KOLKHORST, GERDES URGE TCEQ TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING FOR LEE CO. COMPOST FACILITY

  

State Senator Lois Kolkhorst and State Representative Stan Gerdes have written to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to again ask the agency to hold a public meeting regarding a proposed compost facility in Lee County.

In their letter last week, Kolkhorst and Gerdes said they “strongly urge” the TCEQ to grant the meeting in or near the affected communities and gather feedback from residents about the facility, which is planned by Break It Down LLC on land near Lincoln.  They ask commissioners to “fully recognize the exceptional circumstances surrounding this proposal”, including the over 2,000 public comments submitted and the resolutions passed by local governments such as Lee County, Washington County, the City of Brenham and – most recently – the City of Giddings.

Earlier this month, the TCEQ said there would not be an opportunity for a public meeting, but that it will conduct a technical review of Break It Down’s notice of intent to operate the facility.  Kolkhorst and Gerdes wrote that while agency staff did not grant a public meeting, they feel it is well within commissioners’ authority to grant a meeting under these circumstances. 

The letter makes note of “serious concerns” raised by constituents about their properties, health and safety, as well as the “pressing issue” of the possible impact to Lake Somerville.  It closes by saying a public meeting is “essential for the Commission to gather comprehensive and necessary information before making any decisions regarding Municipal Solid Waste Notification No. 47084.”

Lee County has enlisted a law firm to represent its interests against the compost facility, mainly in enforcing the county’s ordinance that restricts solid waste disposal to certain remote locations.