NEW PERMITTING BILLS COULD RESTRICT PUBLIC INPUT
by Sarah Morgan

A new bill aimed at streamlining the state’s industrial permitting of air, wastewater, injection wells, and solid waste is before the Texas legislature. Some argue that this bill will limit public participation in permitting decisions, shifting more power over to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to make those decisions.

State representative Dennis Bonnen of Angleton, chair of the House Environmental Regulation Committee, is the author of House Bill 2758, which, along with its Senate companion, SB 1542, will alter the process for contested case hearings concerning a majority of permits.

The bill would require anyone requesting a contested case hearing concerning an environmental permit to have submitted written comments on an "issue (that) was raised during the public comment period by the person requesting a hearing."

Currently, a contested case hearing can be requested by anyone concerning any issue raised in the 30 days after notice of a permit application is published.

Another main concern is that the bill would remove the requirement for public notices of the contested case hearings that are granted. What all of this means is that residents who move to the area later, or who aren’t aware of the public comment period, miss their opportunity to fight a permit application.

According to groups such as the Galveston-Houston Association for Smog Prevention and the Texas Campaign for the Environment, these changes will eliminate many opportunities for contested hearings. If the bill passes, for instance, there will be no contested case hearings for renewal permits, amended permits, or new wastewater permits unless they are "new major sources." Similarly, contested case hearings will not be allowed for renewed or amended permits for injection wells, hazardous, industrial, and municipal solid waste, or air emissions. Contested case hearings for new permits for these projects are also restricted, and are only allowed under specific circumstances.

According to an article in The Brazoria County Facts, Bonnen said the bill is being "unfairly criticized by environmental activists." "All it simply says is all concerns and matters need to be brought forward in the beginning," Bonnen told The Facts.

According to a GHASP press release, bills aimed at streamlining the permitting process in Texas incorrectly claim that the environmental permitting process is driving industrial business away from Texas. Citing a new report by consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, GHASP said that Texas processes air, water and hazardous waste permits faster than the average state in the study.

According to GHASP, "Texas has the most industrial sites in the country -- including 2,000 major sources of air pollutants -- and public participation plays a critical role in evaluating permits for those sites."

On a related topic, The Facts reported that Bonnen said he opposes House Bill 2792, authored by Joe Moreno, D-Houston. HB 2792 would require additional pollution monitors along an industrial facility’s fence line and calls for a state study of exposure levels.

Bonnen told The Facts that, though he supports the study, additional monitors are too expensive, and "we already have a fairly good amount of monitoring that exists."

WASTE-FREE LUNCHES ARE EASY WAY TO CUT DOWN TRASH
by Sarah Morgan

In America, every day we are faced with the dilemma of too much trash. Take a look at the floorboards of our cars, our back seats, our purses and briefcases. Chances are, just in these small spaces, there are receipts, napkins, wrappers, and all sorts of other trash. Some are advocating an easy way to cut down on some of the trash we generate -- waste-free lunches.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, 229.2 million tons of municipal solid waste were generated in 2001, a decrease of 2.8 million tons from 2000. But in 1960, only 88.1 million tons of waste were generated, and the generation rate rose steadily until 2001, when it declined. Individually, we each generated 4.41 pounds per day, as compared with 2.68 pounds per day in 1960.

Much of this waste comes from packaging, as much as one-third, according to EPA estimates, and lunch foods are no exception. According to WasteFreeLunches.org, the average a school-age child using a disposable lunch generates 67 pounds of waste per school year, or about 18,760 pounds of lunch waste for one average-sized elementary school. Adults who bring their lunches to work face the same challenges.

Most pack lunch items in single-use plastic bags, aluminum foil, or wax paper, or they purchase single-serving items that come in their own disposable packages.

According to WasteFreeLunches.org, a waste-free lunch favors reusable food and drink containers, utensils, and napkins. It discourages the use of foods in disposable packaging, plastic bags, juice boxes and pouches, paper napkins, and disposable utensils.

The changes are simple. Instead of putting a sandwich, chips, or vegetables in separate disposable bags, put them in reusable plastic containers. Other easy ways to eliminate excess trash include using cloth instead of paper napkins, stainless steel instead of plastic utensils, and a thermos instead of a juice box or bag.

Waste-free lunches can also be less costly, saving about $250 a year per child.

