|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
CEC ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS UPDATE 6/27/03 Coalition Notes Blueprint Houston begins implementation phase After classifying and prioritizing citizens’ goals for a better city, Blueprint Houston is ready to implement a plan to make those goals a reality. A meeting to discuss next steps for implementing the goals prioritized at the Citizen Congress is scheduled for Monday, June 30. The event will be at the Houston Community College Southwest in the auditorium, 5601 West Loop South, 6:30-8:30pm.
WALQ launches new web site The West Alabama Quality of Life Coalition today announced the launch of its new website at www.WALQ.org."This site is the only resource available that confronts head-on the huge negative impacts that Spur 527 construction traffic will have on our neighborhoods," said WALQ founder Ray Jones. "It’s all there — from expert opinions to scientific studies." The site features detailed maps of the construction impact area and provides several ways to protest the current Spur plan, including a list of public officials and contact information. For more information about WALQ’s campaign to resist the Spur closure, contact Jones at 713-529-7887. Local Lawsuit filed over Bayport Several groups filed suit in federal court Tuesday against the Army Corp of Engineers to stop the agency from permitting a $1.2 billion container port the Houston Port Authority wants to build at Bayport. For years, opponents have lobbied the Port of Houston Authority to construct its container port at alternative sites. One complaint sited in the lawsuit suggested alternative sites were not adequately considered by the Corps. "We are absolutely dumbfounded as to why the port of Houston continues to insist that the Bayport site is where they’re going to have their future port for container traffic," attorney for Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association Jim Blackburn. Environmentalists have called Bayport the most damaging site considered for the proposed facility. The vessels that will inhabit the facility require depths of at least 50 feet. The water at Bayport is only 40 feet deep requiring developers to dredge the bay. GBCPA’s Blackburn said the Corps have not evaluated the environmental impacts of dredging the bay. "We believe that deeper water will bring more salinity in the system and that there’s no faster way to kill the productivity of Galveston Bay than with a deeper Houston Ship Channel," he said. According to Blackburn, a facility built in the lower portion of the bay would do less damage. "If we don’t get the truth about this now, we will never have an honest debate about whether to widen and deepen the ship channel. I think personally nothing less than the future of Galveston Bay is at stake," he said. A report released by Harris County last month contradicts the findings of the Army Corps environmental assessment, which determined Spillman’s Island was not a viable alternative site for the proposed facility. Though the suit was filed against the Corps, litigants say they hope it will result in changes to the way the Port Authority does business. Despite five years of community opposition, the Port seems to be conducting business as usual doling out contracts as recently as last week. Larry Tobin, city council member for Taylor Lake Village, is one of two cities to join the lawsuit criticised the Port Auhtority. "You can see all of the engineering and construction firms and politicians moving up with their snouts to the trough ready to go for controlling the funds. It is time to look at the lack of accountability of the port authority. The port authority is much like a rent free operation. They don‚t even pay their own debt service, but they seem to have plenty of money to pour on the public with advertising about how well they do. Its time for a change, its time for accountability, its time for a better port operation." Opponents of the Bayport site also raised concerns over wetlands protection. Both the Environmental Protection Agency the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have questioned the manner in which the Corps calculated the number of wetlands in its jurisdiction. The final environmental impact statement issued by the Corps last month also revealed violations of federal noise and air pollution standards. The public comment period on the Corps final assessment will close July 16. Clean Air
advocates take aim at new ozone standard About 30 people testified Friday at a community meeting on changes to federal ozone standards. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality presented options to implement changes local environmental advocates say will slow Houston’s momentum toward clean air. The proposal would require the state to draft a new plan to clean up the air by 2007, the year they were supposed to meet the original ozone standard. The new rule would replace the current ozone standard
with a more stringent one while changing the manner in which ozone is
monitored. The old standard took one-hour measurements of ozone pollution
and triggered health warnings at higher ozone levels. The new standard
takes a longer, eight-hour view, but lowers the threshold. Federal and state officials say the city's ozone spikes may not violate the new standard. One of three EPA studies found that the new standard may not provide as effective health protections in Houston as in other areas of the country. Dallas Clean Skies Alliance’s Katy Hubener said over eight hours exposure to ozone is dangerous even at low levels. Hubener, who testified against the new standard before
TCEQ last week, complained the agency did not provide the public with
a clear picture of impending rule changes. Hubener said she and other environmentalists worry that if new rules are not properly put in place, public health will suffer. New law puts state at helm of environmental law enforcement Govern or Rick Perry signed Senate Bill 1265 last week, requiring law enforcement officers to report environmental law violations directly to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Opponents claimed the legislation would remove local control over environmental laws. Chief of Harris County District Attorney‰s environmental crimes unit, Roger Haseman , perhaps the most vocal of the bill‰s opponents said he was not surprised the bill was passed despite organized opposition from state law enforcers. "It was clear all session this was something the Governor wanted and something industry wanted," he said. Amendments to the bill in the state House limited its scope by granting TCEQ jurisdiction over only those crimes which involved permit violations. Local law enforcers will still have first crack at the bulk of environmental criminals who do not hold permits with the state. "Overall, this is still an industry-friendly bill and we (environmental law enforcers) were better off without it," Haseman said. "But the bill was definitely watered down and if you ask (the industry lobby) they‰re probably not happy with it either." The new law will have significant impact in Houston, where most of the state's environmental crimes occur. The Harris County district attorney's environmental crimes division handled 660 criminal cases last year, collecting nearly $700,000 in penalties. In comparison, the state attorney general in 2002 enforced 13 environmental cases criminally statewide. 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. |
|