Fort Worth needs more study of benzene concentrations, Rep. Burnam says

State Rep. Lon Burnam said Thursday the Fort Worth City Council should look at the more stringent, federal standards for benzene rather than base its findings on the more lenient, Texas Commission on Environemental Quality one-hour sampling standards. Burnam said the city should ask ERG, the consultant who conducted the long-delayed $1 million air quality study, to "reanalyze its dispersion modeling data." In a Dec. 21 letter addressed to Mayor Betsy Price, Burnam said that ERG should also  "reevaluate the city set-back requirements." If the city doesn't consider more stringent monitoring of Barnett Shale emissions, Burnam said he will consider legislation requiring TCEQ to do so. The City Council voted down a series of changes in October to its gas drilling ordinance that were based on the findings of the air quality study. TCEQ chief toxicologist Michael Honeycutt said Thursday the state currently has seven monitoring stations in the Barnett Shale and will add nine more in the next 12-18 months. TCEQ has not seen any high benzene levels since two were recorded in Wise County two  years ago, Honeycutt said. In a statement, Price said she appreciated "Rep. Burnam sharing his concerns with us; and one thing we can agree on is that health and safety of our citizens will always take top priority." Councilman Jungus Jordan, who read Burnam's letter, said there is no reason to evaulate the air quality study further. Instead, Jordan said the city should continue to push for the latest vapor recovery technology to control Barnett Shale emissions. 

 Read the letter here

- Bill Hanna

Comments

[jimsplace]

It is interesting that Jungas Jordon should comment since he personally receives money from Chesapeake, as he has a substantial interest with that company.

By State Law he appears to have a conflict of interest, but still votes on Ordinances that regulate that company.

[Kim Feil]

Too bad the ERG study never went into the neighborhoods to test the air...The fallout zones are where they need to test. Where people breathe is where they need to start testing in Ft Worth, Arlington, Mansfield, and Grand Prairie. There also needs to be testing 50 miles downwind of the whole metroplex to see how concentrated the shale emissions are to see if we are affecting other cities.

[Shannon Pennington]

I do not need the TCEQ or the EPA or any other agency to confirm that there is something very wrong with our air in Fort Worth. I drive from Everman to Weatherford five days a week and I see with my own eyes that there are bad things in our air. I believe that the council members in this area have anything but the public's health as their top priority. There are areas that I can pinpoint are worse, simply because I feel the effects when I am there. I just wonder how bad the damage is going to have to be before the officials in Fort Worth are willing to stand up to the drilling companies and demand that they do better at keeping their chemicals where they are suppose to be and not in our air and water.