It’s been five years since the residents of Denton voted to outlaw hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, within city limits. But the battle and its effects continue to weigh on the region today, according to the Denton Record-Chronicle.
While the majority of residents took on activist roles and voted against fracking on Nov. 4, 2014, the ban only lasted 196 days. Mineral owners and other connected entities stepped in to fight the results of the vote.
The state and the oil and gas industry took legal action against Denton, and Texas lawmakers green-lighted a new law that overturned Denton's ban on fracking. Those against the ban argued that the sanction would hurt the city's economy.
But many Denton residents feel as if they've lost twice – the fracking ban was reversed and the economy's taken a hit anyway.
Local tax revenues have also seen a turn for the worse. In 2014, oil and gas facilities brought in $99 million on Denton’s property tax rolls. As of this year, that amount was just $73 million. Denton has seen a $5 million dip this year in sales tax from the oil and gas industries as well.
Todd Staples, president of the Texas Oil & Gas Association, one of the industry organizations that sued Denton to reverse the ban, said that Denton voters were uneducated about their reasons for supporting a ban.
“[The vote] was based on misinformation about fracking and failed to correctly portray the significant regulations and industry practices designed to protect air and water quality, as well as the safety features of drilling activities,” Staples was quoted in the Denton Record-Chronicle. “The state appropriately clarified the role of cities to reasonably regulate traffic, noise and lighting, and the appropriate state regulatory agencies regulate the remaining items.”
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