Maverick Countians overwhelmingly object to Dos Republicas Coal Partnership’s Revised Water Discharge Permit at TCEQ Public Meeting

By: Jose G. Landa, Copyright 2015, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc.

Maverick County governmental entities, public officials, health care representatives, ranchers, farmers, landowners, teachers, retired persons, U.S. Veterans, Native American Tribal leaders, college students, high school students, housewives, and many other citizens overwhelmingly objected to and questioned the proposed Dos Republicas Coal Partnership’s renewal and revised application for a water discharge permit of coal mining waste and storm waters into Elm Creek and the Rio Grande River from the Eagle Pass Mine at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Public Meeting held on Thursday, January 22, 2015, at the City of Eagle Pass International Center for Trade in Eagle Pass, Texas.

Only four persons with financial ties to Dos Republicas Coal Partnership or one of its contractors, law firms, and public relations company spoke in favor of the proposed water discharge permit.

Among the speakers against the proposed renewal and expansion of the Dos Republicas Coal Partnership water discharge permit of the controversial Eagle Pass Mine included State Senator Carlos I. Uresti represented by Hellen Martinez, Southwest Regional Director of State Senator Carlos I, Uresti, Maverick County Judge David R. Saucedo, Eagle Pass Mayor Ramsey English Cantu, Eagle Pass Independent School District Superintendent Gilberto Gonzalez, Maverick County Hospital District Board of Director Dr. Ronald Hixson and Chief Executive Officer Terri Patlan-Contreras, Maverick County Environmental and Public Health Association Second Vice-President George Baxter, Maria Torres, Tribal Chairwoman of the Coahuiltecan Paquache Tribe, local educator Randy Lawrence, local educator Diana Hardt, retired educator Juanita Martinez, local high school student Lynn Brandon Balderas, local college student or graduate Adrian Gonzalez and Jessica De Hoyos, local rancher and U.S. Veteran Gabriel de la Cerda, local rancher Ricardo Ruiz, local housewife and mother Maria De Hoyos, legal counsel Adam Friedman, and many other local citizens.

Maverick Countians loudly and unequivocally advised the TCEQ that they oppose and object to the renewal and expansion of the Dos Republicas Coal Partnership’s application to discharge coal mining waste and storm waters from the Eagle Pass Mine into Elm Creek and the Rio Grande River, only one or two miles upstream from both the City of Eagle Pass Regional Water Treatment Plant and the City of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico Municipal Water Treatment Plant on the U.S.-Mexico border.

TCEQ announced at the public meeting that because the proposed TCEQ Executive Director Water Discharge Permit had not been made publicly available to Maverick County citizens until January 21st, only one day before the public meeting, despite public notices published on December 12, 2014, the public’s comment period to the proposed application for the water discharge permit was extended to February 4, 2015. Any person interested in making written comments regarding the proposed water discharge permit may do so with TCEQ through the internet at their website or in writing.

TCEQ also announced at the public meeting that Dos Republicas Coal Partnership had requested last week that the water discharge permit application go to contested case status and hearing in light of the many comments and entities or individuals objecting to the proposed permit.

The City of Eagle Pass, Maverick County, Maverick County Hospital District, Maverick County Environmental and Public Health Association, and many local farmers, ranchers, and landowners oppose the granting of the revised water discharge permit as well as the opening of the controversial Eagle Pass Mine, an open surface coal mine in northern Eagle Pass and Maverick County, Texas permitted by the Railroad Commission of Texas. These local governmental entities, non-profit organization, and local citizens are currently appealing the Texas Railroad Commission’s permit of the controversial Eagle Pass Mine before the Texas Third Court of Appeals in Austin, Texas.