CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE CALLS ON THE TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY TO DENY THE APPLICATION FOR A CEMENT MANUFACTURING FACILITY AT 3411 DESOTO STREET AND CALLS FOR GREATER PROTECTION FOR THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF ACRES HOMES RESIDENTS
For Immediate Release Contact: Robin Chand
June 26, 2019 (202) 225–3816
Press Statement
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee Calls on the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to Deny the Application for a Cement Manufacturing Facility at 3411 Desoto Street and calls for Greater Protection for the Health and Safety of Acres Homes Residents
Jackson Lee: "I share Acres Homes residents' grave concerns regarding the health and well-being of area residents, should the cement manufactoring facility gain approval for construction. Cement manufacturing produces fine particulates that can be aspirated into the upper resporatory system and can invade the lower respiratory system triggering asthma and obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) respiratory distress. In 2015, it was reported that African American women were 20 percent more likely to have asthma than non-Hispanic whites. This poses a serious health risk for Acres Homes residents. For these reasons, I urge TCEQ to reject the application submitted for 3411 DeSoto Street."
Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a senior member of the House Committees on the Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Budget, released this statement after a writing a letter to TCEQ urging it to reject the application for a cement manufacturing facility at 3411 DeSoto Street, in Acres Homes:
"Earlier today, I wrote a letter to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality urging them to reject an application for a cement manufacturing facility at 3411 Desoto Street, in Acres Homes, in the Eighteenth Congressional District. My communication resonds to a letter sent by the TCEQ to the residents of Acres Homes, in which TCEQ informed residents that Soto Ready Mix's batch plant met the requirements to build a cement manufacturing facility at 3411 Desoto Street. Currently, the company has a permit to only park cement trucks at that location. I strongly oppose the construction of the proposed cement batch facility in Acres Homes and request that the application be denied due the public health and safety hazard resulting from increased exposure to harmful particulates that will be unleashed on community residents if the project if approved. I communicated to TCEQ my understanding that while the comment period for this application closed in October 2018m and the response document replying to public comment has been produced, the air permit application for a concrete batch plant at this location has not received approval.
"I wrote because community concerns regarding the allowance of cement manufacturing in this residential area, which includes a public park approximatly 300 feet from the location, remain high. I requested that Commissioners grant the request of Acres Homes residents to hold a formal hearing to hear directly from residents regarding the Soto Ready Mix application. Cement manufacturing produces fine particulates that can be aspirated into the upper resporatory system and can invade the lower respiratory system triggering asthma and obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) respiratory distress. In 2015, it was reported that African American women were 20 percent more likely to have asthma than non-Hispanic whites. In 2014, African Americans were almost three times more likely to die from asthma related causes than whites. In 2015, African American children had a death rate ten times that of non-Hispanic white children. In addtion, African American children are four times more likely to be admitted to the hospital for asthma, as compared to non-Hispanic white children.
"I share Acres Homes residents' grave concerns regarding the health and well-being of area residents should the cement manufactoring facility gain approval for construction. For example, the proposed area for the facility is located near a children's playground and community center. Because Houston does not have zoning, it is of utmost importance that agencies charged with protecting the enviromental quality of resident's air and water remain vigilant. For this reason, it is very troubling that residents living near Soto Ready Mix's 3411 Desoto Street location report activity they attribute to cement manufacturing, prior to the approval of the facility. I will be writing a letter under separate cover to the TCEQ Regional Office regarding this matter. Unitil that time, and for the aforementioned reasons, I urge TCEQ to reject the application submitted for 3411 DeSoto Street."