Oil and Gas Appeals Board Denies Riverwalk Wells

by Keith McLaren

6/18/08 - Tonight's Oil & Gas Appeals board meeting heard two requests for variances regarding the proposed gas wells on the property where the proposed Riverwalk project is to be built.  The full agenda contains the full detail of these requests and can be found at this link.  The first request was submitted by Red Oak Gas Operating L.P. which is the company that would be drilling the wells.  This request was for 15 variances for various items which would be required in order to put the proposed gas well in the location proposed.  The second variance was requested by FM CBD, ltd. and was a request to decrease the distance to a new public roadway.  This request was made for a future road which is on the master plan and the explanation of this request was that the developer wanted to make sure that the well would not cause conflict with the roads currently on the master plan.   The meeting started at 6:30 pm and there was a large turnout for the meeting as many Flower Mound and Bridlewood residents showed up to voice concern.  The meeting began with a presentation by the Red Oak company along with the developer and their attorney.  The showed the new proposed location and explained why they believed this location to be a better choice then the previously denied location.  They made it clear that a major factor in the choice of the new location was that this location would not need a variance for being too close to a residence since this was in their opinion a primary reason for the denial of their first application.  They then presented the data for the variances that they were requesting and showed that many of the variances for the new proposed location were closer to the required distances then the original site location. As the meeting came to it's first break it was noted that Channel 4 news had setup a news satellite truck outside of the town hall building.  It was not noted that they ran any footage, but there were numerous opportunities for interviews as many people left at the two breaks due to the length of the meeting.  In addition, some Flower Mound residents were contacted by news outlets and asked to speak about the proposed variances. After the presentations there was a period for public comment.  Those opposed to the proposed gas well came first and there were a large number of speakers.  Topics ranged from safety concerns to pollution and noise concerns.  It was clear from the clapping in the audience that that a majority of those in attendance were not in favor of the proposal.  There were also a small number of speakers in favor of the wells and their justifications tended to lean toward the alleged financial rewards and to the fact that they perceive the opposition as being uninformed.   The comment period then ended with the reading of a large number of e-mails that had been sent in to the board by those in favor of the gas well site.  Some of these e-mails mentioned that they were sent in response to information provided by the Red Oak company which drew concern by some in the audience that they were in response to a Red Oak campaign to e-mail support to the board. In the end, the board voted against all of the variances requested by Red Oak.  The votes were split in all cases with Gavin Poston, Tina Murphy & Amy Wallace voting against all proposals and Michael Walker ** voting in favor of all proposals.  Alisa Rich split here vote and voted for 9 proposed variances and against 6 of them.  A list of variances and who voted for and against them is published below. Variance* Gavin Poston Michael Walker** Alisa Rich Tina Murphy Amy Wallace Passed/Failed Flood Plain - 30 ft. N Y Y N N Failed Waters of the State - 272 ft. & 414 ft. N Y Y N N Failed Riparian Habitat - 140 ft. N Y Y N N Failed Upland Habitat - 2.19 Acres N Y Y N N Failed Public Park - 331 ft. & 312 ft. N Y Y N N Failed Property Line - 409 ft., 309 ft., 445 ft. & 312 Feet N Y N N N Failed Public Building - 779 ft. from 1st Baptist Church N Y N N N Failed Schools - 695 ft. from Applewood Learning Center N Y N N N Failed Tank from Public Building - 885 ft. from 1st Baptist N Y N N N Failed Tank from School - 827 ft. from Applewood N Y N N N Failed Public Right of Way - 390 ft. from Morriss Rd. N Y N N N Failed Tank from Public Park N Y Y N N Failed Tank from Property Line - 220 ft. N Y Y N N Failed Tank from Right of Way - 443 ft. from Morriss Rd. N Y Y N N Failed Tank from Flood Plain - 40 ft. N Y Y N N Failed   * These proposal names are abbreviated.  Please see the Meeting agenda for the full resolutions. ** Michael Walker is also a member of the Bridlewood Homeowners Association Board of Directors.

 

 

Tim Russet Passes on at 58

by Keith McLaren

When this site was conceived and we started telling folks about our goals I often said that I want this site to be the "Tim Russert" of Bridlewood.  I have watched Meet the Press for many years and Tim has always treated all viewpoints fairly while asking all sides the tough questions that need to be asked.  As a journalist he achieved a level of fairness which few others achieve and this created an environment where all were treated with dignity but all were also asked the tough questions.  Tim also did an impeccable job of hiding any of his own personal opinions so that he could be fair to both sides of all issues without being biased.  I believe that anyone whom is being honest should welcome this truthful environment and the hard questions that sometime come along with it.

So today we all mourn the loss of Tim Russert, but his legacy will clearly shape our country and the news media for years to come.  We lost this great person at only 58 years old which is a tragedy.  However, his legacy will live on and this is more then most people ask from their lives.

So I write this tribute to Tim in hopes of reminding us all that we need to be fair while asking the hard questions.  I will continue to work on this web site and I will continue to ask the hard questions of both sides.  Unfortunately this has been a hard thing to do here in Bridlewood.  Some of my hard questions have been met with by skepticism by our board of directors and I have been outright badmouthed by some people on the anti drilling side of the aisle.  Some folks that don't like my questions have told others that I work for a gas company and that I moved here as a spy.  (this has never been the case)  I have also been told that I am trying to kill babies which is a ridiculous statement since I am a father to two wonderful kids (under 3) and I gave up my career to stay at home with them.

In order to best honor Tim Russert, we will continue to emulate his fair, honest and truthful style of journalism as we continue to ask all parties questions both easy and hard.  So if you have information or thoughts on gas drilling please contact me at keith_mclaren@yahoo.com and I will do my best to publish the story with truthfulness and honesty.

 

 

Recenty in the news... Bridlewood petition circulated.  click here for the full story.