Several schools around the country have already implemented these practices into their school lunch programs. According to WasteFreeLunches.org, Gateway School in Santa Cruz, California, reduced waste by 35 percent. Schools in Illinois, Colorado, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Washington also encourage waste-free lunch programs.

GALVESTON BAY FOUNDATION ANNUAL MEETING TO FEATURE JIM OLIVE

The Galveston Bay Foundation's 2005 Annual Meeting will feature Galveston Bay Foundation Lifetime Member and nature photographer Jim Olive. Jim will be presenting some of his Galveston Bay photos including many of those published in Galveston Bay Foundation's Drive & Discover Galveston Bay Guide. Galveston Bay Foundation members and guests are encouraged to attend. The meeting will be Wed, April 6, from 6 to 8:30 pm, at the Houston Yacht Club, 3620 Miramar Drive, La Porte, TX. Light hors d'oeuvres will be served. Reservations are requested, please. For more information or to reply, contact (281) 332-3381, ext. 207.

MEMORIAL PARK CONSERVANCY MEETING ON TRAFFIC SAFETY IN MEMORIAL PARK

The Memorial Park Conservancy is holding a meeting on traffic safety in Memorial Park on Thurs, April 7, from 7 to 8:30 pm, at St. Theresa's Catholic Church, 6622 Haskell Street. Participants will include officials from Houston Parks and Recreation Department, Police Department, Public Works, the Houston-Galveston Area Council, the Houston City Council, and more. After a short presentation about transportation and traffic issues facing the park from two transportation analysts, there will be an interactive discussion with neighboring residents, park users, interested citizens and local officials. All members of the public are invited, and Spanish-speaking members of the public are encouraged to attend. Residents, recreational users of Memorial Park and other visitors to the park are encouraged to come with questions, concerns, and ideas for making Memorial Park an even better place. Issues such as how to ensure safe interaction between bicyclists, pedestrians, and automobile traffic will be discussed. For more information, contact Peter Tyler at (713) 863-8403 or peter@memorialparkconservancy.org, or visit
http://www.memorialparkconservancy.org.

HOUSTON SIERRA CLUB: HOW TO PROTECT HABITAT IN TEXAS

How do you protect habitat if 97 percent of Texas is privately owned? Carolyn Vogel will explain one of the tools used to protect habitat in Texas -- land trusts. She will also provide an update on important issues affecting land trusts nationally and in Texas. Nationally, there is a movement to restrict the valuation of conservation easements. This could affect the willingness of private landowners to place conservation easements on lands having high habitat value. In Texas, legislation has been proposed to fund the purchase at the state level of the development rights of willing private landowners. Both movements have important implications for future habitat conservation in our state. The meeting will be held Thurs, April 7, from 7:30 to 9 pm, at the Central Presbyterian Church, 3788 Richmond. There will also be a social time beginning at 7 pm. For more information, contact (713) 895-9309 or http://www.texas.sierraclub.org/houston.

HEART’S SEA TURTLE SATURDAY

Help Endangered Animals -- Ridley Turtles (HEART) and Sea Turtle Restoration Project will co-sponsor the first Sea Turtle Saturday for public education on April 9, at the Galveston campus of Texas A&M University. The schedule includes presentations by Donna Shaver of the National Park Service, famous for her work for the Kemp's ridley sea turtles at the Padre Island National Seashore; Joe Flanagan, the chief veterinarian at the Houston Zoo, famous for his medical work with sea turtles at Galveston, and many more. In the morning, HEART will show a video entitled "Last Journey for the Leatherback?" In the afternoon, NOAA Fisheries Service staff will train volunteers to look for Kemp's ridley nesters, tracks and hatchlings on local beaches, followed by a tour through the sea turtle facility at the NOAA Fisheries Service. For a map to the campus, please visit http://www.tamug.edu/campus_map/mitchell.htm. For more information, contact Carole Allen of HEART at (281) 444-6204 or carole@seaturtles.org.

MASTER GARDENER TRAINING AT HERMANN PARK

The Hermann Park Conservancy and the Harris County Extension office will present a Master Gardener Training class at the Houston Garden Center in Hermann Park, 1500 Hermann Drive, each Wednesday from May 4 to July 27. Classes will be from 9 am to 3 pm and topics will include botany, soils, plant pests and diseases, organic gardening and more. Applications will be accepted in person only and only on registration day, April 6. Applications are available at registration, or online at http://www.urbantaex.tamu.edu/harris/horticulture.html. For more information, contact Scott or Carol at (281) 855-5600.

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