Texas City Approves Fire Chief's Natural Gas Well Plan

ARLINGTON, Texas -- City Council members told Fire Chief Don Crowson on Tuesday evening to move forward with his proposal to assess an annual fee of $2,454 per gas well, which would be spent to beef up the city's emergency readiness to deal with gas leaks and other potential hazards at well sites.

In a work session and without a formal vote, council members told Crowson to report back in two weeks with a final plan.

Crowson said the fees would go create a fund of an estimated $800,000 annually. That would pay for hiring a captain-level program manager, a safety and security inspector and six additional firefighters, and providing specialized training and equipment.

If the number of wells grows significantly, the fee would likely be reduced, he said.

Crowson told the council that he spoke with all well operators in Arlington as he developed his plan and received a generally favorable response.

"We want to have a partnership with them," Crowson said. "We don't see them as an enemy."

The number of wells in Arlington has increased from 12 to 326 over the past five years. Councilwoman Sheri Capehart called the expanding activity "a new animal for us" and lauded Crowson's proposal.

"I think it gives us the tool we need to assure the public that these gas wells, as we get them approved, we have a backup plan in place to ensure that safety," she said.

Councilmen Mel LeBlanc and Robert Shepard said they would like to have more comment from the well operators.

"They're the experts on this," LeBlanc said. "And I'd feel more comfortable if they had a stronger position at the table, and if we could perhaps get them to respond in writing so we could get their perspective on this."

If approved, the program would be the first of its kind in the Barnett Shale, Crowson has said.

Rusty Ward, vice president of regulatory and corporate affairs for Carrizo Oil & Gas, told the Star-Telegram last week that the industry may want to debate the need for more city oversight, considering that operators believe their wells already have adequate safety equipment.

"I think we have a pretty good track record of making our sites safe," he said.

After the Tuesday work session, Crowson said he would take his direction from the majority of the council, who did not express concerns about a lack of industry input.

The plan would take about a year to implement, he said. The response units would be based at Fire Stations No. 1 and No. 9, covering north and south Arlington, respectively.

Three of the additional firefighters would go to each of those stations, boosting each shift from seven firefighters to eight. And all 48 firefighters at the two stations would receive the specialized training.

Fire officials are concerned not only about mechanical problems but also vandalism, damaging weather and other events that can lead to leaks and explosions. The danger intensifies in an urban setting.

"You can have a well leak in West Texas for days and people not know," Crowson said. "But here, you know it in about 20 minutes. We have an obligation to the citizens to respond to these issues.

"I also have an obligation to my team to equip them with the knowledge and equipment to deal with these issues."

McClatchy-Tribune News Service