From Chron: EDC Endorses Missouri City/Fresno Area Landfill Expansion (Click title link to get full story)-
Olivo calls meeting Thursday on landfill
By ZEN T. C. ZHENG
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
A townhall meeting Thursday is expected to draw residents from more than a dozen neighborhoods in and near Fort Bend County's eastend who are concerned about proposed expansion of a nearby landfill.
State Rep. Dora Olivo, D-Missouri City, has called the meeting, which will start at 7 p.m. at Willowridge High School, 16301 Chimney Rock.
In July, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality held a public meeting on the issue, which drew protests from neighbors.
Allied Waste, which does business as BFI in Houston, has been operating the Blue Ridge Landfill at 2200 FM 521 south of McHard Road and one mile north of Fresno.
The company is seeking permits from regulatory agencies including TCEQ to expand the 599-acre facility to 1,345 acres toward the north and west. Enlarging capacity would accommodate waste for 40 years.
TCEQ is reviewing the application with the initial comments taken from residents.
Precinct 1 County Commissioner Tom Stavinoha, who supports the landfill's expansion, said he received the invitation to the meeting from Olivo but chose not to attend.
"I think she's trying to stir things up," Stavinoha said. "I don't think we can stop the expansion unless TCEQ finds technical issues that it is not aware of."
Stavinoha and Herbert Appel, chief executive officer of Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council, who also endorses BFI's plan, had cited a "tipping fee" BFI has been contributing to the county. Now half of that money, up to $200,000 a year, will be directly used for the community near the landfill.
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Comment: What, if any, studies have been done on the impact of the current landfill on ground water and quality of life issues in this area of the county prior to the doubling in size of this dump?
posted by responsible_dvlpmnt at Thursday, November 09, 2006
9 Comments:
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I wonder if this support by the EDC and Stavinoha has anything to do with the 200K the county gets from AW?
I wonder how the Arcola and Missouri City councils feel about this expansion and why we haven't heard any of those elected officials chiming in yet?
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Ck this out:
http://www.ahrc.com/new/index.php/src/news/sub/article/action/ShowMedia/id/3282
See this special hearing and attend if possible:
DATE and TIME TCEQ REGION DESCRIPTION
December 7, 2006
7:00 p.m. 12 Public Meeting
NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING ON AN APPLICATION FOR
MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE PERMIT AMENDMENT NO. 1505A
APPLICATION. Blue Ridge Landfill TX, LP, 2200 FM 521, Fresno, Texas 77545, has applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for an amendment to authorize a vertical and horizontal expansion of the existing solid waste landfill. The facility is located at 2200 FM 521, one mile north of Fresno in Fort Bend County, Texas.
The TCEQ Executive Director has completed the technical review of the application and prepared a draft permit. The draft permit, if approved, would establish the conditions under which the facility must operate. The Executive Director has made a preliminary decision that this draft permit, if issued, meets all statutory and regulatory requirements.
PUBLIC COMMENT/PUBLIC MEETING. A public meeting will be held and will consist of two parts, an Informal Discussion Period and a Formal Comment Period. During the Informal Discussion Period, the public is encouraged to ask questions of the applicant and TCEQ staff concerning the application, but comments made during the informal period will not be considered by the Commissioners before reaching a decision on the permit, and no formal response will be made to the informal comments. During the Formal Comment Period, members of the public may state their comments into the official record. A written response to all formal comments will be prepared by the Executive Director after the comment period closes and considered by the Commissioners before they reach a decision on the permit. A copy of the response will be sent to each person who submits a formal comment or who requests to be on the mailing list for this application and provides an address. However, if the Applicant or Executive Director request a direct referral for a contested case hearing before the written response to comments is prepared, then a copy of the response will be sent only to the parties participating in the hearing. Only relevant and material issues raised during the formal comment period can be considered if a contested case hearing is granted.
