The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 80, No. 69, Ed. 1 Sunday, February 3, 2002 Page: 4 of 30
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4A The Baytown Sun
Opinion
Sunday, February 3,2002
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Founde
Wanda Gamer Cash, Editor and Publisher
total S>un
d 1922
David Bloom, Managing Editor
Fred Hartman, Publisher Emeritus
1950-1974
Fighting the landfill
i HI 'the-fight must go on. Despite
I a setback this week, the
^ fight against the toxic waste
landfill in West Chambers County
must go.
Opponents of the TSP landfill
project reacted angrily Wednesday
after the Texas Natural Resource
Conservation Commission decided
to allow permits applications to go
forward.
Although the landfill must still
clear several legal hurdles, oppo-
nents were banking on the commis-
sioners to block the project they’ve
been battling for a years.
Instead, the commissioners -
thumbed their noses at clean air and
water, and holes in the law by kow-
towing to the waste industry. It is
• ••" unforgivable.
The two administrative law judges
halted review after “valid and trou-
bling” questions were raised about
the absence of ruljjs preventing
meaningful evaluation of the com-
pany’s permit request. Those ques-
tions have hot gone away just
because the TNRCC commissioners
took a pass on making a decision.
TSP aims to operate a Class One
non-hazardous industrial waste
facility, which could includes mate-
rials such as cyanide, benzene, mer-
cury, arsenic and lead. The dangers *
of contamination from such a toxic
soup is well known.
The developer proposes dumping
up to 2,000 tons of industrial waste
a day at an 800 acre site near the
Harris County line. The waste even-
tually would form a mound as tall
as a 34-story building and release a
projected 41 tons of volatile organic
compounds and 94 tons of particu-
lates. into the air each year,’accord-
ing to the application.
Residents of Beach City depend
on the water provided by the aquifer
and this site could, and most likely
will, contaminate their water supply,
therefore, making property worth-
r less — needless to say, jeopardize
the health of many families. It is
almost certain the waters of Trinity
—v Bay and the Galveston Bay com-
plex will be contaminated, if the
aquifer becomes tainted.
The opposition is led by Beach
City, Baytown, Harris County,
Chambers County, Liberty County,
individual citizens and three groups:
the Government Entities Group,
Citizen’s Group (58 area residents)
and an Organization’s Group
(includes Citizens for a Better
Baytown, the Galveston Bay
Foundation and Informed Citizens
United).
At issue in Wednesday’s hearing
were questions surrounding agency
rules for designing and operating
industrial landfills. Opponents
pointed out that no detailed rules
exist for such landfills, and that
state law requires rules for these
types of permits.
The logic behind the argument
has not changed and by sending the
case back to the judges t— without
clarification — may bode well for
opponents.
Judging from their comments, the
judges apparently have a real prob-
lem in hearing this case without any
rules.
We are convinced that without
TNRCC guidelines for non-haz-
ardous waste, it is virtually impossi-
ble to adequately judge whether
public health and safety is being
protected.
The protesting group’s motion to
dismiss the hearings and remand the
permit back to TNRCC for formal
rules will now be held in abeyance
by the judges until the contested
case hearings are complete, a t
process attorneys estimate will take
one and a half to two more years.
Attorneys for the opposition will
continue to attack the environmental
impact and the lack of true law gov-
erning such landfills.
We have been fighting this toxic
dump for a long time, and we still
have a long way to go.
We all know this is definitely the
wrong site for a landfill.
Today 's editorial was written by
David Bloom, managing editor of
The Baytown Sun, on behalf of the
newspaper 's editorial board.
Cheney should release energy material
r ■ the escalating stare-down
I between Vice President Dick
JL Cheney and the General
Accounting Office are waging war
in a federal court. Congress’ inves-
tigative arm has sued for documents
related to the Bush administration’s
development of an energy plan.
For months, Mr. Cheney has
refused to release records of his
energy task force, despite growing
public perception that oil and gas
interests improperly influenced U.S.
energy policy. Such perceptions can
harm an administration, even one
that enjoys overwhelming approval
for the war against terror.
