One Size Doesn’t Fit All in Texas

CLICK HERE: Tell the Energy Resources Committee to keep fracking control local

HB 40 and HB 539 will stop city regulation of oil and gas.

Texans who want to protect their homes and families have worked for decades to regulate fracking in their backyards. That’s one of the reasons we have home rule.

Now politicians in Austin are trying to take home rule away from our communities.

After the people of Denton, TX voted to ban fracking, self-proclaimed “enemies of big government” introduced several bills to take away our right to govern ourselves.

HB40 not only retroactively reverses Denton’s fracking ban, but it also preempts local ordinances in cities across the state like Fort Worth, Arlington, Grand Prairie and College Station. It is set to have a hearing on March 23.

HB 539 would legalize a state assessment of damages to royalty owners and the state for any losses they determine are related to local oil and gas regulations. It’s a punishment designed to make sure cities can’t regulate oil and gas.

CLICK TO TAKE THIS EASY ACTION: Write the Energy Resources Committee to stop this Austin power-grab.

Help stop this big government power grab and protect our Texan value of local control!

Home Rule is a Texan value

HB 40

HB 539

Texas Municipal League press release: Oil and gas drillers go nuclear against homeowners

HB 40 and HB 2855, both by Rep. Drew Darby (R-San Angelo), would expressly preempt most regulation of oil and gas operations by cities and all other political subdivisions. “If this bill is passed, you could have a drilling rig operating right beside your back fence, your child’s day care center, your church or a hospital with all of the around-the-clock noise, hazardous materials, emissions and truck traffic that accompany drilling activity,” Sandlin said. […] The proposed bills not only retroactively reverse the results of a city election and interfere with pending litigation in the City of Denton, but they also preempt local ordinances in numerous cities across the state like those in the cities of Fort Worth, Arlington, Grand Prairie and College Station. The bills also make it more difficult for homeowners and local citizens to voice their concerns by requiring that all local land use decisions be handled in Austin by the Texas Railroad Commission.