Anti-fracking sentiment spreads to Texas

Texas may have seemed immune from the most vocal protests surrounding hydraulic fracturing, but that may be changing. Last week "several dozen protesters marched through downtown Fort Worth, waving signs and chanting anti-drilling slogans that reflected concern over air and water pollution," Kate Galbraith of The Texas Tribune reports for The New York Times. Fracking, which has been used for decades but only recently to access natural gas in deep shale formations, is common in Texas's Barnett Shale. (Texas Tribune photo by Stuart Palley)

"The protest, organized by the group Rising Tide North Texas, is the latest sign of a backlash against drilling in Texas," Galbraith writes. A few Texas communities have imposed moratoriums on drilling permits and yard signs saying "Get the Frack Out of Here" and "Protect Our Kids/No Drilling" have popped up in at least one community. "Dallas set up a task force last week to examine drilling regulations within its city limits," Galbraith writes.

Analysts say the new discontent in Texas is likely a result of highly publicized fracking concerns in the Marcellus Shale region of Pennsylvania and New York. Mike Slattery, the director of the Institute for Environmental Studies at Texas Christian University, also notes that lease payments by gas companies have dropped significantly in Texas since natural gas prices hit highs in 2008. Matt Pitzarella, a spokesman for drilling company Range Resources, said the industry needs to be more responsive to public concerns. "For the most part, I would view these as self-inflicted wounds," he told Galbraith. (Read more)