Mueller, Sternadel Send Letter to Gas Company About Noise

Fayette County Judge Dan Mueller and Pct. 2 Commissioner Luke Sternadel sent a letter to Magnolia Oil and Gas asking the company to settle a noise complaint from a group of residents near Fayetteville.

The residents of Colony Oaks subdivision on Leslie Rd. began petitioning Magnolia Oil and Gas months ago to quiet a noisy compressor that the company installed on a well site about 500 feet from the neighborhood. The compressor runs all hours of the day. Colony Oaks lies in an unincorporated area of Fayette County Pct. 2.

Several Colony Oaks residents spoke to the Commissioners about their noise problem at the meetings on April 27 and a special workshop meeting on May 4. However, the County has no authority under state law to regulate noise pollution in unincorporated areas. At the May 4 meeting, Mueller said he and Sternadel would draft a letter to Magnolia expressing the County’s concerns. The County sent that letter to Christopher Stravos, President and CEO of Magnolia Oil and Gas, on the following day, Friday, May 5. It read: Dear Mr. Stravos, As you are aware, Magnolia Oil & Gas currently has ongoing operations in Fayette County. Our County offices have worked with Magnolia in the past on a number of your projects and historically we have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship in that regard. Recently, however, our office has received a series of complaints from many of our citizens regarding one of your operations in Fayette County Precinct 2. The complaint we have received specifically is a compressor station within 500 feet of a neighborhood of residential homes that causes excessive and disruptive noise which has upset the peaceful and quiet nature of our community and kept our local citizens from enjoying solitude in their own homes. Further, it is our understanding that our citizens have attempted to take all the right steps in resolving this issue by contacting management at Magnolia but the remedial action taken was limited and ineffective. We write to you today in hopes that we can come to a resolution to this matter.

Here in Fayette County we strive to be good community partners with the oil and gas companies who come to do business here, and for the most part we have been greatly successful with very few “hiccups”. Working with Magnolia has been no different. Your employees have always followed our local regulations and we in turn believe we have always been courteous and respectful of your operations and have been happy to assist in furthering those operations. When the residents came to make comments in Commissioners Court and informed the Court, as well as the general public, about the noise issue we were dismayed to hear it was Magnolia that was causing this disruption within our community.

We would highly encourage you to address the issue quickly as it seems clear that Magnolia’s local reputation has been affected by this issue within our communities and our local newspapers. If there is anything Fayette County or we can do to assist you in coming to a prompt resolution to this matter, please don’t hesitate to let us know. We look forward to working with you in the future.

Best Regards, County Judge Dan Mueller and Luke Sternadel, Commissioner Pct. 2 At the Commissioners Court meeting last Thursday, May 11, Mueller said Magnolia has not yet responded.

The Commissioners also discussed drafting a pair of resolutions at the meeting last Thursday. One of the resolutions expresses the County’s wish that Magnolia and other oil companies keep loud equipment away from residential areas. The other resolution states that the County would like oil and gas companies to place oil and gas equipment at least 1,000 feet away from residential properties.

“What is the purpose of these resolutions?” asked Pct. 3 Commissioner Harvey Berckenhoff. “Our police can’t go and cite them.”

Mueller said the resolutions provide the Colony Oaks residents with a record that the County leaders support their cause.

“It gives some teeth, so when they go and talk to these people in Austin, they have something to show the County is behind them,” Mueller said.

“It goes to show our support for them and members of our community,” said assistant county attorney Blake Watson, who assisted Mueller and Sternadel in drafting the letter. “It shows that locally, we are doing what we can to resolve it, even if we don’t have the ability to regulate noise.”

Pct. 1 Commissioner Jason McBroom asked to add language in the resolutions requesting authority from the state to regulate noise.

“It seems like we should be asking the Legislature for authority to do this, or change legislation or something,” Mc-Broom said. “We’re kind of just saying, ‘I hope everybody gets along.’ But it’s not working now. We need the State of Texas to step up and give us the authority to do that. We need to tell (the State), ‘We need your help.’” Watson said he would consult with McBroom about adding language to the resolution requesting authority from the State to regulate noise. Commissioners will consider signing those resolutions at a future meeting.