ABOUT
Liveable Arlington is a grassroots group that advocates for clean air, clean water, and responsible stewardship of our environment for future generations.
OUR STORY
Liveable Arlington was born out of the rapid expansion of fracking in Arlington, Texas. We began organizing in 2015 to fight against the development of gas drilling in our neighborhoods. At the time, not many people were paying attention to the growth of gas wells in communities and the potential health risks. Fewer still were aware of the climate implications.
We were greatly alarmed by the resulting air pollution, health impacts, and dangers posed to our children by gas wells situated recklessly close to homes, schools, and preschools. State and local governments were granting new permits without consideration of these concerns. Liveable began as an effort to stop new permits for gas drilling close to children.
Our mission was to raise the alarm locally and later nationally on the serious health and climate impacts that urban drilling in the Barnett Shale inflicted on all of us. Since our establishment, we have organized to stop the drilling of a wastewater disposal injection well by Lake Arlington, advocated for the prohibition of city-granted waivers to allow drilling less than 600 feet from schools and homes, and have relentlessly worked to stop the drilling of new wells next to preschools and daycares.
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OIL & GAS POLLUTION
Liveable Arlington fights to protect the health of children from urban fracking pollution. We organize and empower community members in Arlington, Texas to take action to protect their neighborhoods. We also work to bring national attention to the health and climate impacts of fracking in Arlington.
Fracking pollution impacts children and families of color and lower-income neighborhoods the most in Arlington. That’s why we work for environmental justice by demanding our public officials protect all community members from pollution and ensure their children can live and go to school in a healthy, liveable neighborhood.
Our volunteers range from students to mothers and grandmothers of children whose health is threatened by drilling pollution.
THINKING GLOBALLY, ACTING LOCALLY
Our work is grounded in Arlington neighborhoods, but we understand that we must work together to protect our region, our state, and our planet from the severe health and climate impacts of the oil & gas industry’s expansion.
We work with community members, other environmental and non-environmental groups, and elected officials on the global climate impacts of urban drilling. We also advocate for large-scale solutions, including stronger methane and air pollution standards
VICTORIES & WORK HIGHLIGHTS
Strengthening Arlington's gas well ordinance
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Liveable Arlington has led campaigns for years to stop setback waivers that reduce the distance between gas wells and protected uses like homes, schools, preschools. Our organizing led to many improvements, including:
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requiring a supermajority vote of 7 to grant setback waivers;
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requiring electric rigs when drilling with a setback waiver;
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stronger noise standards; and
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requiring setbacks from schools to be measured from the playground rather than the main structure.
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Stopping Total from drilling new gas wells next to an Arlington preschool
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In 2020 we led a multi-racial, diverse coalition to stop the permitting of three new gas wells next to an Arlington preschool. The campaign was hailed as an important environmental justice win and widely covered by national media.
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Stopping Total, again
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Despite being denied on health and racial justice grounds in 2020, Total returned once again asking for a permit to drill 3 gas wells next to an Arlington preschool. In January 2022, after two years of organizing strong opposition, we defeated Total a second time.​
Organizing support for strong methane standards
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Since 2015, we’ve organized community members, other nonprofit groups, and public leaders to comment and testify on the importance of strong federal methane rules to protect public health and address climate change.
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Save Lake Arlington - Protecting drinking water from fracking waste
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Our Save Lake Arlington campaign in 2017 involved close to 3,000 Arlington and Fort Worth residents in the hearing process for a wastewater injection well planned for the shore of Lake Arlington. The campaign succeeded in stopping the well.