The Public Meeting is to be held:
Thursday, December 7, 2006 at 7:00 p.m.
Blue Ridge Elementary School
Cafeteria
6241 McHard Road (FM 2234)
Houston, Texas 77053
INFORMATION. Citizens are encouraged to submit written comments anytime during the meeting or by mail before the meeting to the Office of the Chief Clerk, TCEQ, MC-105, P.O. Box 13087, Austin, TX 78711-3087. If you need more information, please call the TCEQ Office of Public Assistance, Toll Free, at 1-800-687-4040. Si desea información en Español, puede llamar 1-800-687-4040. General information about the TCEQ can be found at our web site at www.tceq.state.tx.us.
The permit application is available for viewing and copying at the Missouri City Branch Library, 1530 Texas Parkway, Missouri City, Texas. Further information about the application may also be obtained from Blue Ridge Landfill, TX, LP, 2200 FM 521, Fresno, Texas 77545, or by calling Mr. Mitch Noto, Blue Ridge Landfill TX, LP at (281) 835-6142.
Issued: November 8, 2006
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This landfill will double in size and the height being requested will reach a max of 178 feet (15-17 stories)...
See Chronicle follow-up article:
Nov. 10, 2006, 2:52PM
Residents rally to fight proposed landfill expansion
BFI plans draw opposition from Olivo, support from Stavinoha
By ZEN T. C. ZHENG
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
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Some east Fort Bend County residents have formed a committee to raise funds to fight a proposed landfill expansion, though an environmental lawyer says the odds are against them.
Scores of residents from more than a dozen neighborhoods gathered at Willowridge High School Thursday to denounce the landfill plan by Allied Waste, which does business in Houston as BFI. They brainstormed with state Rep. Dora Olivo, D-Missouri City, and Sugar Land attorney Richard Morrison on strategies to battle the expansion.
"The meeting was requested by my constituents to bring the people together to make a decision on what they have to do to fight the expansion," said Olivo, who did translation for Spanish-speaking residents during the meeting.
"People are determined. They are ready to move," she said.
State sets public meeting
At issue is the Blue Ridge Landfill that BFI operates at 2200 FM 521 south of McHard Road, about one mile north of Fresno.
The company is seeking permits from Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to expand the 599-acre facility to include 1,345 more acres to the north and west. The company also wants to increase the landfill's height from 58 feet to 170 feet to enlarge its capacity to accommodate waste for 40 years.
The commission is reviewing the application with comments taken from residents during a town hall meeting in July. It will conduct a second public meeting on Dec. 7 at 7-9 p.m. at Blue Ridge Elementary School, 6241 McHard Road.
Support for the project has come from Precinct 1 Commissioner Tom Stavinoha, Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council CEO Herbert Appel and municipal officials in Missouri City.
But Olivo said Fort Bend's east end is densely populated with minority residents and called the landfill expansion proposal an "injustice."
Raymond Franks, BFI's Houston region manager of business development, was on vacation and could not be reached for comment.
In July, Franks said the proposed expansion would not harm the environment because the company has a plan to establish a ground-water monitoring system, set up a buffer zone and contain gas from decomposing trash.
Neighborhood concerns
As residents streamed out of the school Thursday, they described their frustration.
Tommie Johnson, a resident of East Ripple Ridge subdivision, said once the landfill is expanded, it would be one block from her home.
"I don't want this thing in my backyard," she said. "God knows who could sell their houses anymore. If I could, I would sell mine and I'm gone."
Green Valley Estate resident Eric Bryant, who attended the meeting with his 3-year-old son, said he feared possible health hazards to children if the landfill expands. He also worries that property values will drop.
"How did they even name the landfill 'Blue Ridge?' That's the name of our elementary school. It's ridiculous," he said. "This is where I raise my family. Ain't they gonna mess up my neighborhood."