Mr. Cheney contends that disclos-
ing details about the task force’s
About Us
- <*:
Our editorial board
The Baytown Sun's editorial board meets
weekly at 2 p.m. Wednesday. Individuals are
encouraged to visit the editorial board to dis-
cuss issues affecting the community. To
make an appointment, contact Managing
Editor David Bloom, (281) 422-8302-
Members of the editorial board include:
Vtonda Garner Cash, editor and publisher:
David Bloom, managing editor; Meredith
Darnell, news editor; Eric Bauer, marketing
director; and Dee Anne Navarre, business
manager.
Let us hear from you
The Baytown Sun welcomes letters of up to
300 words and guest columns of up to 500
words on any item of public interest. Guest
meetings would weaken executive
authority and prevent a president or
vice president from obtaining frank
advice.
So far, there is no evidence that
any administration official did any-
thing wrong in regard to Enron or in
developing an energy policy.
However, the longer the administra-
tion fights disclosure, the more sus-
picions will intensify. Even if Mr.
Cheney were to prevail, the admin-
istration’s energy policy will remain
shrouded in accusations and innuen-
does.
The administration should be per-
fectly candid about its energy policy
deliberations. Now, not later.
— The Dallas Morning News
columns should include a photograph of the
writer. \Afe publish only original material
addressed to The Baytown Sun bearing the
writer's signature. An address and phone num-
ber not for publication should be included. We
ask that submissions be limited to one per
month. All letters and guest columns subject
to editing.
The Sun reserves the right to refuse to pub-
lish any submission.
Letters endorsing or opposing political can-
didates or issues will not be published within
two days of an election, except in direct rebut-
tal to a letter previously published in The
Baytown Sun. Please send signed letters to:
Whnda Garner Cash or David Bloom, The
Baytown Sun, P.O. Box 90, Baytown, TX
77522.
Or, fax them to: (281) 427-1880. Or, email
us at: sunnews@baytownsun.com.
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Commentary
The new war and echoes of the past
President Bush’s top priorities —
winning a long war and protecting
the homeland — will distinctively
mark his presidency. On the other
hand, his State of the Union mes-
sage contained elements echoing
his predecessors.
For instance, Bush came to office
disparaging Bill Clinton's idea of
nation building — “international
social work,” some aides called if
— and yet,’this issue has become a
major feature of his agenda.
Not only did Bush promise to
rebuild Afghanistan, he expansively
declared — in idealistic terms akin
to Woodrow Wilson's that “we
have a great opportunity during tifis
time of war to lead the world
toward the values that will bring
lasting peace.”
He added, “We have a greater
Objective than eliminating threats
and containing resentment. We seek
a just and peaceful world beyond
the war on terror.”
As part of the effort, he is pledg-
ing to double the size of John F.
Kennedy’s prize invention, the
Peace Corps, and send its volun-
teers to work in the* Islamic world,
especially to counter hatred'spread
in religious schools. ^
On the domestic front, Bush
called for a doubling of Clinton's
volunteer program, AmeriCorps,
which Congressional Republicans
routinely tried to zero-out at budget
time.
The president announced plans to
organize a new USA Freedom
Corps of 200,000 volunteers to
work on homeland security, teach-
ing and mentoring, and he will cre-
ate a high-level White House office
to coordinate volunteerism. /
Bush did not sound a clarion call
like Kennedy’s celebrated “ask not
what your country can do for you"
line, which inspired many young
people to enteFpublic service. But
he did enunciate an expansive
vision. “This time of adversity
offers a unique moment of opportu-
nity — a moment we must seize to
change our culture" through com-
munity service.
Arguably, even Bush’s ability to
fight a robust war on terrorism is an
outgrowth of actions taken by the
Clinton administration.
Officials
City of Baytown
Morton
Kondracke
The high-tech weaponry used so
effectively in Afghanistan was
developed and acquired on
Clintons watch. Five of the six
members of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff were appointed-by Clinton, as
was the War’s regional commander,
Gen. Tommy Franks.
Of course, Bush gets the credit,
and deserves it, for summoning the
nation’s resolve after Sept. 11 and
settling on the one-target-at-a-time
strategy “for conducting the war on
terrorism.
He served notice Tuesday night
that the war might last for the dura-
tion of His presidency — and even
beyond. He also explicitly extended
the nation’s war aim beyond the
uprooting of the Al-Qaeda network
to preventing an “evil axis” of ,
nations from deploying weapons of
mass destruction.
Bush did not reveal exactly how
he planned to confront North
Korea, Iran and Iraq, but he said
that “these regimes pose a grave
and growing danger,” implying that
the world will not be safe as long as
the regimes are in power.
