As of this writing, the temperature outside is 91 degrees Fahrenheit, far from the worst temperatures expected this summer. According to data from the Climate Impact Institute, Arlington has an average of 105 days with temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, compared with 93 days. That’s about the same number of warm days as it was when I was born in 1991. This temperature change is due in large part to fracking, which is widespread in our city in North Texas. As the climate continues to warm, our local government continues to expand oil and gas production in a city that is already home to over 100 wells.
The issue of fracking has come up often in Arlington City Council meetings, where fracking continues to be approved despite public outcry and numerous health risks associated with the operation. Fracking dramatically accelerates the climate crisis. Fracking emits large amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas that is more powerful at trapping heat than carbon dioxide and is responsible for 20-30% of global warming to date, according to scientists. In addition to contributing to the climate crisis, fracking has also been linked to a variety of health problems. According to a 2023 assessment, air pollution from oil and gas drilling operations in 2016 caused $77 billion in health damage, including 410,000 asthma attacks, 2,200 new cases of childhood asthma, and 7,500 excess deaths. Beyond this national figure, a report by the environmental group Livable Arlington documents fracking pollution at 85 local sites.
Physicians for Social Responsibility has thoroughly investigated this issue and concluded in a lengthy report: “Our review finds no evidence that fracking can be carried out without posing direct threats to human health or endangering the stability of the climate on which human health depends.”
“It feels like no one is going to protect us, no one is going to be on our side.”
Despite this growing public health crisis, the City of Arlington has taken no steps to stop the expansion of fracking within the city, and instead allows it to continue. At a recent City Council meeting, TotalEnergies was given permission to drill five new wells on existing property.
Mayor Jim Ross, speaking for the entire City Council, explained the reasons for the decision. Mayor Ross explained that the city had no choice but to approve the site because House Bill 40 of 2015 prohibits local governments from regulating underground activities related to oil and gas extraction. Mayor Ross and the rest of the City Council seem to feel like they’re at a stalemate. Council Member Barbara Odom Wesley recently said: Fort Worth Report “According to the attorney’s office, we did everything we could,” he said.
That begs the question: do they want to do more? If city officials oppose a state law that would force fracking into their city, they can at least publicly voice their opposition and draw attention to the issue. They can tell state lawmakers that HB 40 is poisoning their voters and they can no longer tolerate it.
The influence the oil and gas industry has over local governments is enormous, but not insurmountable. The Sunrise Movement, a nonprofit and activist group fighting climate change, wants Congress to hold companies accountable for the damage they cause to communities, instead of shifting the blame or bowing to corporate interests.
The problems we face today require more than city councils as intermediaries for business development. To address the climate crisis, leaders must seriously consider how they can use their role to limit emissions and strengthen infrastructure. The importance of local action to fight the climate crisis was made clear in a recent analysis by the Brookings Institution, which stated that “cities produce approximately 70 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.”
Bad laws should not be swept under the rug, they should be opposed. We urge city officials to do what they can now, despite HB 40’s limitations. Setbacks (how far wells must be located from homes, schools, hospitals, and other protected areas) should be set to the absolute maximum allowed by state law. Officials must embrace individual autonomy and fight for their constituents. Other cities across the country have taken bold steps to reduce carbon emissions, and we want to believe our city officials have the same courage.
To the Mayor, City Council, and all those who represent our citizens, I would like to ask this question: Whose side are you on? The corporations that extract from, pollute, and ultimately abandon our city? Or, as my friend Jennifer Quick said at a recent City Council meeting, are you the people “who are doing the work to make Arlington a livable city?” She added, “It feels like nobody has our back, nobody is on our side.”
Now is the time to prove her, and all of us, wrong.
