More From The Houston Chronicle On The Blue Ridge Landfill Near Missouri City--click here for more--

Residents' group opposed to landfill expansion tries to make deal with operating company
By ZEN T.C. ZHENG HOUSTON CHRONICLE

In a twist in a near four-year battle, a grassroots group fighting a landfill expansion plan in east Fort Bend County is seeking an out-the-court settlement with the company behind the project.

The negotiations between the Coalition Against Blue Ridge Landfill Expansion and Republic Services Inc. come on the heels of a string of compromises between the company and other opponents that included three local television stations — KTRK (Channel 13), KRIV (Fox 26) and KHOU (Channel 11) and the city of Pearland....(follow the link above for the full story)

MCC comment: This is the landfill expansion project that the mayor of Missouri City (Allen Owen) and our county commissioners (Bob Hebert) agreed not to fight for "tipping fees" some years ago.

Chron: Blue Ridge Landfill Update (T.V. stations settle out of the fight)--click the title link for more--

This is the same landfill expansion project to nearly 20 stories that was endorsed and approved by edc politicians Bob Hebert (County commissioner) and Allen Owen (Mayor of Missouri City, TX). MCC comment/editorial

CHRON: Blue Ridge Landfill Expansion, Near Missouri City,...Update!

Landfill opposition group to get new attorney
Waste company makes deal with 2 TV stations

By ZEN T.C. ZHENG CHRONICLE CORRESPONDENT
Jan. 2009,

A grass-roots group battling a landfill expansion plan in east Fort Bend County is expected to have a new attorney within a month now that Richard Morrison, their current lawyer, has decided to devote himself exclusively to his new county commissioner’s job.

“I will find a very capable counsel for my clients within 30 days and maybe sooner,” Morrison said on Jan. 7.
Morrison also said there is no truth to rumors that the group, Coalition Against Blue Ridge Landfill Expansion, has reached a settlement with the trash-disposal company, Allied Waste, which is now Republic Services, after the two companies merged late last year.

The two-year fight began after the company applied for a state permit to add 1,345 acres to the 599-acre landfill on the west side of FM 521 north of Fresno. With the plan, the landfill would rise in height from 58 to 170 feet in 40 years.
Strong community opposition resulted in opponents being granted a contested case hearing by Texas Commission for Environmental Quality, which had preliminarily approved the expansion. The contested case hearing to be conducted by the State Office of Administrative Hearings is essentially a civil trial.

In order to avoid the hearing, in early 2008, the company sought a settlement with the opponents that also include the city of Pearland and three local television stations — KTRK (Channel 13), KRIV (Fox 26) and KHOU (Channel 11).

Negotiations failed last year between the company and two opposition groups, including the city and the coalition, which comprises residents from numerous subdivisions near the landfill.

However, Gary McCuistion, a company spokesman, said on Jan. 8 that the company has struck a deal with two of the TV stations, KTRK and KHOU.

“We are still reaching out to the city of Pearland although we haven’t been talking to the citizens group,” McCuistion said. . .


Follow the title link above for the entire piece.

MCC Comment: This is the landfill near Missouri City that city council officials and county commissioners (except for Morrison) agreed to not oppose for "tipping fees" and recorded highly toxic Barium leaks in 2005.

MCC Exclusive: Blue Ridge Landfill Contested Hearing Begins In Richmond

MCC Exclusive: Blue Ridge Landfill Contested Hearing Begins In Richmond


At 10 am yesterday morning (Tuesday) the contested hearing began in the case of the Blue Ridge Landfill Expansion proposal being advanced by Allied Waste (formerly BFI) lawyers for this billion dollar corporation in Richmond at the commissioners courtroom. This hearing was almost history 6 months ago, but because of the efforts of about a dozen communities in the Missouri City/Fresno/Arcola/Pearland areas and several t.v. stations this permit is undergoing a court-like review by the state.

During the morning session Allied attorneys spent much of their time challenging the viability of witnesses and whether or not they had “effected party status”. Much of the argument stemmed from earlier actions by the company to limit the numbers of parties claiming an environmental and health impact.

In January of ’07 a petition was presented to the TCEQ with nearly 1100 homeowners within a 3-4 mile radius of the landfill. These numbers have been severely restricted as this process moves forward. One individual on the original petition questioned how this could happen, “How can lawyers decide who is effected and who is not, it is almost like thousands of us don’t even exist”.

This hearing was further complicated when it was learned that a 2005 Barium leak may have made it to the areas water table with hundreds of wells in the nearby communities. Barium is a highly toxic nerve agent that poses serious health risks to animals and humans. Additionally, in 2006, it was learned by media sources that Missouri City officials (approved by the current mayor and some on council) and the Fort Bend county commissioners, lead by Bob Hebert and Tom Stavinhoa, had signed a contract with Allied Waste agreeing not to oppose the future expansion of the landfill to the great dismay of many area voters and taxpayers. This was, and has been, defended by current commissioners and city officials because of the controversial “tipping fees” paid by Allied for this “non-opposition”.

