Eagle Pass City Council Approves Request for Party Status in Dos Republicas Coal Mine Public Hearing

By: Miguel Munoz, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2019

The City of Eagle Pass, Texas City Council unanimously approved to authorize its Legal Counsel, Heriberto Morales of Langley & Banack, to request “Party Status” on behalf of the City of Eagle Pass and designated Mayor Ramsey English Cantu as its representative at the upcoming Railroad Commission of Texas public hearing scheduled for April 3-4, 2019 at the Eagle Pass International Center for Trade at its special meeting held on Monday, March 25, 2019.

The Railroad Commission of Texas is holding a public hearing on April 3 and 4, 2019 in Eagle Pass, Texas for purposes of receiving public comments, written comments, and hearing requests for “Party Status” regarding Dos Republicas Coal Partnership’s Application for Renewal and Revision of Permit 42-B to operate and manage an open surface coal mine, known as Eagle Pass Mine, approximately three miles north of the city limits of Eagle Pass on FM 1588 (Thompson Road) for an additional five years period.  

The public hearing is open to the public and any person, business, entity, organization, and public governmental entity may make public comments, submit written comments, and request “Party Status” on Dos Republicas Coal Partnership’s application to renew and revise its open surface coal mine just outside the city limits of Eagle Pass and near a densely populated area of Maverick County.  

The City of Eagle Pass is joining Maverick County, Maverick County Water Control and Improvement District No. 1, Maverick County Public Health and Environmental Association, and many individual farmers, ranchers, and land owners in requesting “Party Status” to the Railraod Commission of Texas administrative hearing on whether to renew and revise Dos Republicas Coal Partnership’s Permit 42-B to continue operating and managing the open pit coal mine known as Eagle Pass Mine.

The Railroad Commission of Texas public hearing will commence on Wednesday, April 3, 2019 at 5 PM through 10 PM and continue on Thursday, April 4th, from 9 AM to 3 PM at the City of Eagle Pass International Center for Trade, located at 3295 Bob Rogers Drive, in Eagle Pass, Texas.  This may possibly be the only public hearing that will be held in Eagle Pass concerning the Railroad Commission of Texas administrative public hearing concerning the controversial Dos Republicas Coal Partnership’s application to renew and revise the open surface coal mine permit.

Dos Republicas Coal Partnership exports to Mexico the coal mined at the Eagle Pass Mine to be burned at the Mexican government-owned Federal Electricity Commission (Comision Federal de Electricidad) two coal-operated electricity plants known as Carbon I and II, located in Rio Escondido, Coahuila, Mexico.  According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency studies, the Mexican government-owned coal electricity power plants in Rio Escondido, Coahuila, Mexico are major air polluters of Texas and the southwestern and central United States.