"You are going to have a huge mount filled with garbage for 40 years," said Morrison, who was invited by Olivo to give a presentation at the meeting to outline his perspective on the issue. "It's going to be 17 stories high. There is nothing in Fort Bend that's 17-story high."
BFI called "good neighbor"
Stavinoha defended BFI as "a good neighbor" and "the most community-minded garbage company I've seen." He called on residents to let the state regulatory agency make the decision whether to issue an expansion permit.
BFI has a safe record of operating landfills in the county, he said.
Stavinoha said Blue Ridge is one of three landfills in the county, including one that is closed.
"It'll be very difficult for the state to approve another site in the county now that we've already had three," he said. "I think we should let TCEQ to handle this issue."
Both Stavinoha and Appel have cited a "tipping fee" BFI has contributed to the county since 1991. Through an agreement between BFI and the county, half of that money, up to $200,000 a year, now will be directly used for community improvements near the landfill, Stavinoha said.
Franks has said his company contributed about $3.1 million for the county over the past decade.
Some residents called the "tipping fee" an insult to the community.
"The $200,000 is gonna do nothing if people get sick from that landfill while the company is making millions of dollars at the expense of our community," said Donna Thomas, president of Green Valley Estate subdivision's homeowners association.
Missouri City resident Aurore-Denise Ragston, one of the participants of the meeting, who are predominantly black and Hispanic, described BFI's plan as "environmental racism."
"Is this a way to get rid of us?" said Ragston, who is black.
Sizing up the odds
Morrison is not optimistic about residents' odds of winning.
"This is a fight against a billion-dollar giant," he said.
To build a solid case to back up neighbors' concerns about a pollution and possible increases in flooding and truck traffic, professional opinions are needed from experts in geology, land use and drainage, Morrison said. A lawyer also is needed, he said.
Contracting experts for the technical work and other related costs in preparation for a contested case hearing would call for $25,000, he said.
"We have a chance of winning, a slim chance, but it's a chance. It's going to be a long fight," he said.
Some opponents signed up for a committee to raise funds and begin alerting more area residents, including those of Shadow Creek Ranch east of FM 521, about the issue.
"We are willing to put up a fight. We have children, the elderly, schools and properties to protect," Thomas said.
While calling it "an uphill battle," Olivo said "together we can move a mountain."
zen.zheng@chron.com
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/fortbend/news/4326077.html
For JK and associates:
What is the oldest profession?
A physician, an engineer, and an attorney were discussing who among them belonged to the oldest of the three professions represented. The physician said, "Remember, on the sixth day God took a rib from Adam and fashioned Eve, making him the first surgeon. Therefore, medicine is the oldest profession."
The engineer replied, "But, before that, God created the heavens and earth from chaos and confusion, and thus he was the first engineer. Therefore, engineering is an older profession than medicine."
Then, the lawyer spoke up. "Yes," he said, "But who do you think created all of the chaos and confusion?"
Lets clear up something: The MAJOR Landfill expansion permit for the BFI Blueridge Landfill is for a max height of over 170 feet (17 stories) above ground, to be used for 40 YEARS. THAT IS ALMOST 5 TIMES TALLER than the current 35-40 foot tall landfill that's reaching the end of itS permit life of 13 years. The proposed expansion area is MASSIVE.
There is one other Type I landfill in Fort Bend County, and compared to Blueridge, it is barely used.
The action of BFI and all decision makers who approved the expansion proposal and permit application speaks for itself.
Instead of closing the current landfill and building at another more appropriate site, this massive and major expansion is placed where it will negatively impact mostly minorities. It will impact some major developments too.
The landfill location is no longer rural. The major expansion will literally, LITERALLY be across the street from one major development, and in the back yard of another eventually.
I have heard that Fort Bend Precinct 1 Commissioner made part of his political reputation fighting a landfill. Now he gives the green light to the MAJOR and massive landfill expansion where it will impact mostly minorities in his precinct.
That action speaks volumes about him and all who supports the expansion.
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