Richard Morrison, a Sugar Land attorney, is representing the group and vigorously defended those remaining on the effected party status list. At the hearing, several news and media outlets were present to cover this event. Another hearing is expected to be scheduled in June and we will follow this as it progresses.

Stay informed and keep in touch!




Pict above from FBN>

FB Chronicle (front page)-- Permit Hearing Approaches Oct. 16th

Sides prepare for landfill hearing
Coalition seeks to derail permit request

By ZEN T. C. ZHENG
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

A waste management company that plans to expand a landfill in east Fort Bend County will face off with project opponents next month at a hearing in Richmond.

The hearing on Allied Waste's request for a permit for expansion is set for 10 a.m. Oct. 16 at the county's commissioners' courtroom and will be conducted by a judge with the Texas State Office of Administrative Hearings.

On its Web site, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which granted the contested case hearing in July, described the contested case hearing as a legal proceeding similar to a civil trial in state district court.

The commission previously gave preliminary approval to the company's plan to add 1,345 acres to the 599-acre landfill, known as Blue Ridge Landfill at 2200 FM 521, which would rise in height from 58 to 170 feet in 40 years.

A request for a hearing came from project opponents, including residents in east Fort Bend County and Pearland who formed the Coalition Against Blue Ridge Landfill.

Also opposed to the project are three local television stations, KTRK (Channel 13), KRIV (Fox 26) and KHOU (Channel 11), who claim the expansion could block their weather-forecasting signals.

The administrative hearing judge will make a recommendation to the three-member state commission based on evidence given at the hearing, according to Lisa Wheeler, a spokeswoman for the state commission.

The commission may or may not follow the recommendation or can chose to modify it in its decision, she said.

Richard Morrison, an attorney for the coalition, believes the judge's opinion from the administrative hearing will have an impact on the commission's decision....(follow title link above for full story)

MCC Exclusive: Blue Ridge Landfill Expansion Contested Case Hearing Set For October 16th!!!

Just In: BRLFE Contested Case Hearing Set For Oct. 16th!!!
Published on 09/01/07 - 15:12:24 by MCCNewsUpdates

The contested hearing for the hotly disputed Blue Ridge Landfill Expansion Permit Hearing is set for 10:00a.m. -- Oct. 16th 2007 in the Fort Bend County Commissioner's Courtroom on 309 South 4th Street, Suite 701 in Richmond Texas. This landfill is located near Missouri City, Arcola, Fresno & Pearland, TX. The permit seeks to expand this landfill to nearly triple its current height and double the land area despite recently reported Barium leaks.

This case gathered immediate attention when it was learned that elected officials from Missouri City (including the mayor) and Fort Bend County Commissioners accepted "tipping fees" in order not to oppose the expansion. These endorsements also included our own Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council, with little explanation ever given for this move. Several Houston t.v. stations have joined the opposition case with many area neighborhoods which may be impacted lead by state and national representatives, namely Dora Olivo. Some of the stations believe this height may block some of the doppler radar signals and create a potential threat to S.E. Texas when tracking major storms.

Background On This Case Can Be Retrieved Through Searching The Following Sites:

http://missouricitychatter.blogspot.com

http://www.fortbendweb.com

http://www.fortbendnow.com

& Other local media sources.

The official CABRLE website is also an excellent source:

http://cabrle.spaces.live.com/


Stay informed and keep in touch!

TCEQ Grants Contested Hearing On Blue Ridge Landfill!

Just in:

The Texas Commission On Environmental Quality just ruled this morning at a hearing in Austin that sufficient evidence did exist to allow for a contested case hearing on the proposed application for the Blue Ridge Landfill Expansion near Missouri City, Arcola, Fresno & Pearland. This is good news for the nearly 1100 homeowners who signed the petition against this project. We will update this section as time and information permits.


Stay informed and keep in touch!

FBS Reports On BRLE 7/25 Hearing--

Landfill hearing still on for July 25

By Cheryl Skinner
Both sides of the proposed landfill expansion are gearing up for a July 25 meeting in Austin. Landfill officials are expected to plead their case for allowing the Blue Ridge Landfill, near Fresno, to expand its size and opponents, ranging from a grass roots organization to local television stations, will appear to try and stop the expansion.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality agreed to hear the arguments to determine if a contested hearing will be granted. Allied Waste wants approval to increase the size of the existing landfill that would allow the company to take in additional acreage and, over a 40-year period, increase the height of the refuse 58 feet to 170 feet.

