problem. Here is what has been done...  

Representatives from Hillwood Oil and Gas Operating Company, the Union Pacific Railroad, Argyle I.S.D., the Town of Argyle, and the Argyle Police Department met at Argyle Town Hall for the initial meeting of the Hillwood/Whitehead Gas Well Safety Committee. All representatives at the meeting discussed various traffic safety issues and agreed on enforcing a number of safety standards. The safety issues centered around the ingress and egress proposed by Hillwood during the town permitting process. Hillwood will use Old Justin Rd. and 377 and line up the entrance to the site at Front Street.  The concern was with added school and train traffic this intersection could become very dangerous. The task force has addressed many issues and here are some of the results:

• UPRR(Union Pacific) will have a person on site
• Hillwood will have off duty police officers at 377 and Front St. when their trucks exceed 10 per day
• Hillwood will stage at another site to avoid overloading 377
• When material hauling begins- will have an off duty officers to assist with traffic and a flagger present
• Hillwood will have restricted times  ( 2:30 - 4:30pm) in which they can move equipment in and out 

XTO draining frac pond? Gibbons and Jeter Rd.

What is happening with the frac pond located at Gibbons and Jeter Rd?

It appears someone is draining it. Look at the salt ring.

XTO is fracking a well on Jeter Rd. not far from the pond. It looks like they are using the frac water to frac with. This is a great idea- Recycle. If this is the case I do still have one concern.

Would this be frac water leaking out of the pipe connections?

Fracking the Blessing Well- May7th,2010

Violated by the Industry

"Greed closes it’s eyes to basic human needs in it’s excessive lust to possess wealth. Wealth, at any and all costs. Drilling does not belong in a residential community or by schools or churches. It just doesn’t, plain and simple. Drilling is a dirty and dangerous business and the money made from drilling in a residential area is just as dirty and dangerous. In my very small community, I’ve personally witnessed the ugly entrails of greed in the forms of betrayal, manipulation, intimidation, regret, bribery, status and power." runnersusan

More and more people everyday are expressing similar thoughts. Many have said they feel violated. Their homes and families are being compromised for natural gas exploration. Some of said their voice has not been heard. 

One neighbor near the Jeter RD. and Blessing well site has had serious health issues that have left her in a position where she can not tolerate even the normal levels of VOC's. She sent Williams a certified letter and stated her situation. A rep from Williams came to her door and told her husband it will be okay if the Jeter Rd. site is only temporary (6 months). So somehow it is okay to compromise someone's health for six months. I do not think so.  She has tried to contact Williams on numerous occasions and they will not return her calls or respond in writing. Probably because they do not have a real answer for her. Probably because it would mean they would have to stop fracking. Maybe because the Jeter Rd. site could not exist even for a day. So in my mind, Williams chose making money over a life. 

Everyday I am hearing from people who have been hurt by the gas industry.  This is the price of urban drilling. This community needs to understand that we are paying a price much greater than any royalty we may receive. Have you been violated, mislead, betrayed or wronged in anyway by the industry? If so, please comment on this post. We want to hear from you.

EPA Director speaks to DISH

Last night, EPA Region 6 director, Al Armendariz spoke to a group of concerned citizens in Dish, TX. (Dish is 10 minutes from Argyle between Justin and Ponder. ) Dr. Armendariz expressed a genuine desire to help with the growing concerns of gas exploration in the Barnett Shale. He said "our way of life is being changed, each element is not against the law but when you put it all together it changes how we live. I have seen things that concern me." The EPA is about 10 years behind and Armendariz is quickly trying to get the organization caught up. Dr. Armendariz laid out four things the EPA is working on:

1. Develop new air toxic rules - a group could use our area as part of the study
2. Enforcement initiative - put together a staff to enforce Clean Air Act, Safe Water Act and others. Staff currently consists of 150 members, but they must cover 5 states and all industries. 
3. Understand what is going into the air - EPA, state and local governments do not understand what is going into the air. They currently rely on industry to tell them. Dr. Armendariz recently met 100 industry people and stated he wants to know what they are putting into the air. They have been given 30 days to get back to him.
4. Impacts of drinking/groundwater with fracturing  - There is a national level study looking into how safe is fracking in relation to our drinking water. 

These studies will take about 12 months before EPA will be able to act on them. Several had questions as to what do we do in the mean time.

Dish Council member William Sciscoe asked what it would take for the agency to shut down industry operations.“We need some real responsibility, but we’re not getting it,” Sciscoe said. “We’re powerless to protect the health, safety and welfare of our citizens. These people are untouchable.” Armendariz told him that it was difficult to do something immediate with toxins in the air, “unless people are going to the emergency room by the dozens,” he said, adding that was the way that Congress had limited the agency’s powers. See DentonRC story at:  Federal oversite promised for shale

This statement is very alarming. 

The EPA wants to know when there is a problem and they are working diligently for better understanding and better enforcement to protect our health and safety. Unfortunately, it takes time and the gas industry knows this and that is why they are racing to permit new wells, CCF and compressor stations.  

What can YOU, citizens of Argyle and Bartonville, do? Ask our local governments for a moratorium. We need to slow down the industry until better codes and regulations can be put in place to ensure our health and safety is not being compromised.  

Town of Bartonville Posts Gas Well Information

Look what is new on Bartonville's website.
Town of Bartonville - Gas Well Information 
Town of Bartonville - Gas Well Locations and Contacts

Bartonville has now posted contact information for all the wells in town, emergency numbers, gas ordinances, permit applications, and current submissions all on one page of their website.

Argyle - Bartonville Communities Alliance is appreciative of the efforts to inform the citizens of the Bartonville community. Thank you. 

Tonight in DISH, Tx- Visit with EPA director

EPA to Update Public on Barnett Shale Emissions Plan

WHAT: Region VI Administrator Al Armendariz will speak and answer questions at DISH Town Meeting.

WHEN: Monday, May 10, 2010, 7:00 PM CST

WHERE: DISH, Texas Town Hall,
5413 Tim Donald Road
DISH, Texas 76247

WHO: Dr. Al Armendariz, EPA Region VI Administrator

DISH, TX -- Dr. Al Armendariz will visit the tiny town of DISH on Monday, May 10, 2010, 7:00 PM, and speak at its regular town meeting. Dr. Armendariz is expected to update attendees on actions that the EPA is taking in regards to air emissions in the Barnett Shale, as well as other projects the EPA is undertaking. He will then field questions from those in attendance.

DISH is located at the epicenter of the Barnett Shale gas play and is home to a megacomplex of compressor stations, as well as pipelines, metering stations, gathering lines and gas wells. The town of DISH spent nearly 15% of its annual budget on a comprehensive air study after months of complaints to the state regulatory agencies and the compressor site operators brought the citizens no relief.

"I am reassured by Dr. Armendariz’s visit and hope that seeing what has happened here with his own eyes will generate some action." said DISH Mayor Calvin Tillman. Mayor Tillman also said that it will help the citizens of DISH to have lingering questions about water and air quality answered. Recent news that toxins are in DISH residents’ blood and urine and in their water has left even more unanswered questions for citizens throughout the Barnett Shale.

Sharon Wilson, Texas Oil and Gas Accountability Project Organizer said, “It’s time to stop studying the toxic emissions in our air and start insisting that industry prevent the emissions and protect our water by employing the best practices in Drill-Right Texas.”