North Texas has been experiencing a boom like they haven’t seen since the days of cowboys and oil.

Within the past couple of years, natural gas companies in the area have been drilling into an enormous natural gas reservoir called the Barnett Shale. Geologists have known about the reservoir for decades, but there wasn’t an easy way to get to the natural gas. The reservoir is underneath shale, a very hard rock. It’s easier to get natural gas from under formations of softer, more porous rock because it seeps through cracks and such. When these natural gas companies finally figured out a way to drill through shale with a method called horizontal drilling, they hit the jackpot. Billions of dollars have been pumped into the economies of metroplex areas like Fort Worth and thousands of permanent jobs have been created. It has been a great economic stimulator, but now these companies want to lay pipelines throughout urban neighborhoods, where much of the reservoir lies.

That’s how things started getting complicated. Now companies like Chesapeake, XTO, EOG Resources and countless others are trying to promote drilling to the public as a necessary good that may cause some unwanted disruptions. Neighborhoods are beginning to protest the drilling, especially in areas where pipelines may be placed, whether they want them or not.

Check out my latest video  to get the full story.