Woman, 92, arrested after fracking protest

Todd Unger | WFAA-TV, Dallas-Fort Worth

Show Caption Hide Caption 92-year-old sent to jail for fracking protest Violet Palmer had never even gotten a parking ticket, but at 92 years old, she was arrested for protesting at a fracking site.

DENTON, Texas — A 92-year-old woman took a stand for her beliefs and was taken into custody and booked into jail Tuesday after protesting at a North Texas fracking site.

Violet Palmer knew it getting arrested was a possibility when she joined her son and a small group of protesters outside a drilling operation on the west side of Denton. Palmer has never even had a parking ticket.

Palmer said she is outraged that a new state law voids Denton's local ban on fracking, which voters passed in November.

"I did feel compelled," she said. "I feel like I must do something."

In November, Denton became the first city in Texas to pass a ban on hydraulic fracturing. The vote was significant as Denton sits on top of a large natural gas reserve.

In May, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill that overrides local bans on gas and oil drilling, making Denton's ban unenforceable.

In a statement timed to the signing of the bill into law, Abbott said, "This law ensures that Texas avoids a patchwork quilt of regulations that differ from region to region, differ from county to county or city to city. HB 40 strikes a meaningful and correct balance between local control and preserving the state's authority to ensure that regulations are even-handed and do not hamper job creation."

Fracking has added thousands of jobs in Texas and helped add millions of dollars to the state coffers.

But the controversial way of breaking rock to extract oil and gas is also suspected of everything from polluting groundwater to earthquakes in North Texas.

Palmer, who is blind, said the officers were courteous and she was never handcuffed. She was booked on charges of criminal trespassing. Police said it is unlikely charges will actually be pressed.

The Denton City Council is still debating what the city should do about its current ban.

Three lawsuits are pending, and there is concern that the city may be in a financial fix if they continue to try to enforce a local ordinance that is void by state statute.

"Depending on what happens with these lawsuits, we're just getting started," said Council member Greg Johnson.

Palmer hopes the city will hold firm and fight.

"Really, there is so little I can do, but I can do it by protesting," Palmer said.

Contributing: Jason Whitely, WFAA-TV, Dallas-Fort Worth; The Associated Press.