As the CEO of Exxon Mobil, Rex Tillerson is as big a fan of hydraulic fracking as anyone could be. He's fought regulatory oversight of fracking and dismissed reports about the harm it causes to the environment and to people's health. He's turned a deaf ear to the economic impact on families who've seen their property values fall from fracking operations near their houses.
But now Tillerson's own house, his 83-acre Bar RR Ranch in Texas, could be affected by a fracking operation and he's suing.
A Texas water utility, Bartonville Water Supply Corp., is constructing a 160-foot water tower adjacent to Tillerson's property. The utility is selling some of the stored water to energy companies for hydraulic fracturing -- for fracking. The lawsuit says the water that will be trucked out could cause a "noise nuisance and traffic hazards."
Tillerson is is clearly concerned that fracking could undermine his property values. He's not the first homeowner to have such concerns. Many families in regions where Exxon has oil and gas operations have seen the value of their homes plummet. Some people's homes have had to be torn down due to oil spills from Exxon's pipelines. We can't forget the long-term damage done to Prince William Sound, Alaska, as a result of the Exxon Valdez Oil spill.
Tell Rex Tillerson, homeowners just like him want their money back for the damage done to their property from oil spills and from fracking!
