Memorandum

CITY OF DALLAS
DATE: February 24, 2011
TO: The Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM Councilmember Angela Hunt
SUBJECT: Gas Drilling Task Force

Cities throughout North Texas have been struggling to address gas drilling in an urban
environment. As companies request gas drilling permits from the City of Dallas, it is
critical that we move forward in creating a public taskforce to fully evaluate the
environmental, health, and safety impact of gas drilling in our city and to propose changes
to the city’s gas drilling ordinance.

I therefore respectfully propose the following guidelines for the creation of a Gas Drilling
Taskforce. These guidelines were developed after consulting with other North Texas cities
to determine best practices and lessons learned.

Taskforce Composition:

The Gas Drilling Taskforce will be nominated and appointed by the full City Council in
the same manner as appointees for the DART Board and DFW Airport Board. The
appointment process should be concluded by the end of March so the Taskforce may
begin meeting as soon as possible. The Taskforce will be comprised of the following
members:

Three experts with a background in environmental impact studies, air quality, water
quality, and/or soil contamination issues in relation to oil and gas drilling.
Two citizens that will be representative of their neighborhoods’ concerns related to
gas drilling.
One representative of the gas industry.
One representative of environmental groups.
One EPA representative from Region 6.
One TCEQ representative.
One City Legal representative serving in an advisory role.
Three alternate taskforce members.
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Gas Drilling Task Force
February 24, 2011

Scope of Inquiry:

The Gas Drilling Taskforce will be responsible for proposing revisions to the city’s gas
drilling ordinance and forwarding their recommendations to the Dallas City Council.
The Taskforce’s scope of inquiry includes, but is not limited to, the following:

Comparative Analysis
o Reviewing the City’s current gas drilling and production ordinance and
comparing it to other North Texas cities.
o Reviewing current and available studies on the effects of gas drilling and
production.
Zoning Requirements
o Proposing standards to address the appropriate setbacks of gas drilling sites
from homes, parks, schools, childcare facilities, environmentally sensitive
areas and water sources.
o Proposing standards to address the disclosure of chemicals used during
hydraulic fracturing, the quality of borehole casing and cement used in the
drilling process, and the use of green technology and vapor recovery
systems.
o Proposing standards to address nuisance mitigation, times of operation,
security, roadway and traffic impact, public notification, inspections, fines
and repeat offenders.
Environmental Health Issues
o Analyzing air quality issues in relation to gas drilling and production,
including impact on surrounding neighborhoods and cumulative impact on
regional air quality.
o Analyzing water quality and usage issues in relation to gas drilling and
production, including impact on local and regional water quality and supply.
o Proposing standards to protect residents and the environment from possible
hazards due to gas drilling and production.

The Gas Drilling Taskforce shall select a chair at their first meeting. The Taskforce
will be responsible for setting their agenda and shall schedule and conduct their
meetings in a manner that will ensure public input and participation.

City Staff Responsibilities:

Providing requested information to the Taskforce.

Establishing a city email address or website where concerned citizens unable to
attend public meetings can voice their concerns or suggestions.
Forwarding emails to the Taskforce.
c: Mary K. Suhm, City Manager
Thomas P. Perkins, City Attorney
Deborah Watkins, City Secretary
Craig Kinton, City Auditor
Judge C. Victor Lander, Judiciary
Jeanne Chipperfield, Chief Financial Officer
Ryan S. Evans, First Assistant City Manager
Jill A. Jordan, P.E., Assistant City Manager
A.C. Gonzalez, Assistant City Manager
Forest Turner, Assistant City Manager
Helena Stevens-Thompson, Assistant to the City Manager