Posted on 02/14/2008 6:07:37 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
A Waller County organization opposing a massive highway project is planning two informational meetings to help citizens prepare for upcoming hearings.
Citizens for a Better Waller County (CBWC) says it will hold meetings to prepare residents for Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) hearings in Waller County.
The hearings will be to discuss an environmental impact statement on the proposed Trans Texas Corridor’s route that could bring it through Waller, Austin and Washington counties.
CBWC’s meetings will be held next Tuesday at the Waller High School cafeteria in Waller and Monday, Feb. 25 at the Brookshire Convention Center in Brookshire. Both meetings will start at 6:30 p.m.
The informational meetings are aimed at helping Waller County citizens make effective objections to the TTC-69 draft environmental impact statement (DEIS), said CBWC officials.
“What people have to understand is that DEIS public hearing process is an opportunity to make technical objections to the DEIS on a number of issues, such as environmental, natural resources, social, economic, historical and transportation,” said Don Garrett, CBWC president. “In order to be effective, citizens need to focus on these areas.”
CBWC has prepared a Citizens Guide to the TTC-69 DEIS, which is available on its Web site at www.wallercountycitizens.org or by sending a request by email to citizens@wallercountycitizens.org.
“The mistake we saw on the TTC-35 (another proposed section of the corridor along I-35) hearings was that many people made very emotional statements during the public hearings, but those statements have little impact when it comes to whether the EPA or the Federal Highway Administration will approve or disapprove the proposed EIS,” said Garrett. “If citizens can focus on the technical aspects of the EIS, it will help in the overall fight to keep the TTC out of Texas. The CBWC Citizens Guide was put together with all of this in mind.”
There are three TXDOT public hearings scheduled for Waller County on the TTC-69 with two hearings on Wednesday, February 27, and an added public hearing March 4.
The Feb. 27 hearings will be held at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Hempstead, 22892 Mack Washington; and at Waller High School at 20950 Field Store Road in Waller.
The hearing on March 4 will be held at the KC Hall in Hempstead.
Gov. Rick Perry first proposed the TTC six years ago. If completed as much as 50 years from now, it would roughly parallel interstate highways with up to a quarter-mile-wide stretch of toll roads, rail lines, pipelines and utility lines. Cost of the project has been estimated at approaching $200 billion, and at 4,000 miles or so it would be the biggest construction project ever in Texas.
TTC also could require the state to acquire nearly 600,000 acres of private land, much from farmers and ranchers.
No exact route for the new highways has yet been determined.
Trans-Texas Corridor PING!
Where did the billion dollars go?
Audit TXDOT NOW!
BTTT
IMO, this is a very smart approach. (although I have personally been spurned for suggesting anything *sentimental* regarding one’s property)
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