On November 4, the town of Denton voted 59 to 41 to ban fracking within city limits. Two days later, Texas Railroad Commission Chairwoman Christi Craddick declared she would not abide by the ban. She claimed she could override it because Denton does not have authority over drilling in the state. Therefore, she could and would continue giving permits to oil and gas companies that wanted to frack in Denton.
Hydraulic fracturing, more commonly known as fracking, is the process of injecting chemicals and water underground to extract gas and oil from shale formations. It has a long history in Denton, which has among the most fracking sites of any town in Texas. The town’s residents have complained of air pollution, an increasing number of minor earthquakes, and noise in residential areas.
Those were some of the reasons that voters decided to ban fracking in their town. Both the oil industry and the state government objected to the vote, and the Texas Oil and Gas Association and the Texas General Land Office had both filed lawsuits by the following afternoon to prevent the ban from taking effect.
Denton is just one of many towns fighting for “local control” over fracking. These towns claim that they, and not the state, should be able to decide whether to permit unconventional oil and gas drilling in their communities. The gas and oil industry argues that only the state has that authority.