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Environmental News Update 11/30/01 COALITION NOTES BPA Releases Bayou Mapping Site The Bayou Preservation Association (BPA) has developed an Internet mapping site for Harris County bayous that includes a stream ranking system. The site, located at http://www.bayoupreservation.org, contains information for teachers, architects, engineers, realtors, developers, professors, students and interested individuals. Click on the Bayou Information Center Maps icon to find details on watersheds, streams and bayous, floodplains, city and county boundaries, and elected officials. The site also features topographic maps, aerial photos, bayou photos, and links to sites covering water quality and hazardous waste siting. Buffalo Bayou and Beyond Harris County Flood Control Task Force will host a presentation on Buffalo Bayou and Beyond, a planning effort launched by the Buffalo Bayou Partnership in cooperation with the City of Houston, Harris County, and Harris County Flood Control District. The meeting will be held on Friday, Dec 7 at the H.E.S.S. Club, 5430 Westheimer. Participants may come at 8 am for refreshments; the program will begin at 8:30. For more information and to RSVP, call Helen Fisher at 713-684-4134. LOCAL Bayport Hearing Coming Up The public hearing on the draft environmental impact statement for the Bayport container port facility is scheduled for Wednesday, December 12 at 7:30 pm at the George R. Brown Convention Center. At the meeting, the Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association hopes to rally 10,000 citizens who oppose the project, which they say will increase air pollution and negatively impact quality of life for nearby communities. For more information on the DEIS and other issues surrounding Bayport, visit http://www.cechouston.org/news. STATE TNRCC to allow Citizen-Gathered Information as Evidence The Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) recently approved a program that will allow citizen-collected information to be developed as evidence of environmental violations. The program was initiated as part of the recent TNRCC Sunset bill, which reauthorized the operation of the TNRCC. The program, which goes into effect January 1, will include citizen training, an informative brochure, and a web page. Currently, TNRCC investigators use information (for example, videotapes, photographs, water samples) gathered by citizens to determine if an investigation should take place. The new program will allow the information itself to be used as evidence. However, the evidence must be gathered, handled and stored according to accepted protocols, and the citizen must be willing to be identified, to sign an affidavit, and, if necessary, testify in court. http://www.tnrcc.state.tx.us/exec/media/press/11-01citizen.html ABOUT THIS PUBLICATION CEC Environmental News Update is a weekly publication by the Citizens' Environmental Coalition, a 501(c)3 dedicated to fostering dialogue, education and collaboration about environmental issues in the Houston-Gulf Coast Region. Visit the CEC online at www.cechouston.org. To subscribe or unsubscribe, or to suggest items for inclusion, send your request via e-mail to Sarah Doss at sarah@cechouston.org. |
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