Eagle Pass and the Dos Republicas Coal Mine/Opinion
By: George Baxter
On January 29, 2013, the Texas Railroad Commission voted 2 to 1 to grant renewal of a permit to Dos Republicas Coal Partnership to operate an open pit coal mine three (3) miles north of Eagle Pass and only one mile from Deer Run Subdivision.
One thing that has not changed, even with the granting of the permit, is that the Dos Republicas coal mine is a bad idea and bad for Eagle Pass. If it becomes operational, the coal mine will discharge its wastewater into Elm Creek and then the Rio Grande, upriver of the city water intake. A heavy rainfall that causes the proposed sedimentation ponds to overflow or an accident or design flaw that causes these ponds to breach will allow mine waste to enter our sole source of drinking water.
If and when it commences operation, the mine will be a continuous source of air contamination emanating from the excavation sites, haulroads, soil and coal stockpiles and off the 150 car train which will transport the coal through the middle of Eagle Pass to Mexico every day. This will be especially acute in the winter when the wind is from the north. Dos Republicas still has not secured sufficient water for dust control and Maverick County still has a rate of COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) much higher than most of the state (more than twice as high). The mine will only worsen this, especially for the very old and the very young. Pete Gallego and Seco Mines Elementary Schools are only a mile or so from the mine boundary. Liberty, Glass, Kennedy Hall and Robert E. Lee schools are also located very close to the rail line that will carry this coal into Mexico.
As far as economic development goes, Dos Republicas has claimed at various times that it will create a number of jobs with the mine. In 1994, when it first received its permit, Dos Republicas told the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality that it would generate 700 – 800 jobs; at the public hearing in Eagle Pass in June of 2011, the figure was 250 jobs; in the February 3, 2013, News Gram issue, Dos Republicas spokesman, Rudy Rodriguez, gave a figure of 150 – 200 jobs while at almost the same time he told the Wall Street Journal in their January 30th issue that 60 jobs would be created. So, it seems that the job figure is a constantly moving target and it seems to move in a steadily downward direction.
For the good of the community, the Maverick County Environmental and Public Health Association will continue to oppose this open pit coal mine. This coal mine is just too big (10 square miles), too close to town and will operate for too long (up to 18 years) for it not to pose a serious threat to the health and safety of the citizens of Eagle Pass. Therefore, as a first step, we will file a Motion for Rehearing with the Texas Railroad Commission, asking them to reconsider their decision. This is also a necessary measure to preserve our right of appeal in state or federal court. The decision of the Texas Railroad Commission to grant the permit does not become effective until these appeals are resolved.
Maverick County, the City of Eagle Pass, and the Maverick County Hospital District have also approved filing Motions for Rehearing with the Commission. The residents of Maverick County should be very thankful that they are represented by public officials who place the well-being of their citizens above all else, including monetary gain. We should remember this the next time that these elected officials require our support.
Dos Republicas would have the community believe that the mine is a “done deal” and that opposition to it is a lost cause. Nothing could be further from the truth. This campaign is not over and we, the Maverick County Environmental and Public Health Association, representing our own members and the more than 8000 residents of Maverick County who signed letters and petitions against the mine will continue the fight in whatever legal forums are available to us.
