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CEC ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS UPDATE – 11/1/02 COALITION NOTES Environmental Justice Listening Session On November 14-16, Texas Southern University (TSU) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 6, will co-sponsor the first Region 6 Environmental Justice Listening Session. The session will be a series of interactive dialogues conducted with community representatives and in partnership with state, tribal, federal, local and municipal government representatives. The purpose is to engage communities in active discourse on topics ranging from general to specific areas of common interest and concern and to work effectively toward mutually beneficial solutions. These dialogues are also intended to gather input and share information with and from communities on environmental, health and quality of life concerns. An exhibition area will be provided in the conference hotel for community organizations, businesses, industrial organizations, and government agencies to highlight their environmental, health and safety activities. There will also be an "open mic night" for individuals to address specific concerns. The sessions will be held at the Houston Hobby Airport Marriott. For more information contact Juan Parras at jparras@tsulaw.edu or call 713-313-0427. Galveston Bay Foundation Needs Volunteers The Galveston Bay Foundation is seeking dedicated volunteers to participate in community-based habitat monitoring of Marsh Mania restoration sites. Training will take place this November and December. Volunteers will receive 8 hours of training to prepare them for wetlands habitat monitoring. Habitat monitors will survey 14 sites four times between January and July of 2003. Each team of volunteers will be responsible for one site, revisiting it and collecting data that will aid in determining the success of the plantings. With this knowledge, the Marsh Mania planners can make improvements for future planting events. Additionally, participants will be able to get wet and muddy, receive valuable education about wetlands and actively participate in restoration projects. To find out more about becoming a habitat monitor, contact Karla Klay at kklay@galvbay.org or Laura Woolley at lwoolley@galvbay.org or call 281-332-3381. Entomology Discussion On Wednesday, November 6 the Nature Discovery Center will host a discussion, Invertebrates as Pets; How and Why? The presenter, J.B. Howell, is an entomologist at the Houston Museum of Natural Science's Cockrell Butterfly Center. Mr. Howell holds a bachelor’s degree in entomology from Texas A & M University and is currently working on his master's degree at Sam Houston State University. He will give practical hints for keeping insects, spiders, tarantulas, millipedes and scorpions happy and healthy in your home, office or classroom. Caged, live specimens will be available for observation. The discussion will begin at 7 pm. For more information, visit LOCAL Flooding I-10 A familiar scene greeted commuters Monday night as rising waters along the Interstate 10/Beltway 8 exchange caused many to abandon their cars. Larry Dunbar, an engineering consultant who specializes in flooding and drainage said that plans to expand the Katy Freeway to 18-24 lanes will only exacerbate problems that have faced the area for years. Dunbar said that increasing the surface area of the highway leads to more runoff because the soil and grass where rainwater was once absorbed is paved over. The other problem with expanding the freeway is inadequate outlet for water from streams it crosses. He said expansion could intensify these conditions. Delvin Dennis, a Texas Department of Transportation engineer, said that while nothing can be done to prevent flooding, expanding the freeway would not cause increased flooding. "We’re in Houston, it’s going to flood, but the question is, ‘will (freeway expansion) make flooding worse?’ and the answer is no." He said TXDOT is purchasing land to build detention ponds to compensate for increased run off. Promises from TXDOT to build detention ponds have not silenced expansion opponents. "We’ve seen this before. They tell you, ‘don’t worry, we’ll take care of it,’ and frankly, we don’t trust them," Dunbar said. The Environmental Impact Statement for the freeway expansion does indicate a need for flood mitigation but does not provide specific analysis on how much detention would be necessary or whether the ponds being built by TXDOT would provide adequate mitigation. This information is missing from the EIS despite two drainage studies completed in 1998 and 1999. Dunbar said that when opponents asked about the results of the studies, they were told that new studies would be conducted. He accused the agency of not being forthcoming with all the information. Dennis said he had no knowledge of future drainage studies and that all pertinent information was provided in the EIS. Meanwhile, TXDOT is moving ahead with the planned expansion. According to Dennis, some elements of the design plan are close to 90 percent completion. Houston