A hearing on the EXXON/SABIC air permits for the main facility and their railyard is scheduled for 10:00 am on Thursday, September 6 at the Central Jury Room in the Nueces County Courthouse.
The facility cannot be constructed until the air permit is granted. Everyone who opposed the water permit should oppose the air permit. Challenging the processes used in making the plastic pellets affects the air we breathe, the transport of the pellets, as well as the quality of the resultant effluent discharges into our bays.
Texas Campaign for the Environment (TCE) requested the contested case hearing, and will fight the issuance of the air permits on behalf of its local members from Portland and Gregory. TCE is represented by attorneys from the non-profit Environmental Integrity Project.
One way to join the fight against the permit is to become a TCE member. You can do this by going to their website at https://www.texasenvironment.org/ In the upper right hand corner, you will see a DONATE button. Click there. You can either make a one-time gift or a monthly gift. Any donation greater than $15.00 makes you a member of TCE.
Any other groups or individuals can appear on Sept. 6 and ask to be a party to the contested case. You can do this with or without a lawyer. But, the contested case is a legal proceeding, similar to a trial that will proceed over many months and will take place mainly in Austin. The September 6 hearing at the Nueces County Courthouse is just the first step in that process.
Any person or group wishing to participate as a party in the case will be asked to demonstrate they are “affected” in a way that is not common to the general public. For example, close proximity to the proposed site, and respiratory problems of you or a family member could be relevant facts that the judge would consider.
Whether or not folks want to be a party to this case, your appearance at the hearing will give strength to those who are, and will send Exxon and their Saudi partner a clear message this facility is a bad idea for our environment and delicate ecosystem.