Three local television stations, KTRK (Channel 13), KRIV (Fox 26) and KHOU (Channel 11), joined the fight against the proposal late. They voiced concerns that weather-forecasting radar signals will be blocked if the expansion were to take place. The stations say this will pose a threat to public safety, according to attorney Richard Lowerre, who is representing the stations.

Richard Morrison, attorney for the Coalition Against the Blue Ridge Landfill Expansion, said while the odds are stacked against the group, he is hopeful the hearing will result in a contested hearing. He said a contested hearing is equivalent to a court case where all sides can present evidence to try and substantiate their claims.

The expansion plan was approved by Fort Bend County Commissioners and the city of Missouri City due to an agreement with Allied years ago.

Under the agreement, which resulted in the controversial tipping fees paid to the city and county by Allied, the agreeing entities would not oppose any future expansion to the landfill. However, governmental entities that did enter into an agreement have organized to oppose the plan. The city of Pearland and some Brazoria County officials have also voiced opposition to the plan. . . (get the entire story by following the title link above)

Chronicle Covers BRLFE Case Hearing In Austin July 25th!

Click title link for more on the case hearing granted after 1000+ homeowners, Pearland, Brazoria County officials, dozens of neighborhoods and politicians (except for GFBCEDC, Fort Bend Commissioners & Missouri City Council) push for contested hearing!

Stay informed and keep in touch as the '08 Missouri City council at large races approach!

Local T.V. Stations Oppose Blue Ridge Landfill Expansion (Click title link for more)-

TV Stations: Landfill Trash Heap Would Block Doppler Radar, Put Public At Risk
by Bob Dunn, Apr 15, 2007, 11 07 am

The safety of everyone in the Houston and Galveston region will be at risk if Blue Ridge Landfill expands, because the giant pile of refuse would block Doppler radar signals and prevent hurricane detection, three Houston TV stations claim.

That information surfaced in documents filed with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Those documents include a request by Houston’s ABC, NBC and Fox Broadcasting television affiliates to formally contest plans by Blue Ridge Landfill TX LP to expand Blue Ridge Landfill, at 2200 F.M. 521, a mile north of Fresno in Fort Bend County.

The landfill’s owner, a subsidiary of industry giant Allied Waste, wants to increase the landfill “waste footprint” from the current 302 acres to 784 acres, and increase the maximum height at which refuse can be piled, from the current 58 feet to 170 feet.

But at that height, say officials with KTRK Channel 13, KHOU Channel 11 and Fox affiliate KRIV, the giant mound of garbage would block weather radar signals from the stations’ towers, 3 miles or less away to the northwest.

“The landfill, if so constructed, would block the radar signals to much of the southeast and preclude the collection of weather information, such as the location, speed and direction of movement of hurricanes in parts of the Gulf of Mexico,” Austin attorney Richard Lowerre wrote in a request for a contested hearing over the landfill expansion. “The expanded landfill would also prevent the tracking of tornados and other storms to the southeast.” . . .

ABC13 Covers Landfill Proposal--

Landfill is a tall concern for some residents
By Miya Shay
(4/02/07 - KTRK/FORT BEND COUNTY, TX) - A trash company is looking at expanding a landfill from the current 40 feet limit height to a proposed 170 feet.

Also on ABC13.com:

The landfill expansion proposal would happen on FM 521, just south of McHard Road, but it's not just the extra landfill that's a concern.

The landfill sits inside the Fort Bend County lines, but it's just across the street from a major Pearland neighborhood. Besides worries about the environmental impact, there is a new concern. Will a bigger and higher landfill affect how you get your weather information?

Along the fort bend and Brazoria County lines, the Blue Ridge Landfill is already in operation, but plans to expand the dump site is causing nearby Pearland city officials plenty of concern. That's especially with the growing Shadow Creek Ranch subdivision just across FM 521.

"It's right across the street from the fastest growing master planned community in the Houston area," said Kevin Cole of the Pearland City Council. "We have a lot of concerns from the people across the street from here."
For the people who live in the area, it's not just the sight and smell that worries them. If the landfill expansion is approved, it could eventually grow to 230 feet high. That level is much higher than the Doppler radar towers of several TV stations, situated nearby.

"It's a flat area, it's got great visibility, so it happens to be where a lot of the TV stations have put up their radars," said ABC13 Chief Meteorologist Tim Heller. "Unfortunately the landfill is also in that same spot." . . . (get the full story and the streaming video by clicking the title link above).

Also get this FBN story and thread at: http://www.fortbendnow.com/news/2754

Contribute or volunteer to CABRLE by seeking more info at: http://cabrle.spaces.live.com/

Get more on the MC candidates that oppose this landfill expansion proposal at: http://mcelectioninformation.blogspot.com/


Stay informed and keep in touch. This landfill shares waterways with our community!