ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR., TO SPEAK AT HOBBY CENTER
Information provided by The Progressive Forum

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., will speak in Houston on Monday, June 13, about environmental policy and the role our natural surroundings play in our work, health, and identity as Americans. The talk, entitled "A Contract With Our Future," will be at 7:30 pm at the Hobby Center's Sarofim Hall.

Kennedy is the country's most prominent environmental attorney and the author of "Crimes Against Nature" (2004), which was on the New York Times bestseller list. The book opens with a chapter called "The Mess in Texas," and begins "As you fly over the Houston Ship Channel at twilight, thousands of flares seem to ignite in the approaching darkness ... Plumes of black smoke belch upward and acrid odors permeate the air. The smell of money, some call it."

The book, as described by Amazon.com, charges that George W. Bush's White House "has taken corporate cronyism to such unprecedented heights that it now threatens our health, our national security, and democracy as we know it."

Kennedy was named one of Time magazine's Heroes for the Planet for his success in helping Riverkeeper lead the fight to restore the Hudson River. This coordinated achievement encouraged the founding of more than 125 Waterkeeper organizations around the world, including the Galveston Bay Conservation & Preservation Association.

Kennedy serves as senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, chief prosecuting attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper, and president of the Waterkeeper Alliance. He is also a law professor at Pace University School of Law's Environmental Litigation Clinic and co-host of "Ring of Fire" on Air America Radio. Kennedy is a graduate of Harvard University; he earned a law degree from the University of Virginia and a master's degree in environmental law from Pace University.

The event will also feature Houston mayor Bill White, who will outline this area's environmental challenges.

The evening will be the premiere event for The Progressive Forum, a nonprofit organization with plans to bring more speakers to Houston, including Al Franken, Jon Stewart, Bill Moyers, Garrison Keillor, Molly Ivins, and Bill Clinton.

After the program, there will be a book signing, with books for sale in the lobby.

Tickets are $35, $25, and $10 with discounts for students, seniors, and groups of 15 or more. Tickets are on sale now at the Hobby Center, (713) 315-2525, or http://www.thehobbycenter.org.

REPORT LINKS TRANS-TEXAS CORRIDOR AND POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS
by Sarah Morgan

A new report released this week links political contributions made by road building and toll-bond interests to the Trans-Texas Corridor, a $183.5 billion toll-road system, and the largest toll-road project in the United States.

The TTC includes plans for about 4,000 miles of ten-lane toll roads, high-speed rail, freight rail, and utilities that will run from Arkansas to Mexico.

Texas governor Rick Perry proposed the TTC in 2002. Since then, the project has faced criticism from many groups and individuals concerned about everything from land acquisition (the project is expected to encompass a half-million acres) to wildlife and ecosystem destruction.

The report, released by Campaigns for People, looks only at the Trans-Texas Corridor segment dubbed TTC-35, the largest section of toll corridor under construction in Texas to date. Current plans show that this segment will parallel I-35, beginning in San Antonio and ending north of Dallas. According to the report, round-trip toll charges for this 400-mile route will cost between $25 and $80.

The report charges that the "TxDOT Top 10" road contractors, as well as the top 10 bidders on the TTC-35, and their employees and political action committees gave more than $2.9 million to executive and legislative candidates for Texas state office in the past four years alone.

According to the report, The top 10 contractors, which, combined, received about 40 percent of the TxDOT contracts awarded from January of 2001 to December of 2004, gave more than $1 million in political contributions during this 4-year time period. The top 10 bidders on the TTC project contributed about $2 million. Of those bidders, the winning bidder, CINTRA, gave about $800,000 in contributions to executive and legislative candidates for state office. Campaigns for People attained these figures through open records requests in 2004 and 2005.

Despite protests, the TTC has already been approved and the project is charging ahead. However, amendments are still being made to the original plans. During the 79th legislature, the House passed Bill 2702, which includes provisions related to the TTC.

According to the Waco-Herald Tribune, the bill requires that businesses near the corridor, such as gas stations and restaurants, pay local government property taxes. Also, the corridor must be accessible by vehicles on all intersecting highways and as many roads as possible, assuaging the fear that rural communities would suffer all of the damages and reap none of the economic rewards associated with the project. The bill also contains provisions related to groundwater rights and property rights.

The full report on political contributions and the TTC can be found at
http://cleanuptexaspolitics.com/images/TollCorridorMoney.pdf.

TCEQ PUBLIC MEETING ON DICKINSON BAYOU

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will be conducting a public meeting concerning the Total Maximum Daily Load for Dissolved Oxygen in Dickinson Bayou on Thursday, June 16, from 3:30 to 6:00 pm, at the Kemah Community Center. The Center is located on Marina Bay Drive at Highway 146 (FM 2094 @ HWY 146) in Kemah.

