Denton Becomes First Texas City to Ban Hydraulic Fracturing

After the results of the November Election have been tabulated, the city of Denton has become the first in Texas to ban the practice of hydraulic fracturing.

The ban will preclude new fracking permits from being issued, but will not affect existing permits.

According to ABC’s Denton affiliate WFAA News, Denton Mayor Chris Watts said the city will enforce the ban.

However, Texas’ General Land Office and the energy industry group Texas Oil and Gas Association are seeking an injunction in District Court to bar the ban from being enforced.

An attorney for the Texas Oil and Gas Association, Tom Phillips, said one day after the election that the courts must give “a prompt and authoritative answer" on the legality of the vote.

The Associated Press reports that similar fracking restrictions passed in Athens, Georgia and the Can Benito and Mendocino Counties of California during the midterm election.