And he adcied that dealing with
such nations is urgent business. “I
will not wait on events while dan-
gers gather,” he said. “The United
States will not permit the world’s
most dangerous regimes to threaten
us with the world's most destructive
weapons."
The breadth and depth of Bushs
commitment — hardly one that can
be turned back — had echoes of
Franklin Roosevelt's goal of defeat-
ing America's enemies uncondition-
ally in World War II; Kennedy’s
vow to “oppose any foe” and
Ronald Reagan's determination to
topple the communist “evil empire,”
Iran, Iraq and North Korea —
plus Al-Qaeda, Hamas and other
terrorist groups — are clearly more
manageable foes than Germany,
Goose Creek CISD
Japan and the Soviet Union, but it
will still require enormous skill on
Bush’s part to organize a war that
he says'“has only begun."
The president called for the
biggest defense increases in two
decades, a doubling of homeland
security spending, and a major anti-
recession “jobs" agenda that
includes making his 2001 tax cuts
permanent — a recipe for large
budget deficits in the short run, at
least.
Bush seemingly reversed
Clinton s claim that “the era of big
government is over” and sounded
like Lyndon Johnson in arguing that
bioterrorism, police upgrades and
stronger border security will reap
lasting national benefits.
Partly to avoid the fate of his
father, Bush did not stint on domes-
tic programs, either, putting fordi a
“guns-and-butter” program, includ-
ing an economic stimulus package,
welfare reform, a Medicare pre-
scription drug benefit, significant
education upgrades and tax credits
for the uninsured.
In each case, except for tax cuts,
Bush’s proposal will be smaller than
that put forth by Democrats. In
most cases, that move will ensure
that no agreement is reached this
year. Bush’s policies may pass the
House, but not the Senate.'
Among the many echoes of prior
presidencies in Bush’s speech, one
caught a whiff of Richard Nixon:
the assertion that Americans
deserve the same bipartisan unity
on domestic policy as on war poli-
cy-
The implication — though he did
not push it — is that opposition to
his domestic agenda is unpatriotic.
Fortunately, Democrats are not
being cowed. House Minority
Leader Richard Gephardt of
Missouri responded that his party
wants to “work together” with
Bush, but on a very different
domestic agenda.
It looks as though Washington
will have to f ight wars abroad and
political battles at home at the same
time. It can.
Morton Kondracke is executive
editor of Roll Cali, the newspaper
of Capitol Hill.
Lee College
City Hall
2401 Market Street
Baytown, Texas 77520
Goose Creek Administration Bldg.
1415 Market Street
P.O. Box 30
511 S. Whiting
Baytown, Texas 77520
281-427-5611
281-422-8281
City Manager
Monte Mercer
Mayor
Baytown, Texas 77522
281-420-4800
Superintendent
Barbara Suit is , '• '• '•
President
Wcant
Board of Regents
Bill Blake (2006)
281-427-9321
Pete Alfaro
Board of Trustees
281-420-6500
District 1 - Phelitria Barnes
Keith Coburn (2006)
281-422-9451
City Council
281-426-5812
District 1 - Mercedes Renteria III
District 2 - Rosa Rodriguez
Susan Fontenot (2006)
281-420-9796
281-420-2550
281-421-1296
District 2 - Scott Sheley
District 3 - Weston Cotten
Don Coffey (2002)
281-422-8008
281-426-5384
281-422-3232
District 3 - Calvin Mundinger
District 4 - James’Lewis
Peter Straub (2002)
281-424-9289
281-428-7360
281-422-6881
District 4 - Don Murray
District 5 - Clarence Albus
Wayne Gray (2004)
281-424-2300
281-421-5896 *
281-422-8221
District 5 - Ronnie Anderson
District 6 - Jepp Busch
Ronald Haddox (2004)
281-427-9084
281-422-8898
281-422-0555
District 6 - Coleman Godwin
District 7 - Roy Barefield
Jess D. Navarre (2004)
281-422-4733
281-422-7329
281-422-7052
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Cash, Wanda Garner. The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 80, No. 69, Ed. 1 Sunday, February 3, 2002, newspaper, February 3, 2002; Baytown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1028750/m1/4/?q=wichita+falls: accessed July 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Sterling Municipal Library.