City Council to address Dos Republicas Coal Partnership open surface coal mine permit appeal at April 15th special meeting
By: Jose G. Landa, Copyright 2014, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc.
The City of Eagle Pass City Council is having a special meeting on Tuesday, April 15, 2014 at 5:30 P.M. at City Council Chambers in City Hall, located at 100 South Monroe Street, in Eagle Pass, Texas, entertaining several important issues including the Dos Republicas Coal Partnership open surface coal mine permit appeal.
On March 27, 2014, 261st District Court Judge Darlene Byrne of Travis County in Austin, Texas affirmed the controversial January 29, 2013 decision by the Railroad Commission of Texas to grant a permit to Dos Republicas Coal Partnership to construct and operate an open surface coal mine on the banks of Elm Creek, a direct water tributary of the Rio Grande River upstream of the Eagle Pass Roberto Gonzalez Water Treatment Plant, only three miles from the city limits of Eagle Pass (as the crow flies) near Thompson Road (FM 1588) in northern Maverick County, Texas in a densely populated residential and ranch and farming area. The City of Eagle Pass opposes the opening of the Dos Republicas’ Eagle Pass Mine because it is concerned that the coal mine water discharges into Elm Creek will directly flow into the Rio Grande River just one or two miles upstream of the City’s municipal water treatment plant, which provides potable water to over 95% of 60,000 Maverick Countians, and will contaminate and pollute the City’s sole source of potable water. The City Council is going into Executive Session to consult with legal counsel to discuss the legal remedies available to the City of Eagle Pass after the disappointing Judge Byrnes’ decision, including whether to appeal Byrnes’ decision to the Texas Court of Appeals, and take possible action during the Open Session.
The citizens of Eagle Pass have overwhelmingly opposed the Eagle Pass Mine for over 24 years. In addition to the City of Eagle Pass, other entities which oppose the Eagle Pass Coal Mine include the County of Maverick, the Maverick County Hospital District, the Maverick County Environmental and Public Health Association, George Baxter, and many other landowners, farmers and ranchers on Thompson Road and surrounding areas.
Other items on the special meeting Agenda include Executive Session with consultation with legal counsel regarding the blockage of City streets by Union Pacific Railroad, a pending lawsuit in State District Court by the City of Eagle Pass against Benjamin and Maria Isabel Martinez, and other items of interest to the public.
The Eagle Pass City Council meeting on Tuesday, April 15, 2014 at 5:30 P.M. is open to the public.
