In shadow of Texas gas drilling sites, health fears escalate

By CATHY BUSSEWITZ and MARTHA IRVINE
Associated Press

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Next to a North Texas day care center is a site where Total Energies is pumping for natural gas. The French energy giant wants to drill three new wells on the property next to the center, which serves mainly Black and Latino children. For the families of the children and for others nearby, it’s a prospect fraught with fear and anxiety. Living too close to drilling sites has been linked to a range of health risks. And while some states are requiring energy companies to drill farther from day cares, schools and homes, Texas has taken the opposite tack: It has made it exceedingly difficult for localities to fight back.