Drilling could be as close to 319 feet from your home or school unless you take action now.

Arlington City Council and Mayor

Update : The pressure is working, Total has asked for postponements twice.

The hearing now scheduled for February 27 at City Hall at 6:30 p.m.

Please encourage your Arlington neighbors to sign!

Our city council will decide whether or not to allow a french drilling company to side-step important health and safety protections and drill within 319 feet of homes, schools, churches, and businesses – a waiver that has not been approved by 70% of the neighbors.

We want the council to vote NO on“ SUP08-31R1” and with your support sending a letter (see below), we can urge our mayor and city council to stand firm and protect the 600 foot setbacks in our gas well ordinance.

You can easily send a letter using the form on this page – and add any personal statements as well.

Will you join me in telling our City Council and Mayor to uphold our ordinance?

This letter is asking them to protect public health and safety and to DENY this request to shorten the distance from the drill site to protected uses in the neighborhood to a reckless 319 feet.

Please add your name and address for your letter to count if you are a resident in the city of Arlington.

Thank you,
Ranjana Bhandari

To: Arlington City Council and Mayor
From: [Your Name]

In 2011, the City of Arlington created 600 foot setbacks from drill sites to protected uses like homes, school, parks, daycares in our gas well ordinance to protect health and safety of residents from dangerous emissions, and accidents like blowouts, explosions.

Now, a French company called Total is asking for a reduction of this distance to 319 feet, a waiver that has NOT been approved by 70 per cent of the neighbors and poses significant health and safety risks.

Since our ordinance was written, public health research has shown that even 600 ft. does not protect public health.

Studies have shown the dangerous chemicals that escape during the fracking process worsen air quality and pose health risks for those exposed: especially children, pregnant women, the unborn, the elderly, and the sick.

A decision to waive the 600 ft. protections you helped to establish will increase the industrial activity in neighborhoods, increasing the health risks at home, in school, and at work within the city.

I strongly urge you to uphold our ordinance, protect Arlington residents, and not permit drilling less than 600 ft. from protected uses.

Please deny Total’s request for a waiver from the 600 ft. our gas well ordinance requires. Please vote NO on SUP08-31R1 with purpose & fortitude. This is the only protection Arlington residents have and we are depending on you to not waive it.

Thank you.


*The Human Health Implications of Oil and Natural Gas Development, Dr. Anne C.Epstein, Chapter 5, Advances in Chemical Pollution, Environmental Management and Protection, 2017