City Planning Commission (re)hearing to reverse denial of permit for gas drilling Thursday February 7 at 1:00

Message from 
Downwinders at Risk
Dallas Residents at Risk

Public (re)-Hearing on the Last Three Dallas Gas Sites 
including the new "Rawlings Gas Refinery"
This Thursday February 7 2012  at 1:00 pm
Dallas City Hall  6th Floor   City Council Chambers
Press Conference followed by City Plan Commission Mtg

This is the "do-over" hearing  
demanded by the Mayor in order to win approval of these permits
 -  after the first one in December resulted in denial.
Come and defend this victory or they'll steal it away from us.
  
Dallas Residents at Risk, the alliance of groups that we work with on this issue, will be holding a press conference at 1:00 pm - just like we did before the much-publicized January 10th reconsideration vote -  and then heading into the CPC meeting at 1:30. Show up early because we'll be talking about a surprising new development in this fight and bringing you up to date with the latest information.

File 4225It's important to demonstrate that opposition to these permits is growing, so if you haven't made it down to City Hall before, Thursday is the day to come.
If you're a regular, then you know how much warm bodies in the audience mean to the moment.    They would have been no news coverage on the 10th without all of us standing up and publicly "shaming" the CPC over its "reconsideration vote" in person. You can't do that by e-mail or petition. We need you there. We need you clapping for the good guys. We need you hissing the bad guys. We need you. There is no substitute.

Looking for material for your testimony? Here are some things we know now about these sites that we didn't when the CPC turned them down in December.....

* Neither the Park Board nor City Council ever voted to allow surface drilling in parks. In fact, city staff assured the City Council in 2008 that would be NO surface drilling in parks. So where did Trinity East get the idea it could have two of its drill sites on city park land (The newly-named Luna Vista Golf Course and near-by gun range)? That's a really good question that nobody at Dallas City Hall has attempted to answer.

* One of the Trinity East sites now contains a large gas refinery and compressor station in addition to a pad site for 20 wells. This facility will become the 10th largest air polluter in Dallas the moment it comes on line, releasing 75-100 tons of air pollution every year only 600 feet away from the City's new Elm Fork Soccer Complex on Walnut Hill.

* Last September, the City of Dallas denied a new permit to a rock crushing facility near the Elm Fork Soccer Complex because its 17 tons of annual air pollution was deemed too threatening for children's health. However, five months later,the city is advocating allowing the operation of a gas refinery and compressor station that is estimated to release some 75-100 tons of air pollution a year. Why is 17 tons of air pollution a health threat but 100 tons is OK? Another great question nobody at Dallas City Hall has answered.

* Trinity East knew when it signed its leases with the City that drilling in parkland and the floodplains was prohibited. So why is the City of Dallas still saying its afraid of a lawsuit by Trinity for backing out of the deal if the permits are denied?

We can win if we keep showing up  and asking questions.
 
Please show up this Thursday.

Reprinted from Downwinders at Risk

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Last Three Gas Sites in Dallas

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 02/06/2013 - 8:33pm.
The city is scared of a law suit because they charged Trinity for research and permits to the tune of several millions of dollars. Furthermore in the floodplain, Trinity needs various environmental permits from the Corps of Engineers in Fort Worth or the EPA Region 6 office. These types of drilling activities should kick in Environmental Impact Statements for potential pollution of waters of the United States. Tim Dalbey

Trinity East gas drilling SUPs

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 02/06/2013 - 12:47pm.
For the record, the SUP for the refinery/compressor complex stipulates that up to six wells may be drilled there. The two SUPs for the golf course and gun club can each have up to 20 wells, according to their SUPs. The issue is the potential for hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) in the form of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) that are emitted by wells, valves, couplings, vents, compressor stations, separator stations, condensate tanks, system leaks, accidental or intentional releases or other causes that can cause harm or death to humans, animals or plants. The current Dallas Development Code (city ordinances) that is in place today was in place when the Trinity East leases were signed in 2008, and the code specifically prohibits drilling on city-owned park land (Article XI, Section 42.3.1E(iii)) and in floodplains (Article V, Section 51A-5.103.1(a) and 51A-5.104.) Unless and until those ordinances are modified by the City Council to allow drilling on park land AND in the floodplain, since those SUP sites meet both criteria, it would be unlawful to approve SUPs or drilling permits for the activities planned by Trinity East. And, while allowing gas wells to be drilled on the golf course and adjacent to the gun range is a stupid idea, at best, still it pales in comparison to allowing a gas refinery and compressor complex to be built and operated just 600 feet from the brand new Elm Fork Athletic Complex where hundreds or thousands of people will be playing soccer and other sports downwind of that refinery and compressor complex. Weir Brothers Excavating was recently denied a permit to continue operating their rock crushing facility just 50 feet closer to the soccer fields than where the gas processing facility would be located on the grounds that its approximately 17 tons of annual dust pollution was not safe for those utilizing the soccer fields. Trinity East's own statements in public meetings suggest that their facilities will emit 75-100 tons annually of pollutants far more toxic, carcinogenic and neurotoxic, with a little radioactivity thrown in for good measure, so this begs the question, if 17 tons of dust is too dangerous, then how is 75-100 tons of HAPs less dangerous, and thus appropriate for approval? THAT is the question intelligent people should be asking and for which they should be demanding straight answers.

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