In Fort Worth, gas boom fuels public outreach plan

By Bruce Nichols

FORT WORTH, Texas (Reuters) - Even in oil-rich Texas, homeowners seldom had companies at the front door asking permission to drill in their back yards -- until recently.

Huge hopes for gas production from the Barnett Shale, much of which lies directly under this city of 500,000, changed that, and residents have flooded city hall with questions.

In response, Mayor Mike Moncrief and industry officials have put together the Barnett Shale Energy Education Council to calm fears and help citizens respond intelligently.

"We will do that through ... a number of media, including a Web site, printed materials, community outreach programs, seminars," said director Ed Ireland, an industry veteran.

Companies are paying for the effort but "it's going to function more as a third party," Ireland said.

The industry would rather deal with informed groups than with nervous individuals one by one, said Gene Powell, editor of widely distributed Barnett Shale Newsletter.

"They're used to going in and leasing hundreds or thousands of acres at a time," Powell said.

Fort Worth's response has evolved since the boom spread into the city early this decade, spokesman Jason Lamers said. Its approach has become a model for other cities, he said.