City council in Denton, Tex., rejects fracking ban, but voters will decide issue in November election

Residents of a North Texas town that has thrived during the oil and gas boom will decide in November whether or not to become the state's first city to ban hydraulic fracturing, Jim Malewitz reports for The Texas Tribune. Last month Denton residents pushed for a fracking ban, citing environmental concerns, and town leaders temporarily halted the practice while considering an ordinance to permanently ban the practice. On Tuesday the city council rejected the fracking ban by a 5-2 vote, sending the measure to the November ballot, where voters will decide the issue. (KDFW FOX 4 photo: Tuesday's Denton city council meeting)

Denton, with a population of 121,000, has more than 270 natural gas wells in the Barnett Shale gas field, Malewitz writes. But "fracking opponents forced the council’s vote after gathering nearly 2,000 signatures on a petition calling for a ban. The proposal would not prohibit drilling outright; it would apply only to fracking, which involves blasting apart rock with millions of gallons of chemical-laced water." (Read more)

Tuesday's hearing drew 500 people, with 59 registering to speak in favor of the ban and 41 against it, Mike Lee reports for EnergyWire. "Mayor Chris Watts said he expected a fight no matter what the council did, given the opposition from state officials and the oil industry." He told Lee, "This issue is going to be settled in one of two places -- the statehouse or the courthouse."

Denton Taxpayers for a Strong Economy, a group opposed to the ban, turned in 8,000 signatures on Monday, while Frack Free Denton, the group proposing the ban, collected 1,800 signatures, Lee writes. "Several state officials told the City Council a ban would amount to taking private property, opening the city up to lawsuits. In Texas, the rights of mineral owners trump those of surface owners." (Read more)