[buffyt]

It is so ridiculous that we have to drive 55 now. I live in a tiny town one hour south of Houston and in Lake Jackson we have almost no commerce, we have no traffic and no industry. We are a tiny dusty town that time forgot, yet we are in the 8 counties who must drive 55 now. Houston is the only big city in the 8 county area. Most of the towns are rural and have TINY population, no commerce, no traffic, no industry at all. And they never will now. We almost got stuck with a new regulation that we couldn't mow our own tiny little lawns from 6 am till noon every day in the summer. That is when my kids mow, before it gets too hot. They dropped that regulation. It was so utterly ridiculous. Someone in the EPA hates Texas and it out for revenge.

[buffyt]

And our air here is already pristine, crystal clear. We have NO pollution in Lake Jackson, NONE zero zip nada.... I used to live in L A - I know smog and pollution when I see it. Our air is clean, otherwise I WOULD FRIGGIN MOVE!!!

[Ditter]

I lived in Bailey's Prairie for 16 years. Finally I was able to escape. ;9)

[MissAmericanPie]

I have been to Lake Jackson once, I thought it was utterly beautiful and picturesque. I'm sorry to hear it has fallen on hard times.

[weegee]

What's more, the state has raised the speed limit in other areas of the state. If lowering the speed to 55MPH is so good for the environment, why raise the limit elsewhere?

Want to see where the ozone problem really comes from in Houston, check out these ozone concentration animations, courtesy of "trainwreck" Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission

Try August 5th, 2001; it is quite obvious that the problem is the petrochemical refineries, not traffic.