The city of Denton, Texas, will continue enforcing regulations on hydraulic fracturing, but can't predict how the courts will react, a spokeswoman said.
Denton in November became one of the first cities in the United States to pass voter-backed legislation restricting hydraulic fracturing. Texas Gov. Greg Abbot signed a bill into law this week, however, that diminishes what he said was the "heavy hand" of local regulations on oil and natural gas.
Denton is positioned over the Barnett shale and, when residents cast their votes in November, there were more than 250 active gas wells in a city with just over 120,000 residents.
Lindsey Baker, a city spokeswoman, said in response to email questions Abbot's decision would be put to the test when operators start hydraulic fracturing operations within Denton city limits and authorities work to implement city rules.
"We will certainly continue to enforce our current regulations to protect the health and safety of our residents, but we do not know how the operators or courts will react," she said.
Denton Mayor Chris Watts wrote in the Denton Record-Chronicle before Abbot's signature that good policy limits, not expands, the reach of the government.
"We will work tirelessly to develop and enforce ordinances that protect the health and safety of our residents while balancing interests of all parties within this new legislative landscape," he wrote.
When the Denton measure passed in November, the city was sued by the Texas Oil and Gas Association, which said the new law is a testament to the importance of oil and gas on the state economy.
Environmental group Earthworks and the Denton Drilling Awareness Group are working with attorneys from the Natural Resources Defense Counsel to challenge the industry's lawsuit.
"The interests of a powerful industry should never take priority over the health and safety of American families," NRDC attorney Dan Raichel said in a statement.
