Houston vs. Oil Giants (Austin, Center: sales, 2015, transfer)

[cheeto_10]

Oil Giants Hope Texas Supreme Court Case Will Stop Houston Pollution Regulation - 02-23-2015 : Ho... Houston Public Media

What do yall think?

[Augiec]

I hope the city wins, but I don't expect them to. Too many statewide officials are in the pockets of the larger companies/industries.

[Dopo]

Big Texas government is gonna tell Houston that we don't have the right to control pollution in our own city

[marksmu]

The issue is bigger than the city because pollution is not limited to just the city limits, it crosses boundaries. The city of Houston is also more corrupt than the state, and is run by political hacks. Parker started off as a good Mayor, but as soon as she hit term limits and started setting her eyes on higher offices, she has gone off her rocker.

The question though, does the city have the authority to enforce state law? This is legitimate, b/c it would imply that the city has the right to enter private property to conduct inspections over pollution. If they have the right to do that, why dont they also have the right to usurp OSHA authority and enforce work place safety rules? Do unannounced inspections on work-sites, audit your financial records?

Its more than just pollution, and I do not think we EVER need more bureaucracy in this state. The federal government is making it hard enough to do business, the city needs to keep its nose out of areas already being regulated by another body.

[Jack Lance]

Originally Posted by marksmu

The issue is bigger than the city because pollution is not limited to just the city limits, it crosses boundaries. The city of Houston is also more corrupt than the state, and is run by political hacks. Parker started off as a good Mayor, but as soon as she hit term limits and started setting her eyes on higher offices, she has gone off her rocker.

The question though, does the city have the authority to enforce state law? This is legitimate, b/c it would imply that the city has the right to enter private property to conduct inspections over pollution. If they have the right to do that, why dont they also have the right to usurp OSHA authority and enforce work place safety rules? Do unannounced inspections on work-sites, audit your financial records?

Its more than just pollution, and I do not think we EVER need more bureaucracy in this state. The federal government is making it hard enough to do business, the city needs to keep its nose out of areas already being regulated by another body.

The City of Houston and Harris County for that matter, has the right to get involved in matters that affect the quality of life of Houston and County residence. They regulate garbage pickup, recycling, used oil disposal, enforce regulations against burning and other toxic waste disposal ect. I would not feel comfortable allowing beauacrats in Austin that do not tend to have a particularly positive opinion of our city to consider the interest of local residence on a equal footing as muti-national corps. This power the City is trying to use is very important in the future development of the East end of Houston..

[14Bricks]

Yes let's kill the golden goose and destroy our economy and be like Detroit.

[Jack Lance]

Perhaps if the city had some power to stop businesses in the city from carelessly polluting we wouldn't be having so many problems with the Harrisburg light rail line. This is a $20 million problem the goose left behind.

"Two years of often contentious negotiations ensued as Metropolitan Transit Authority officials responded to concerns that the overpass would split the neighborhood and inhibit redevelopment. With the city of Houston as peacemaker and financial partner, Metro shelved its overpass plan in 2011 and agreed to build an underpass, winning the wary support of residents.

But now, as work on the so-called Green Line nears completion, the discovery of a vast area of gasoline-polluted soil appears to have scuttled the underpass plan, reopening a wound that Metro, the city and the neighborhood thought had been healed. The city’s $20 million stake in the project is in question, and transit officials are seeking community support for a plan likely to send the light rail trains over the Union Pacific tracks rather than under them.

The crossing is critical to extending the Green Line east of Hughes Road, planned to link downtown with the Magnolia Park Transit Center. The Green Line, which Metro is building with no federal assistance, is one of two Metro rail lines scheduled to open this fall."

Is it all over for the Harrisburg Line underpass? – Off the Kuff

Detriot covers about 142 sq miles, we already have an area of Houston that is more toxic and just as depressed as Detroit now...

[Oildog]

Just raise the city sales tax to 10.25% to help pay for the new agency. Then they can hire all the inspectors that can't cut it with the State or Feds. Maybe some TSA folks will transfer.

How many layers of regulatory compliance are needed. Maybe if the regulatory folks focused their efforts on the rules in place they could stop bothering common sense solutions like pipelines.

[Augiec]

Originally Posted by marksmu

Its more than just pollution, and I do not think we EVER need more bureaucracy in this state. The federal government is making it hard enough to do business, the city needs to keep its nose out of areas already being regulated by another body.

I'd much rather have the ability to breath reasonably clean air than do business.

Originally Posted by Oildog

Just raise the city sales tax to 10.25% to help pay for the new agency. Then they can hire all the inspectors that can't cut it with the State or Feds. Maybe some TSA folks will transfer.

How many layers of regulatory compliance are needed. Maybe if the regulatory folks focused their efforts on the rules in place they could stop bothering common sense solutions like pipelines.

I don't think it's an issue of regulatory folks not focusing their efforts on the rules in place, but more an issue of the regulatory agencies being underfunded or compromised by the companies they are supposed to be regulating. It's not much different from happened with the agency responsible for regulating off short drilling before Deepwater, or the agencies responsible for regulating Wall Street.

[Jack Lance]

Houston has had this program in place since 2007 you have been paying for it all along. BTW the first city ordinances like this were passed all the way back in 1992...

"In 1992, Houston passed an ordinance for air pollution not covered by the TCCA. In 2007, it amended that ordinance to: (1) incorporate TCEQ air regulations by reference; (2) require polluting facilities to register with the city; (3) fine facilities that do not register; (4) direct municipal health officers to enforce; and (5) threaten to punish noncompliance with civil and administrative sanctions. Houston, Tex., Ordinance 2007-208 (Feb. 14, 2007)."

UT Law | Energy Center | Texas Cities Can Enforce State-Level Air Pollution Laws