A TMDL is a detailed water quality assessment that provides the scientific foundation for allocating pollutant loads in a certain body of water in order to restore and maintain designated uses. The TCEQ website reports, "In Dickinson Bayou Tidal (Segment 1103), water quality testing indicated that dissolved oxygen concentrations were occasionally lower than the criteria to ensure optimum conditions for aquatic life."

The agenda for the meeting includes an update on the progress of the TMDL analysis, a presentation by John Jacob with Texas Sea Grant entitled "Lessons from Armand Bayou: Organization and Structure," a presentation by Marissa Sipocz of Texas Cooperative Extension entitled "Dickinson Bayou Restoration Plan: A Community Effort," and a discussion of the application submitted to the TCEQ by Marlin Atlantis White, Ltd., for a permit to discharge wastewater into Gum Bayou.

For more information, visit http://www.gbep.state.tx.us.

ENVISION HOUSTON REGION 2030

Blueprint Houston and the Houston-Galveston Area Council are sponsoring a land-use transportation visioning project for the region: Envision Houston Region 2030. This project will give the public an opportunity to participate in planning the region's future infrastructure. Mobility, air quality, flood control, and healthy neighborhoods are a challenge, and today's planning decisions make a difference. At the workshop, citizens and stakeholders can map their suggestions for where an expected 3 million more people will live and work in the Houston region. H-GAC has agreed to help fund this project as a way of involving the public in the development of future regional transportation plans. Given how much the transportation network affects our daily lives and the form of the city's future, the sponsors want as many people as possible to know about the opportunity. The workshop will be June 18, from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm, at the George R. Brown Convention Center, Room 306. For more information or to RSVP, call (713) 522-0590 hsweetnam@blueprinthouston.org.

HOUSTON-AREA SUMMER CAMP KICK-OFFS

Several groups and organizations in the Houston area offer a wide variety of camps going on throughout the summer. The Armand Bayou Nature Center, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Houston Zoo, the Houston Audubon Society, the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center, and the Nature Discovery Center all hold summer camps beginning June 13 for those in pre-kindergarten through age 13. Some of the camps include Reptiles 101, Zoo Camp Zoofari, and Senior Coastal Ecology. For a more complete listing, see the CEC environmental calendar at http://www.cechouston.org/cgi-bin/cal/webevent.cgi or contact the individual organizations.

TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROFESSIONALS MEETING ON GRAND PARKWAY

The speaker for the Texas Association of Environmental Professionals' June luncheon meeting will be David Gornet, executive director of the Grand Parkway Association. He will present an update on the Grand Parkway Project on Thursday, June 16, beginning at 11:45 am, at Brady's Landing restaurant, 8505 Cypress Street. Registration will begin at approximately 11:15 am, and a buffet lunch will be served. The cost of the meeting is $20 for TAEP members and $30 for non-members. Reservations should be made no later than noon Wednesday, June 15, by e-mailing taep@taep.org, or by visiting http://www.taep.org, where a printable map to the restaurant is also available. TAEP is a nonprofit organization under the National Association of Environmental Professionals, with the primary aim of advancing environmental professions and providing a forum for discussing important environmental issues.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO FEED BABY BIRDS

The Texas Wildlife Rehabilitation Coalition is seeking volunteer baby bird feeders. Each summer, approximately 3,000 baby birds enter the TWRC shelter. Five years ago, TWRC initiated a program that provides on-site care for baby birds. Volunteers sign up to work four-hour shifts. Each shift is staffed by two or three volunteers under the guidance of a baby bird program supervisor. Volunteers must be at least 16 years of age. Duties include feeding the birds, food preparation, cleaning cages, washing dishes, general maintenance of the bird area, and mealworm husbandry. A sincere interest in working with wildlife is required, and volunteers must attend one training class (1.5 hrs). The work is very rewarding. Please apply for the training at (713) 468-8972.

TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND SEEKS INTERN

The Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit organization, is seeking an individual with excellent communication, organizational, and technical writing skills, with some background in GIS computer technology and a demonstrated interest in land conservation, to intern in its Houston-Galveston office. The successful candidate will work closely with the program director in coordinating with the City of Pasadena on a community planning process for the Armand Bayou watershed. Key tasks will include planning and coordinating meetings, and public outreach.
This is a temporary, part-time position averaging 12-15 hours per week, beginning in June 2005 and ending at the completion of the project, in spring 2006.
For more information or to apply, please contact Linda Shead at (713) 226-7200 or linda.shead@tpl.org.

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