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Environmental News Update 12/14/01 LOCAL Thousands Attend Bayport DEIS Hearing An estimated 3,000 to 4,000 people attended the December 12th public hearing hosted by the US Army Corps of Engineers on the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for the Bayport container port facility. Acreage Added to Bolivar Flats Sanctuary On November 30, the Houston Audubon Society closed on the purchase of 615 acres adjacent to Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary in Port Bolivar. The purchase is the largest acquisition project ever undertaken by Houston Audubon and was made possible by donations from Houston Endowment, the Brown Foundation, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Shell Oil, Phillips Petroleum, Texas Parks and Wildlife, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Texas Ornithological Society, American Birding Association, the Peterson Charitable Lead Trust, the Gordon and Mary Cain Foundation, members, friends, and birdwatchers from around the country. The land will be added to the sanctuary. STATE Vast Majority of Public Comments Criticize State Water Plan Ninety-six percent of the written public comments received by the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) have been critical of the proposed State Water Plan, according to the National Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, Texas Center for Policy Studies, and Environmental Defense. The groups reviewed about 2,000 written comments submitted to the TWDB during a public comment period that ended November 12. Consistent with those comments, the four organizations urged the TWDB to expressly acknowledge the State Water Plan's shortcomings and commit to a process for addressing deficiencies before recommending implementation of major projects. Despite this plea, TWDB approved the plan on Wednesday. TNRCC to Vote on Compliance History The Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commissioners are expected to vote on Wednesday, December 19 on a proposal to implement a compliance performance-based regulatory structure. The rule is supposed to create a list of factors that will be reviewed when a company comes to TNRCC for a new permit or permit amendment, or when a company wants to participate in "flexible" programs or have privileges like reduced inspections, according to the Alliance for a Clean Texas (ACT). The rationale is that if a company has a bad compliance history, it should not get special deals and perks. ACT is concerned, however, that the proposed regulations would consider only those notices of violation (NOVs) issued after February 1, 2002, allowing polluters to wipe their slates clean. Also, the proposed regulations would limit the compliance history review to only the legal entity named in the permit for the facility; contrary to existing practice, it would not include parent, sister, subsidiary, or other closely related corporations. With this loophole, says ACT, any company could avoid a comprehensive compliance history review by creating a new legal entity to run each of its facilities. For more details, and how you can voice your opinion to TNRCC, visit http://www.tnrcc-watch.org/rule-making.html#4. RESOURCES Profiling Pollution The new Texas Environmental Profiles website profiles the pollution in each Texas county and ranks them in different categories. Harris County ranks first in 18 of the indicators of environmental quality. The website is a joint project of Environmental Defense and the Texas Center for Policy Studies and is available at http://www.texasep.org. 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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