The Fort Worth, TX, city council proceeded with most of a new gas drilling ordinance for the city limits on Dec. 9 but postponed decisions on setbacks for multiple well sites and the definition of a “public building” for its Tuesday (Dec. 16) meeting.

Amendments to the current ordinance – last overhauled in 2006 — include creation of residential setbacks from compressor stations and stricter noise requirements.

Council’s decision follows recommendations made by the 18-member Gas Drilling Task Force, which is composed of community members, business leaders and industry representatives. The task force met more than 20 times and conducted two joint workshops with city council and three public hearings to arrive at the recommendations.

The current task force is the city’s third to consider such issues. There was a task force in 2005 and the first one in 2001, when the bountiful Barnett Shale play was first enticing producers to drill within the city limits. Back then the city didn’t even have rules for drillers. Since then traffic, compressor noise and the prospect of gas pipelines crossing one’s property have moved some citizens to seek a moratorium on leasing in the city (see Daily GPI, Aug. 11).

Among revisions to the city’s ordinance are requirements that operators receive permits for the drilling, re-drilling, deepening, re-entering, activating or converting of each of their wells. In the past an operator could apply for a blanket gas well permit for more than one well if multiple wells were to be located on the same tract of land.

The revised ordinance is available at www.fortworthgov.org in the “gas drilling task force and information” section.

According to city statistics, as of November there were 63 pending well permits, 367 permitted wells, 930 producing wells and 30 abandoned wells within the city limits.

The meeting will be at 7 p.m. CST at City Hall, 1000 Throckmorton St. in Fort Worth.

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