Speed Limit State transportation commissioners voted on Thursday to raise the maximum speed limit in the Houston-Galveston area to 65 mph. The speed limit was lowered to 55 mph earlier this year as part of the State Implementation Plan to bring the city into compliance with the Clean Air Act. Houston must reduce ozone-causing emissions by 750 tons per day by 2007 or risk losing federal highway funds. The Transportation Commission’s decision is the second of three approvals needed to make the change. In September, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality approved the plan; the proposal must still be approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. Prompted by public outcry and new scientific data, the TCEQ proposed raising the speed limit in June. John Wilson, executive director of the Galveston-Houston Association for Smog Prevention said that while he was disappointed by the commission’s decision, clean air could be achieved without lowering the speed limit. "It’s unfortunate that the state decided to remove a piece of the plan, without fixing the entire plan," he said. "But the whole speed limit issue is really just a distraction from issues of greater public significance." He said he would rather see the media focus attention on the rollback of pollution controls on industry. Original estimates had the lowered limits achieving about seven percent of the needed reductions. However, the Texas Air Quality Study revealed that figure was about three times too high. Meredith Gardens At the corner of Richmond Avenue and Mandell Street in southwest Houston is a vacant lot that one local group covets as a chance to provide much-neede green space inside the loop. The group, led by Castle Court resident Lynn Kelly, began circulating petitions three weeks ago to convince the City of Houston to transfer ownership of the lot from the library department to the parks department. Their goal is to double the size of Meredith Gardens, a community garden that lies adjacent to the lot. Kelly called the petitioning a preemptive measure as residents hope to put pressure on City Council to transfer the land rather than sell it to private developers. She had help spreading the word about the project from Friends of Herman Park, Trees For Houston, the Park People and the Montrose, West University and Museum District neighborhoods. "We want to make sure City Council knows that we have support from outside the immediate neighborhood," she said. "People all over the city would much rather see a green park than this eyesore." Over the years, the "eyesore" has been used as a dumping ground, a rest stop for passing truck drivers and a place for vendors to illegally sell their wares. The northern half of the site is marred by fragmented building foundations and exposed ends of reinforcing bars. Meredith Gardens, which occupies the southern half of the 3-acre parcel, is widely recognized throughout the city as a model community garden. For years, the park has been featured on Urban Harvest's Garden Tour. Volunteer gardeners tend to vegetables, herbs and flowers. Neighbors plant grass and pick vegetables. A compost pile provides soil. Classes are held in the park to teach school children about ecology and gardening. The site was originally acquired by the city through eminent domain to build the Montrose Library, but went unused since 1980 when the library was erected instead on Montrose Boulevard. In 1991, the Castle Court Neighborhood Association, under the direction of resident Meredith Burke who the park was subsequently named after, adopted the southern half of the site through the city’s Adopt-A-Lot program. Volunteers cleaned, beautified and maintained the site as a community garden. Because the northern half of the site previously housed commercial businesses, the library department must complete an environmental assessment before disposing of the land. That study is expected to be completed later this month. City Council will then vote to either transfer or sell the land. If you would like to sign the petition or help spread the word, contact Kelly at 713-256-3244 before November 15. GREEN JOBS Web Designer Citizens Trade Campaign, a national coalition of environmental and other groups, is seeking an intern experienced in web design. The intern would be responsible for designing a new website for CTC. The intern would work from home or a location of her/his choice and does not need to be located in the DC area. The time commitment is about 15 hours per week and the January start date is flexible. Compensation may be class credit or a possible stipend. The duration is flexible with the possibility of paid contracting once the internship ends. The application deadline is December 1. To apply, send resume, cover letter, work samples and the contact information for two references to internship@citizenstrade.org, fax: 202 293 5308 or mail to Megan Caine - Internship Search, Citizens Trade Campaign, PO BOX 77077, Washington DC 20013. 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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