Parents sending their children to a day care center in Arlington, Texas will find it easier to breathe after the city refuses to have a major energy company drill a gas well hundreds of feet away from the center’s playground.
The Arlington City Council voted 5-4 on Tuesday night, denying Total Energies’ request to drill additional gas wells and overturning the preliminary decision to allow Congress to advance the well in November.
The vote on Tuesday was a surprise victory for Total’s setbacks and community members who wanted to stop drilling for fear of potentially harming the health of their children and neighbors. The Associated Press first reported on the dispute in November. Living near hydraulic fracturing sites is associated with health risks such as asthma, neuropathy and developmental disabilities.
“I’m overjoyed! I’m relieved … I was totally unexpected,” said Rosalia Teheda, who lives with her three children a few blocks away from the digging site. “I hope this means that children’s health and well-being are paramount, as they are the future, the workforce of the future, and the leaders of the future.”
The struggle between French energy giant Total and the Family-owned day care Mother’s Heart Learning Center, which serves primarily black and Latin children, has been going on for over a year. The total pumps gas from two active wells in the property, excavated by the previous owner, Chesapeake, about 10 years ago. The request was rejected when Total initially sought approval to drill a new gas well at the site in 2020, when Black Lives Matter demonstrations were taking place with Arlington and across the country.
However, Arlington’s oil and gas companies are allowed to reapply for permits each year, so Total has reapplied. In November, the council granted preliminary approval to Total’s plans to expand the drilling zone, which would have paved the way for some new rigs near Daycare. But late Tuesday night, it overturned that decision after councilor Rebecca Boxol switched her vote from “yes” to “no.”
Some council members were afraid to sue from Total if they denied the request. Texas law makes it nearly impossible for local governments to interfere with oil and gas development. During the November meeting, Boxol begged people to fight the decline of local rule, but still voted in favor.
On Wednesday, Boxol declined to elaborate on her changes in mind.
“This was a very difficult vote for me, but I have no comments at this time,” she said in an email to AP.
The representative of Total did not respond to the request for comment.
At the council on Tuesday night, Mother’s Heart owner Wanda Vincent was sick in December after being overwhelmed by smoke that she and others in Daycare believed came from the scene. explained. Mariah, Vincent’s daughter, who teaches at the nursery school, said she went out and looked up, and after a squeaky noise, she smelled strong and felt nauseous.
“We love and care for our children. If anything happens to my children, it hurt my heart,” said Maria Vincent. “I call them my babies. We don’t want kids to get sick at this drill site.”
“What we have experienced is evidence of a problem,” said Wanda Vincent. “Children playing and breathing this is a big problem.”
Despite the council’s decision, Vincent said she was still worried about the nearby well. She told AP that she wanted 24-hour air surveillance on site, or a complete closure.
“Many children, many people are exposed,” she said.
Ranjana Bandari, who led the fight against the drilling program by a group of livable Arlington, filed a proceeding with Vincent against the city, alleging that the council did not properly follow the procedure during the November vote. The proceeding, suggested by Mr. Bandari, may have helped change the criteria for the council’s final decision.
While relieved for the kindergarten and its neighbors, Bandari said he was already thinking of permission to focus next because it “doesn’t end completely here”.
“I learned to wait for what they do next,” Bandari told AP. “But I hope this is the end.”
___
Follow @cbussewitz and @irvineAP on Twitter.
Texas Daycare Takes Rest After Drilling Plans Are Rejected | WGN Radio 720
Source link Texas Daycare Takes Rest After Drilling Plans Are Rejected | WGN Radio 720
The post Texas Daycare Takes Rest After Drilling Plans Are Rejected | WGN Radio 720 appeared first on Illinois News Today.
No comments:
Post a Comment