Pipeline dangers abound in Texas

WFAA / News 8

by BRETT SHIPP

The gas pipeline explosion that leveled a San Francisco suburb last month did more than kill, injure and devastate a neighborhood.

It put many North Texans on edge, leaving them wondering what condition Texas pipelines are in... and could a similar tragedy happen here?

The answer is easy. It has already happened here, many times. The better question is: Where and when will it happen again?

Full Story:
http://www.wfaa.com/news/Pipeline-dangers-abound-in-texas-105303193.html

SOUTHLAKE, TX: XTO Energy seeking city gas drilling permit

Reprinted from Star-Telegram / Southlake Journal
By Nicholas Sakelaris

Southlake's drilling ordinance will be put to the test next month with XTO Energy's application for gas wells on the Milner family ranch.

The application calls for up to 18 gas wells on the 52-acre property on Highland Street south of Texas 114 and east of White Chapel Boulevard. The initial application requests just two wells.
The Planning & Zoning Commission is scheduled to vote on the specific use permit for the proposed gas well at its Nov. 4 meeting. The City Council could follow in November or December.

This marks the first time that a gas well has come up for a city vote, so the process could be tedious, some council members have warned.

If the council approves the specific use permit, the next step would be the approval of a gas well permit, which is approved by city staff.

In response to residents' concerns, XTO Energy changed the location of the drill site so it would be more than 1,000 feet from homes on Summerplace Lane. The new application reflects the change and complies with the 1,000-foot buffer in Southlake's drilling ordinance. The two homes on the Milner property are less than 1,000 feet from the wellhead, but the owners have signed waivers consenting to the drilling.

City leaders went over the drilling application at a joint council and commission workshop Oct. 5.
One major concern: where would XTO Energy get the millions of gallons of water needed for hydraulic fracturing? The process, known as fracking, is where gas companies inject water, sand and other chemicals under high-pressure into the well bore to release the gas trapped inside the shale.

Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/10/19/2559698/xto-energy-seeking-city-gas-drilling.html#ixzz12vHgxH3S