A Tarrant County district court judge rejected a request by a local environmentalist group to prevent the City of Arlington from issuing new gas well permits.
The July 26 ruling stemmed from a lawsuit filed by Liveable Arlington against the city, relating to the approval of a French energy company’s permit application to drill two gas wells in southeast Arlington, per the Fort Worth Report.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the proposed gas wells prompted contentious city council meetings, with both proponents and opponents turning out to voice their positions. Employees of gas and oil company TEP Barnett attended, stressing the company’s economic contributions to the area and its commitment to safety. Local residents were also president, some of whom expressed fear over possible health effects.
On May 23, Arlington City Council voted to approve oil and gas company TEP Barnett’s bid to drill the two gas wells. However, Livable Arlington alleged that city officials had violated local drilling ordinances and failed to provide adequate notice to the public regarding the company’s revised plans for the drilling sites.
Following several hours of arguments, Tarrant County District Court Judge Tom Lowe ruled against Livable Arlington’s request for an injunction to overturn the approved gas well permits.
In his ruling, Judge Lowe said he was inclined to dismiss the case but would consider further arguments not already presented at the hearing, FWR reported.
Jayla Wilkerson, an attorney representing Liveable Arlington and two city residents living near the proposed drill sites, claimed that Judge Lowe failed to hold city officials and TEP Barnett accountable for their allegedly unlawful actions.
“We are discussing next steps now,” Wilkerson said in a statement to FWR, noting that by not dismissing the case, the judge’s ruling was subject to an appeal by the plaintiffs.
Unsatisfied with the ruling, Liveable Arlington Executive Director Ranjana Bhandari told the court that the organization plans on appealing.
“I think rules exist for a reason,” Bhandari said, per FWR.
