News and stories about our work to protect and advance the civil legal rights of low-income Texans.
HOUSTON, TX – Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner held a press conference on January 7th in Acres Homes, a historic community of color in Northwest Houston where a concrete batch plant is attempting to secure a permit to operate its facility next to a residential home and across the street from Highland Park and Community Center, a vital community gathering space, […]
On September 13, the Executive Director (ED) of Texas Commission for Environmental Quality (TCEQ) issued a formal response to public comments from hundreds of community members who are opposed to a major amendment on Municipal Solid Waste Permit (MSW) #1599B for Greenhouse Road Landfill, a Type IV Landfill located on Houston’s west side near Katy. If approved by TCEQ, the amendment […]
Bringing over 40 inches of rain to the Upper Texas Coast, many communities are just beginning to assess the damages left behind by Tropical Storm Imelda. Only two years after Hurricane Harvey’s unprecedented rainfall, Imelda submerged some areas left untouched by Harvey, while also striking hard-hit communities that are still struggling to recover from Harvey’s damage. During Hurricane Harvey, a […]
Cities across the United States have begun to address Climate Change. On July 25th, 2019, the City of Houston joined these efforts by releasing a Draft Climate Action Plan to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions as a pathway to meet the Paris Agreement. Funded in part by CenterPoint Energy and the Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation, the development of […]
Port Arthur, TX – Community group and LSLA client, Port Arthur Community Action Network (PA-CAN), previously announced plans to sue Valero Energy Corporation and its subsidiary, Premcor Refining Group, Inc. (collectively, “Valero”) in federal court for hundreds of violations of the Clean Air Act, totaling over 1.8 million pounds of unauthorized air pollution released by Valero’s Port Arthur refinery since […]
Each year, the City of Houston Public Works issues a Water Quality Report on regulated contaminants found in the City’s drinking water supply. A requirement of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), the City’s annual Water Quality report is a way for Houstonians to know more about the safety and quality of their drinking […]
On Thursday, June 13th, LSLA community partner Air Alliance Houston held a press conference announcing a report on a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) that considers the wide-ranging health impacts of Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)’s proposed I-45 expansion project, also known as the North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP), on communities along the I-45 N corridor. Pointing to the inequitable […]
Houston, TX – For more than 14 years, Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has been planning the North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP), a massive expansion of Interstate 45 that will completely reshape freeway transit around downtown Houston, with major changes to I-45, I-69, I-10 and Hwy 288 over the next decade. The proposed expansion of I-45 north of downtown […]
Port Arthur, TX – Alleging over 1.8 million pounds of unauthorized air pollution were released over the past 5 years by Valero’s Port Arthur Refinery, the community group and Lone Star Legal Aid client, Port Arthur Community Action Network (PA-CAN), announced at a press conference today that it intends to sue Valero Energy Corporation and its parent company, Premcor Refining […]
April 29 – May 3 is Air Quality Awareness Week (AQAW). This year’s theme, “Check the AQI and Get Outside,” encourages us to learn about air quality by checking AirNow’s Air Quality Index (AQI) to find out the healthiest times for outdoor activities in your area. LSLA’s Environmental Justice Team recently caught up with EJ Attorney Colin Cox to talk […]
Lone Star Legal Aid’s Environmental Justice Team recently talked with Executive Director of Air Alliance Houston, Bakeyah Nelson, PhD, to find out more about a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) being conducted by AAH this spring. Funded by the Urban Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation under the 500 Cities Data Challenge, the HIA will determine expected impacts of the […]
This week marks the 20th anniversary of National Groundwater Awareness Week (NGAW). LSLA’s Environmental Justice Team observes NGAW as we consider this vital natural resource and its importance to our lives. This year’s theme, “Think” encourages us to think about ways that this important resource can be protected in order to ensure abundant, clean groundwater for future generations to come. […]
LSLA’s EJ team recently had a chance to talk with Air Alliance Houston’s Bakeyah Nelson, Ph.D. – one of our community partners. Read on to learn about Air Alliance Houston as we begin a series called, “What’s In My Air?” where we take a closer look at air pollution in LSLA’s service area. LSLA: Hi Bakeyah, and thanks for joining […]
National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) celebrates the 14th annual Environmental Education Week this week, April 23rd – 29th, 2018. NEEF partners with a wide range of organizations to inspire educational learning and encourage stewardship of our essential resources: land, air, and water. Lone Star Legal Aid’s Environmental Justice team participates this year by sharing information about brownfields, a type of […]
March 11-17, 2018 is National Groundwater Awareness Week. With our commitment to a fair distribution of environmental benefits and burdens as well as equal protection from environmental hazards, we must spread the word about groundwater. According to Kevin McCray, Executive Director of the National Groundwater Association, “Some 44 percent of the U.S. population depends on Groundwater, the water that fills […]