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CEC ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS UPDATE 9/26/03 COALITION NOTES Water conference this Saturday The Sierra Club will host its annual Water for People
and the Environment conference this Saturday, Sept. 27. The topics to
be addressed will include protecting environmental flows, desalination,
water conservation in Texas, the Texas legislature and water supply systems.
For more information contact the Lone
Star chapter at (512) 477-1729, lonestar.chapter@sierraclub.org.
Renewable energy fair this weekend The Renewable Energy Roundup will be hosted this weekend,
Sept. 26-28 in Fredericksberg. Organizers say the Roundup is the biggest
sustainability event in the Southern United States with opportunities
to learn about organics, renewables, green building, and alternative-fuel
vehicles. The event also features, organic wine tasting, family and children’s
activities, food, beer and music. Metro hosts public meetings on rail On Nov. 4, Houstonians will vote on whether to approve the first phase Metro Solutions transit system. A mobility plan that will ultimately include 72 miles of rail and 50 percent expansion of bus services. A series of public meetings will be held where Metro answer communities’ questions about the plan. To see a complete listing of meeting times and locations, visit http://www.ridemetro.org. Katy Corridor Coalition hosts town hall meeting A town hall meeting on the status of the Katy Freeway expansion project will be hosted by the Katy Corridor Coalition. KCC attorney, Jim Blackburn, will provide an update on the status of the lawsuit and will describe new findings concerning the I-10 and Loop 610 projects that have ramifications for Memorial Park and adjacent residential areas. Discussion will also include impact to homes, businesses and green space along the Katy freeway and what elected officials, civic groups and individuals can do to help. The meeting will be held Tuesday, Oct. 2, 7-9 pm at Houston's First Baptist Church, 7401 Katy Freeway (at the Southwest Corner of 610 and I-10). For more information, contact Polly Ledvina at (713) 524-4578 or visit http://www.katycorridor.org. LOCAL Residents want city's help to cleanup dump site At a Houston City Council meeting last week, area residents reported the findings of soil tests from the ground near an abandoned landfill behind their homes. For six years, residents of the Acres Homes super neighborhood have been trying get the city of Houston to help investigate and cleanup the landfill shut down by the city more than 20 years ago. Since then, around 70 residents have developed cancer and 22 have died. Suspecting a link between the abandoned dump and the high incidence of illness, the neighborhoods’ civic associations took matters into their own hands. The neighborhood partnered with the University of Texas Health Science Center to secure an EPA grant to test the soil around their homes for contaminants. Soil samples tested by Quantum Environmental Services found evidence of arsenic, cadmium and lead at levels above Texas Commission on Environmental Quality safety standards for residential areas. City officials, however, maintain they have not taken action to clean up the site because they have no proof industrial dumping has occurred or that the area is contaminated. James Smith, President of the Ella Park Terrace civic club said he has pictures of debris left at the landfill after it was closed. "The previous owner did not keep a record of who dumped or what they dumped so they could have been dumping contaminants," he said. Though soil samples taken by the city did not reveal hazardous levels of contaminants, health department officials say they are working with neighbors to further investigate. Environmental quality specialist for the city health department, Charles Roosevelt, said the Environmental Protection Agency would be brought in by the end of September to conduct a more thorough analysis of the site. "We can’t say at this point whether there is or isn’t contamination," Roosevelt said. "Once EPA gets in here, we’ll be a whole lot better off." Complicating matters is the question of ownership. When the city shut down the landfill, which was operating without a license, a temporary injunction was filed requiring the owner to comply with state environmental standards for closing the dump. City records show the owner, Raymond Booker violated the court order and served two days in jail in 1982. Since then, no property taxes have been paid on the land. Booker denied owning the property or using it as a landfill. City officials say they cannot prove that dumping has continued. As Smith and other Acres Homes residents await EPA findings, the question of who will ultimately clean up the mess still looms large. Shell neighbors from around globe find solidarity in Port Arthur Residents from communities who live along the fence lines
of Shell oil refineries all over the world traveled to Port Arthur Wednesday.
They came from around the world to unite with local residents who suffer
from pollution-related health effects, and to demand the company improve
reporting practices and lower its emissions. Like the delegates from around the world who want Shell to improve their emissions reporting, Port Arthur residents are demanding Shell install monitors on the fence line of their local Motiva plant. Kelley said Shell neighbors want access to the truth about chemicals in the air they breathe. "We want Motiva to tell us what’s in the air immediately after a flaring," he said. "We have a right to know what we’re breathing." Kelley is one of 600 Port Arthur residents who filed a class action lawsuit against Shell, and five other companies. It is the first lawsuit ever to charge a company for fraud based on inaccurate emissions reporting. Shell officials refused to comment on the lawsuit. Spokesperson
Tracey McMinn insisted the company maintains a network of monitors and
communicates with neighbors. She said all the data collected is available
for residents to view online. Residents want Shell to use the latest technology called open air path monitors. Environmental engineer Don Gmillis said the new monitors, approve by the Environmental Protection Agency can detect chemicals like cancer-causing benzene before they reach hazardous levels. It may be more than a year before Port Arthur residents have their day in court, but neighbors say they will stay involved through a local grassroots organization, the Community In Power and Development Association. As local communities fight for better air quality, the global struggle continues. Shell neighbor from South Durban South Africa, Desmond D’Sa, said solidarity between Shell-affected communities around the globe was the only way fight polluting industries. "We don’t have the money or the resources of these big companies, but what we have is our hearts our energy and our drive," D’Sa said. Port Arthur residents say plan to travel to South African refinery communities early next year.
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 David Gresham at david@cechouston.org. |
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