I purchased a piece of land to build a small 427 square foot house in Quanah, Texas after a process of elimination as all other jurisdictions in Texas and North Carolina would not allow for the building of a house this size within city limits or did not have suitable land available. I considered that it’s relatively warm in Texas, yet not too hot in its northern part, and I liked that there are no income taxes in the state. In the summer, it was a pretty green piece of land, and the air and water readings were above the norm. As I have learned more about this area, doubts have been creeping in. The earth here has so much clay in it that building houses on it is not recommended because they have a tendency to sink. There is also a plant next door that processes sand and other materials, building mounds that are eventually exported; this process and the persistent drought send sandy particles through my windows.
At the Quanah City Council meeting this past Tuesday, April 10, 2018, 6:30pm, I learned about a new element that had been previously mentioned but did not strike me as relevant. “Palaura Exploration Company on behalf of Interstate Explorations, LLC” (established in 1998, $5,578,704 in annual revenue, 10 employees based in Cisco, TX) filed a request for a Permit for “Drilling Exploration and Operation for Oil and Gas” directly on the main highway US 287 (nearby the only grocery store within 30 miles), and a second location a couple of blocks away. I attempted to ask for a delay in the permit granting so I could do some research into this matter to come up with some educated questions for Palaura to no avail: the motion passed. So, now, with the luxury of time, I would like to explore the topic of oil drilling in rural Texas to educate myself and you on the environmental and business implications.
From Texas:
“It Ain’t No California”: Drilling for Oil in Texas
by Anna Faktorovich, Ph.D