TX Legislature Pre-empts Ban | Russell T. Rudy Energy LLC
“World Oil” reports that the Texas Senate just passed legislation prohibiting local jurisdictions from banning oil and gas drilling. The bill is widely regarded as a win for the energy industry and now goes to Governor Greg Abbott who has indicated he will sign it into law.
The battle in the Texas legislature is seen as indicative of a broader nation-wide struggle between state governments and municipalities who wish to pass more restrictive measures. The controversy involves gun control, gay rights and environmental regulations. In Texas, local jurisdictions are fighting hard to preserve their right to local control, as Democratic leaning cities find themselves at odds with the more rural-led Republican majorities in the legislature. However, Republican governor and former Attorney General, Greg Abbott, has vowed to rein in local ordinances that he believes create a confusing patch work of regulations which businesses and citizens must navigate.
The battle over fracking began when Dallas area municipality, Denton, passed a fracking ban. The city was immediately sued by the state and the Texas Oil and Gas Association. Both suits are still pending. Concurrently, the recently passed legislation preventing local bans on fracking was initiated. With its passage, Denton mayor Chris Watts observed that this “Pretty much means the ban will be unenforceable.” However, he went on to say that the city is trying to determine if it can rewrite its ordinance to comply with the newly passed bill.
To read the article in its entirety, please go to http://www.worldoil.com/news/2015/5/05/texas-cities-wouldn-t-be-able-to-ban-oil-drilling-under-bill .
