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CEC ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS UPDATE 6/6/03 Coalition Notes MFCA needs volunteers for ozone survey Mothers for
Clean Air is looking for volunteers for an upcoming survey of ozone
advisories in the Houston/Galveston area. The 14 week survey will reveal
when and where ozone advisories are reported in the local media. Be a
regular program volunteer by filling out weekly entries over the web at
www.mothersforcleanair.org NPS taking comments on turtles and watercraft The National Park Service is preparing an Environmental
Assessment about the use of personal watercraft at the Padre Island National
Seashore. The Sea Turtle Restoration
Project and Help Endangered
Animals-Ridley Turtles believe that these personal watercraft should
be kept away from areas where the endangered Kemp's Ridley and other sea
turtles can be injured or adversely affected. Information gathered from
visitors who have seen swimming turtles plus netting research, satellite-tracking
studies, and stranding records indicate there are sea turtles at the Padre
Island National Seashore year-round. Personal watercraft are dangerous
to the turtles and other wildlife because of loud engine noise, fuel discharged
into the water, nitrogen oxide emissions of volatile organic compounds
and the risk of collision. You can help by contributing a comment to the assessment.
Comments are needed by June 16, 2003. E-mails can be sent to Pais_public_comments@nps.gov.
Letters may be sent to Superintendent, Padre Island National Seashore;
P.O. Box 181300; Corpus Christi, Texas 78480-1300. If you have questions, e-mail Carole Allen at Carole@seaturtles.org. Local Environmentalists to protest local Ford dealership A protest at the Planet
Ford dealership in Houston tomorrow will be just one of similar actions
in more than 20 cities across the country. Organizers from Global
Exchange, Rain Forest Action Network
and the Sierra Club say protesters
will demand the company improve fuel efficiency and reduce tailpipe emissions. Human rights and environmental activists blame Ford for
driving what they call America’s oil addiction. The company recently
reneged on a promise to cut emissions for its Sport Utility vehicles citing
cost concerns. Ford cars currently account for 10 percent of the country’s
annual oil consumption. With more than 118 million Americans living in cities
like Houston that do not meet federal clean air standards, activists say
Ford has a responsibility to its consumers. Montgomery County Green Party’s
Anne Bayerkohler organized tomorrow’s Houston protest. "Texas is truck country," Bayerkohler said.
"We’re not asking consumers to boycott Ford, we just want them
to demand cleaner cars." Activists accused Ford of dragging its feet on clean-car
technology while companies like Honda and Toyota are manufacturing a fourth
generation of hybrid vehicles, which average 50 miles per gallon. By fuel
efficiency standards, the Model T, introduced by Ford in 1909, which got
25 miles to the gallon out performed the Ford vehicle of today, which
averages 27 miles per gallon. Human rights advocates will join environmentalists for
the weekend’s protests to bring consumer attention to foreign victims
of America’s thirst for oil. Multi-national oil companies employ
military factions to protect their oversees assets. Thousands of civilians
in Colombia, Indonesia and the Niger Delta have died at the hands of such
factions. Ford officials say they sympathize with the protestors,
but have no plans to make engine upgrades they say cost too much money.
The company will mark its 100th anniversary in Deereborne Michigan next
week with a celebration they dubbed "The Road is Ours." Rainforest Action Network has
detailed information about this weekend’s events on their web site. After much
debate, a bill to fund the Texas Emissions Reduction Program was passed
in conference committee Monday and heads to the Governor’s desk. The measure will raise enough money to fund emissions
reductions required by the Environmental Protection Agency primarily through
an increase in the vehicle title transfer fees, which drivers pay when
they buy a car. The balance of the funding comes from a fee on the sale,
use or lease of diesel equipment. Sales of diesel trucks built before
1997 would be taxed at two percent while newer, cleaner equipment operators
would pay one percent. The bill prohibits the Texas Commission on Environmental
Quality from reducing speed limits to control emissions. Angleton Republican
Dennis Bonnen fought hard for this provision vowing to kill the bill unless
it were included. That the bill was passed at all was a victory for environmentalists
said Galveston-Houston Association for
Smog Prevention’s John Wilson. "It was an unusual move by this legislature to actually
pay for something that needed to get done and we’re optimistic that
the program will work," he said. Without funding, the state faces serious sanctions from
the EPA including the loss of millions in federal highway dollars. Cities
like Dallas and Houston must comply with federal clean air standards by
2007. Houston company heads to court over St. Louis
plant A subsidiary of Houston-based Dynegy
Inc. heads to court this week facing charges that it violated provisions
of the clean air act.
Illinois Power,
owned by Dynegy, is accused of violating a provision that allowed existing
power plants to be "grandfathered". Under the law, companies are under
no obligation to comply with federal air pollution requirements as long
as their plants did not make major modifications.
The basis of the complaint, filed by the Justice Department
and the Environmental Protection Agency, is $50 million worth of work
on Illinois Power's Baldwin generating plant the agencies say constituted
a major modification. The company maintains the money was spent on repairs.
The Clean Air Act provides companies may make repairs without sacrificing
their "grandfathered" status.
The case will not be heard by a jury; the decision lies
entirely in the hands of US District Judge Michael Reagan. If Reagan decides
the work was a major modification, Illinois Power would be required to
install the most recent pollution control technology. The upgrades could
cost the company hundreds of millions.
The Baldwin plant, which operates an hour south of St.
Louis, had been one of the country's worst polluters before lawsuits in
1999 led to a 90 percent reduction in sulfur dioxide emissions.
Government and company officials declined to comment on
the case. Dynegy lawyers say the agencies cannot prove the plant was modified
or that its emissions increased.
City to sue feds over San Jacinto Rail Houston city council last week voted to go to court over
the US Surface Transportation BoardÕs approval of construction of the
San Jacinto rail line. Council approved a $250,00 contract with Houston
law firm Vinson and Elkins to represent the city in their case against
the federal agency by a margin of 13-1. Council Member Gordon Quan was
the lone dissenter.
Council member Addie Wiseman, whose district is bisected
by the propose line said she voted in favor of the lawsuit based on her
constituentsÕ interest.
The San Jacinto rail has stirred tempers for some time.
The close of a stormy comment period in February found business interests
pitted against quality of life concerns and the Latino communities of
HoustonÕs East End up in arms over issues of environmental racism.
The $80 million project proposed by Burlington National
Santa Fe and four chemical companies would link a new rail line from the
Bayport industrial complex to tracks that run parallel to state Highway
3, lowering shipping costs for the consortium. The proposal calls for
at least two trains per day, each carrying up to 66 carloads of chemicals,
to pass along the north side of residential neighborhoods in Clear Lake
before veering around Ellington Field.
Two public hearings on the projectÕs Draft Environmental
Impact Statement in January drew hundreds of opponents. The DEIS completed
by the Surface Transportation Board, the permitting agency for the project,
reported ÔnegligibleÕ environmental impacts.
However since its release in December, the DEIS has been
blasted by environmentalists and local officials alleging inaccuracies
and omissions.
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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