Latest News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, November 20, 2024   Houston, TX — Lone Star Legal Aid’s Environmental Justice (EJ) team, in partnership with community advocates, has successfully paused the proposed development of a low-income housing project on top of a closed landfill in the Alief area. The envisioned housing complex, called Kirkwood Crossing Apartments, has faced growing criticism for planning to […]

Local groups ask the EPA to take over to require monitoring of emissions to protect public health.  HOUSTON—On August 29, 2024, community groups and environmental advocates filed a notice of intent to sue (NOI) the EPA to bring the Valero Houston Refinery’s Title V federal operating permit into compliance with the Clean Air Act. The groups claim the Texas Commission […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, May 16, 2024 Houston, Texas — Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA), representing Kashmere Gardens Super Neighborhood Council 52 (SN52) and Trinity / Houston Gardens Super Neighborhood 48, has joined forces with Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee on behalf of Harris Health System in filing a lawsuit against the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Earth Day – Tuesday, April 16, 2024 Houston, TX – The Equitable Development Initiative’s Environmental Justice Team at Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA) is proud to unveil their newly updated Community Pollution Reporting Tool, which enables Texans in 72 counties in the eastern and Gulf Coast regions of Texas to easily report any form of pollution to […]

Houston, TX, January 12, 2024 – In a monumental win for the Carverdale community, Applicant USA Waste of Texas Landfills, Inc., affiliated with Waste Management, has officially withdrawn its application for a permit to expand the “Hawthorn Park” landfill on Tanner Road in the Carverdale area of Houston, Texas. This decision from Waste Management to withdraw from an ongoing contested […]

In a Victory for Clean Air Advocates in Texas, U.S. Court of Appeals Halts Sempra Energy Natural Gas Export Facility FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023 Media contacts: Tom Pelton, Environmental Integrity Project (443) 510-2574 or tpelton@environmentalintegrity.org John Beard, Port Arthur Community Action Network (409) 626-1179 or john.beard901456@outlook.com Clarissa Ayala, Lone Star Legal Aid (832) 627-8404 or cayala@lonestarlegal.org Port Arthur, […]

Contacts: Clarissa Ayala, cayala@lonestarlegal.org, 832-627-8404 Riikka Pohjankoski, riikka@airalliancehouston.org, 713-589-7079 Allyn West, awest@edf.org, 713-724-1810 MEDIA ADVISORY: (Houston, TX, June 15, 2023) — Concerned with the health and environmental risks connected to Port Houston’s $1 billion expansion of the Houston Ship Channel, known as Project 11, Healthy Port Communities Coalition representatives and legal and scientific experts will gather for a day of […]

Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA) is pleased to announce a significant environmental justice settlement achieved in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on behalf of Super Neighborhood 48, encompassing Trinity Gardens and Houston Gardens. This groundbreaking agreement is a major step forward in protecting underserved communities and their rights to a healthy and sustainable environment. Super Neighborhood 48’s […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                    […]

Houston, Texas – The City of Houston’s Council Member, Leticia Plummer, hosted the Fifth Ward Cancer Cluster Collaborative Summit from April 24th through the 27th. The summit included a community sites tour, press conference, townhall, a proclamation in honor of IMPACT Greater Fifth Ward and advocate Sandra Small, and community breakout sessions with environmental and community leaders. IMPACT Greater Fifth […]

The Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC) is seeking a renewal of a Federal Operating Permit (FOP) from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for the Deer Park Terminal, where a hazardous chemical fire occurred in 2019. To discuss the permit application, a Public Hearing will be held on May 4th at 7 PM at the Gaines Mason Auditorium, also known […]

OneClean Houston Plan This year, the Houston Mayor’s office has released a plan to combat illegal dumping called OneClean Houston Plan. The plan calls for better enforcement, prevention, and education on the consequences of illegal dumping.  The OneClean Houston Plan is a combined effort between the Mayor’s office and community members, which include homeowners, community members, the industry, and nonprofits, […]

Updated February 15, 2023 Freeport, TX – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties is evaluating the complaint submitted by Lone Star Legal Aid on behalf of residents living in the East End of Freeport, Texas in November 2017. The administrative complaint alleges violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 19, 2023 Contact: Courtney Naquin, Sierra Club, (512) 661-1285, courtney.naquin@sierraclub.org, Devorah Ancel, Sierra Club, (415) 845-7847, devorah.ancel@sierraclub.org Lauren Parker, Center for Biological Diversity, (202) 868-1008, lparker@biologicaldiversity.org Joanie Steinhaus, Turtle Island Restoration Network, (409) 795-8426, joanie@tirn.net Dustin Renaud, Earthjustice, (228) 209-2194, drenaud@earthjustice.org Clarissa Ayala, Lone Star Legal Aid, (832)627-8404, cayala@lonestarlegal.org Massive Gulf Coast Deepwater Oil Export Terminal […]

Since March 2021, Ms. Hilary Tyson of Boyar Miller Attorneys at Law has been working closely with Lone Star Legal Aid to serve the Houston/Trinity Gardens community. The Houston/Trinity Gardens community is predominately African American, low-income, and while historically residential—it has suffered from years of neglect and divestment. Because Houston is without zoning, incompatible land uses plague this residential community, […]

Since 2017, initially as part of a collaborative grant funded by the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, the Environmental Justice Team at Lone Star Legal Aid has worked closely with Professor Kelly Haragan and her law students at the Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Texas School of Law to expand legal aid’s capacity to address the needs of […]

In a recent article for The Texas Tribune, Erin Douglas writes that “Tens of thousands of coastal Texas residents have survived repeated extreme weather events, including Hurricane Harvey. For many, it has taken an emotional toll, and researchers warn that climate change could be ‘catastrophic’ for our mental health.” As the signs of climate change become more apparent in our […]

Port Arthur, Texas – A coalition of organizations led by Lone Star Legal Aid Group Client, the Port Arthur Community Action Network (PACAN), launched a Month-of-Action to stop the proposed Blue Marlin Crude Oil Pipeline.  Energy Transfer has proposed building a crude oil pipeline through the middle of Sabine Lake and down to an offshore export terminal off the coast […]

EPA Objects to Valero Houston Refinery’s Title V Air Permit Due to TCEQ Compliance Failure, Continues to Rely on Harmful Policy that Endangers Clean Air Media Contacts: Tom Pelton, Environmental Integrity Project, 443-510-2574 or tpelton@environmentalintegrity.org  Alexandria Trimble, Earthjustice, (202) 792-6889, atrimble@earthjustice.org Clarissa Ayala, Lone Star Legal Aid, 832-627-8404, cayala@lonestarlegal.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, July 7, 2022 Austin, Texas – The U.S. Environmental […]

Texas has Refused to Fix Problems in its Air Permitting Program that Affect Environmental Justice and Public Participation   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, June 28, 2022  Media Contacts: Tom Pelton, Environmental Integrity Project, 443-510-2574 or tpelton@environmentalintegrity.org  Alexandria Trimble, Earthjustice, (202) 792-6889, atrimble@earthjustice.org Clarissa Ayala, Lone Star Legal Aid, 832-627-8404, cayala@lonestarlegal.org Austin, Texas – Today, the Environmental Integrity Project and twelve other […]