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Southeast HoustonResourcesThe following files are available for download:
EPA Awards MfCA $100,000 for Environmental JusticeMothers for Clean Air is one of 30 community-based organizations across the country to be awarded an U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Justice Cooperative Agreement to address local environmental and public health issues using a collaborative problem-solving approach. The purpose of the MfCA project is to help understand a Southeast Houston community's perception of environmental health risk and to engage the residents in working with regulators and policy makers to change their environment. The Southeast Houston project, called Improving Environmental Quality through Cooperation , will include local governments, universities, citizen organizations, elected officials and industries working together to reduce exposure of residents to air pollution. Southeast Houston residents will participate in a community-based air sampling program to identify pollutants of concern and to aid regulatory agencies to enforce the law. The $100,000 grant began this fall and will take three years to complete. The project is modeled after the Houston-Galveston Citizen Air Monitoring Project, which was a unique collaboration of government agencies, universities, and citizens to complete a regional community air sampling project that used three different collection devices. Many of the partners who participated in HGCAMP will be part of Improving Environmental Quality through Cooperation in Southeast Houston . In order to implement the project, MfCA hired Carlos Bustos to learn about the community, inform the residents of the project, involve them in the problem-solving and solicit their participation in the air sampling. Mr. Bustos has been meeting with community stakeholders individually and preparing a needs assessment. A meeting of all the stakeholders and residents is tentatively planned for January 2005. More information about the Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreement Program and the 30 cooperative agreements is available at: http://www.epa.gov/ej/grants/ej-cps-grants.html EPA Responds to Southeast Houston ConcernsCesar Chavez High School has now opened its doors and is a welcome addition to its southeast Houston neighborhood. Many students have left the almost-80-year-old Milby High to attend the new state-of-the-art Chavez. Much controversy has surrounded the location of the new school within 1/4 mile of three grandfathered industrial facilities. Concerns have been voiced about the health implications for students. This issue was one that initially drew Mothers for Clean Air to southeast Houston with its multitude of pollution sources. The situation, in a predominantly Latino section of Houston, has raised red flags about potential environmental justice issues. The Environmental Justice Clinic of Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University has worked to bring representatives from EPA's Office of Environmental Justice here to facilitate discussion and gather facts about potential risk factors. Initiating a new technique called a "scoping process," EPA has brought together stakeholders from city and state agencies, the Houston Independent School District, non-profits, the Local Emergency Planning Committee, and the community to prioritize the main issues of concern. Issue-specific subcommittees are now forming. Reports will be generated by July 2001 before the start of the next school year. These reports will outline the findings and will give short term and long term solutions to each issue. EPA will continue to assist this community-led process as needed. These efforts will have beneficial effects for all of southeast Houston. In fall of 2001, an environmental magnet program will be introduced at Cesar Chavez High School which will draw students from throughout HISD who are interested in pursuing environmental topics and careers. Environmental education will not stop when the bell rings - there will be plenty for students to learn in their own backyards. What Is That Smell?by Linda BlockA new chapter of Mothers for Clean Air (MfCA) has formed in southeast Houston. The group will help concerned neighbors find answers to their questions regarding local pollution sources and learn about possible links to health effects. Other existing chapters of Mothers for Clean Air are located in Houston's Fifth Ward, Barrett Station, and Woodland Acres. Like these other chapter locations, southeast Houston was chosen because of the abundance of pollution sources that exist close to residential areas and schools. Within close proximity are the industrial sites of Goodyear, Exxon-Mobil, Texas Petrochemical, Valero, Rhodia, and Lyondell-Citgo. When combined, these companies release millions of pounds of toxins into the air each year. Located south of the Houston Ship Channel, the southeast Houston neighborhoods are also surrounded by the noise and exhaust from Interstate 45, the South 610 Loop, Texas 225 and the railroad. The rumble and risk from chemical-toting trucks and railroad cars persist daily. The potential exists for a train to block the evacuation route for thousands of school children and residents in the event of an industrial emergency. Hobby Airport is only two miles away and the Geneva Industry's superfund site (a toxic area identified by the U.S. government) sits awaiting many more years of clean-up and monitoring. Southeast Houston was also chosen because of Environmental Justice issues. Much of the local population is Latino. Historically, research has shown that in the United States, people of color suffer disproportionately from the burdens of toxic waste. The first steps toward reversing such inequitable trends are to raise awareness about local pollution sources and build skills to address issues of concern. The southeast community is no exception. Funded by the North American Fund for Environmental Cooperation and the EPA's Office of Environmental Justice, the new MfCA chapter will hold regular community meetings to allow those interested to share concerns about their air and to begin to find solutions. EPA Environmental Justice Grant Awarded to MfCAFor the second year in a row, Mothers for Clean Air has been awarded a grant from the EPA Office of Environmental Justice. In 1999, a $20,000 grant was used to develop a chapter of Mothers for Clean Air in the Fifth Ward, an inner-city community northeast of downtown. This year, a second $20,000 grant from EPA will be combined with a $25,000 grant from the North American Fund for Environmental Cooperation (NAFEC) to expand our efforts into Southeast Houston. MfCA has contracted with Linda Block, a bilingual environmental educator with experience in environmental justice, to help citizens educate themselves about local air issues and take actions that lead to improved air quality in their community. One of the tools the Southeast Houston chapter will use to identify the toxic chemicals in their air is the Bucket Brigade
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