Supporters of Fracking Ban Face New Wave of McCarthyism in Denton, Texas

onOct 22, 2014 @ 09:55 PDT

In Denton, Texas, a college town north of Dallas that sits atop the Barnett Shale formation, the fight over a referendum banning fracking within city limits is in the final stretch.

The local ballot initiative has global implications, with the energy sector watching closely.

The turmoil in Denton reflects a growing national debate between those concerned with health and quality of life issues, and others who claim the fracking industry is America’s answer to economic growth and energy independence.

By Julie Dermansky

Julie Dermansky is a multimedia reporter and artist based in New Orleans. She is an affiliate scholar at Rutgers University’s Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights. Visit her website at www.jsdart.com.

Mark Carney Took Speech Ideas From Billionaire-Founded ‘Build Canada’

ByTaylor Noakes

onDec 8, 2025 @ 04:00 PST

The pro-AI and fossil fuel group tells DeSmog that it’s great to see its ideas “get taken up by government.”

Exxon’s Next Supreme Court Play

ByEmily Sanders

onDec 7, 2025 @ 10:04 PST

Oil companies are once again asking the high court to intervene in climate deception lawsuits across the U.S. — part of an all-hands-on-deck effort by Big Oil and the Trump administration to shut the cases down.