The Fort Worth City Council Tuesday night passed tough new restrictions on gas drilling.
The ordinance includes new noise restrictions, new licensing requirements for pipelines and even stricter landscaping guidelines.
Gas drillers, who are in the process of slashing budgets, are not happy with the new rules. But city leaders say it balances money and jobs with quality of life and better protects neighborhoods.
"I think obviously people are receiving royalties, and the Barnett Shale is here to stay," Mayor Pro Tem Kathleen Hicks said. "But at the same time, as the council representatives, we owe our constituents the best."
The vote was 7-1.
The council delayed a decision on part of the ordinance, which would set new limits on how close certain types of drilling can be to homes.
Fort Worth has more urban gas drilling than any other city.
