MAYOR PROMISES A NEW APPROACH TO AIR POLLUTION
by Sarah Morgan

At a special city council meeting on air quality Monday, Feb 7, Houston mayor Bill White promised residents of the city's most polluted areas that "it's a new day and a new approach."

Members of the Houston City Council asked pointed questions and outlined specific recommendations for industry and the state regulatory agency for improving Houston's air.

Council member Carol Alvarado made a list of recommendations for implementation at both the city and state levels. Among her recommendations was a request for the state to impose an immediate moratorium on new permits and permit renewals by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for any facility emitting known chemical carcinogens into the air, and for new legislation requiring TCEQ to adopt emissions levels for toxic pollutants that are not federally regulated, in place of the current levels, which are simply guidelines. Alvarado also suggested the City of Houston file civil litigation and issue fines to any facility that violates federal, state, or local regulations, and that the city increase staff and funding for the Bureau of Air Quality Control so as to include more expert evaluation and better data and monitoring.

Alvarado said that she grew up in one of the most polluted areas in Houston.

"All my life I've been exposed to it," she said. "Is our life expectancy going to be shorter?"

According to the health officials who testified before council, that is a possibility.

Jonathan Ward, a toxicologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, said "Studies with industrial workers showed a significant increase in leukemia," and many of the workers studied worked at industrial facilities in Texas. Ward acknowledged that much more research and monitoring needs to be done at the community level to see how exposure is affecting residents' health.

He also said that studies have shown that mice have developed lung cancer at exposure levels as low as 6.25 parts per million. The current occupational standard is 1 part per million. Ward cited a 1980s laboratory study of cancer in rats and mice, where the study had to be stopped because 40 percent of the mice died from leukemia.

The meeting wasn't all science and statistics. Two east Houston residents who spoke at the town hall meeting on air quality last week told their stories to the mayor and the council members.

Rosario Marroquin, a resident of the Manchester area, told the council about her 7-year-old son who has been battling leukemia.

"We are scared that any tiny cancer particle will trigger his leukemia," she said. "I cannot allow him to play outside because I'm scared. Because it stinks."

Marroquin called on the mayor to stick to his promises.

"I need your help to fine these refineries over and over until they learn that there's no room for errors."

Melba Clark, a resident of the Fonde community about five miles west of the ship channel, told the council that she personally knows of 17 cases of cancer among the ten houses nearest her, and 44 cases in a three-block by three-block area. She said that her husband died of cancer, and her 50-year-old son was diagnosed with cancer last year.

"One cancer death is one too many," she said. " I pray for help for those that can be saved."

Representatives from Texas Petrochemicals and Goodyear were on hand. Each company promised to continue working on cutting their emissions.

White called for more than just promises. He asked Texas Petrochemical to supply a "concrete proposal" outlining goals, monetary amounts invested in improvements, and real-time monitoring with "the best available technology." He also promised that the city would work more directly with industry to form an "agreed system of accountability."

MOTHER'S FOR CLEAN AIR: FREE ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS WORKSHOP

Helena VonVille, library director at the University of Texas School of Public Health, will speak about the dangerous effects the release of toxics has on communities near petrochemical facilities. This free one-hour workshop will cover ways to determine who has released what into your community; learn what the potential health effects might be, both short term and long term; find current information about air quality; and develop contacts with existing environmental organizations. Links to all resources shown will be available from a Web site that is free to the public. The first workshop will be Saturday, Feb 12, from 3 to 4 pm, at the LaPorte Branch Library, 600 South Broadway. For more information, call (281) 471-4022.

TREES FOR HOUSTON: REDBUDS & BAYOU BUDDIES PLANTING PARTY ON THE PARKWAY

Planting Party on the Parkway is a volunteer activity/party in which young Houstonians plant twenty 15-gallon trees in addition to weeding and picking up trash. This year's second annual planting party will be Saturday, Feb 19. Please call Catie Pagel at (713) 840-8733 or e-mail catie@treesforhouston.org for details.

HOUSTON GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY ANNUAL ROAD RALLY

The Houston-Galveston Area Council will present a free workshop to learn about the 2025 Regional Transportation Plan with Conformity. This workshop will present the recent air quality conformity analysis conducted by H-GAC to ensure that projects within the 2025 RTP meet our region's air quality goals. It will provide citizens with a better understanding of the conformity process to increase public participation and input. The RTP is the comprehensive, long-term plan that includes transportation projects and improvements on the horizon for the next 20 years in the greater Houston area. The workshop will be Sat, Feb 12, from 9:30 to 11:30 am, at the Houston-Galveston Area Council, 3555 Timmons Lane, Second Floor, Conference Room A. For more information, contact Karl Pepple at (713) 993-4583 or e-mail karl.pepple@h-gac.com

CRAB TRAP REMOVAL NEEDS VOLUNTEERS

Since 2002, scores of volunteers have gathered along the Texas coast on a Saturday morning in mid-February to remove 15,499 abandoned crab traps from Texas bays. Hoping to add to that pile, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officials are gearing up for another round of cleanups, Feb 18-27. Volunteers are needed to assist in a coast-wide effort to remove the many thousands of wire-mesh cages used to catch crab traps that have been lost or abandoned since last year's cleanup. TPWD will be facilitating volunteer trap removal efforts on Sat, Feb 19, at several locations coast-wide. To volunteer or for more information, contact the regional coordinator for Galveston Bay, Rebecca Hensley, at (281) 534-0108.

GREEN MOUNTAIN ENERGY SEEKS CANDIDATES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL DIVISION

Green Mountain Energy Company is the nation's largest retail provider of cleaner electricity; selling electricity generated from sources such as wind, solar, water, geothermal, biomass, and natural gas to residential, business, institutional, and governmental customers. Green Mountain Energy Company is currently looking for two people to join their Environmental Division. Both positions report to the Chief Environmental Officer. Manager of environmental affairs: This position requires an uncommon individual: one who has strong quantitative and analytical skills; who is able to do solitary research and who is adept in working collaboratively under pressure; who is passionate and idealistic about a healthy environment and who is practical in approach. Environmental markets team lead: This position will be responsible for leading the company's product substantiation and product supply through implementation of effective internal controls and processes, as well as understanding evolving external tag registries. To get the full job description for each of these openings, please go to:
http://www.greenmountain.com/about/employment. All resumes and cover letters should be sent to bestjobs@greenmountain.com with the desired job title in the subject field.

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