A new Fort Worth ordinance was passed at a city council meeting on December 9 regarding gas drilling regulations. Some major changes were put in place, including:

• giving the gas company responsibility for mapping and inventorying gas pipelines,
• improved erosion control at well pad sites,
• a requirement that gas companies use a closed-loop mud system when drilling or reworking wells
• new requirements for controlling sound from both drilling and compressor stations and for landscaping around compressor stations and well pads
• compressor stations will be restricted to agricultural or industrially zoned areas and must be enclosed in buildings to mitigate problems with sound and escaping gas.

City Council members approved most of the new drilling ordinance but were divided on what sort of setback to impose on sites with multiple wells and on which buildings should be protected by the setback provisions. They opted to hold another workshop before voting on that section.