Dos Republicas Coal Partnerhip’s Water Discharge Permit to be heard by TCEQ on July 6, 2016
By: Jose G. Landa, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2016
The Texas Commision on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) announced that it has scheduled the Application of Dos Republicas Coal Partnership for a Permit Renewal and Amendment of Texas Pollution Discharge Elimination System (TPDES) Permit No. Wq0003511000 to discharge coal mine pit water, stormwaters, and other waste waters associated with its Eagle Pass Mine in Eagle Pass, Maverick County, Texas for final hearing on Wednesday, July 6, 2016 at 9:30 A.M. in Room 201S, Building E, 12100 Park 35 Circle, Austin, Texas.
Dos Republicas Coal Partnership has applied to TCEQ to amend and renew its water pollution discharge permit from its Eagle Pass Coal Mine to be able to discharge mine pit water, stormwaters, and other associated coal mine waste waters into Elm Creek, Hediondo Creek, and the Rio Grande River in Eagle Pass, Texas.
Many local entities and persons oppose Dos Republicas Coal Partnership’s application to amend and renew its TPDES Permit to discharge coal mining waste, storm waters, and other associated coal mine waste waters into Elm Creek, Hediondo Creek, and the Rio Grande River about one mile upstream from both the cities of Eagle Pass, Texas and Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico municipal potable water treatment plants on the banks of the Rio Grande on the United States-Mexico border because it will pollute and contaminate their sole source of potable water.
Opposing the Dos Republicas Coal Partnership water discharge permit include the City of Eagle Pass, Texas, Maverick County, Texas, the Maverick County Environmental and Public Health Association, the Environmental Defense Fund, Walter Herring, Ernesto Ibarra, Mike Hernandez, Gabriel De La Cerda, Juan Esqueda, Boulware and Anson Family LTD., Howard H. R. R. Holdings LTD., Francisco Garcia, Roberto Salinas, Ricardo Ruiz, Luis Martinez, Ramon Castillo, and Jose Casares. The Paquache Clan of the Coahuiltecan Tribe of San Antonio, Texas also oppose the permit, but TCEQ denied them party status.
In April 2016, the Administrative Law Judges and Executive Director of TCEQ issued a proposal for decision recommending that the controversial water discharge permit be granted by the TCEQ Commisioners.
Despite overwhelming opposition to Dos Republicas Coal Partnership’s Eagle Pass Mine by U.S.-Mexico border governmental entities and citizens during the past 26 years, the Republican-led Railroad Commission of Texas (RCT) and TCEQ have granted the foreign-owned coal mining company permits to operate a controversial open surface coal mine and to discharge the coal mine’s waste water into Elm Creek, Hediondo Creek, and the Rio Grande.
Dos Republicas Coal Partnership is a Texas partnership owned by two Texas corporations, Eagle Pass Coal Corporation and Maverick County Coal Corporation, who are owned by a Mexican coal mining company, Minera del Norte, S.A., which in turn is a subsidiary of Mexican conglomerate Grupo Acerero del Norte, S. A.(Grupo GAN).
In addition to the TCEQ water discharge permit, pending in the Texas Supreme Court in Austin, Texas is an application for Writ of Ceritorarari to reverse the Railroad Commission of Texas permit to Dos Republicas Coal Partnership to operate an open surface coal mine.
A strong delegation of Eagle Pass and Maverick County public officials and citizens are expected to attend the July 6, 2016 TCEQ public hearing in Austin, Texas as well as to protest against the Dos Republicas Coal Partnership’s Eagle Pass Mine. A planned protest against the controversial Dos Republicas coal mine is planned on July 6, 2016 at 8:30 A.M. at TCEQ immediately before the hearing. A charter bus from Eagle Pass will be traveling on July 5, 2016 to Austin, Texas and spend the night in Austin to attend the early 9:30 A.M. TCEQ hearing. Any citizen interested in attending the TCEQ Hearing and Protest in Austin in the Eagle Pass charter bus, please contact Tane Ward at (512) 477-1729 or (512) 638-0441.
