Harris County Message to EPA & State: Remove San Jacinto River Threats.

The Harris County Commissioners have unanimously passed a resolution pushing the EPA and State of Texas to address decades old environmental health threats along the San Jacinto River.

The resolution calls on the EPA to remove dioxin-laden waste material from the San Jacinto Waste Pits Superfund Site. It also points out the need for better analysis by the state on the cancer rates in communities along the river.

As the Houston Chronicle reported, the commissioners recognized THEA’s efforts to keep the focus on the health of area residents.

In spearheading the resolution during the Commissioner's Court meeting on Thursday, April 10th, Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey called out International Paper and Waste Management, the companies responsible for the San Jacinto Superfund Site, referring to them as the “irresponsible parties.” 

Prior to the vote, THEA CEO and Founder, Jackie Medcalf spoke on behalf of the resolution, saying “First, we need the EPA to get the waste pits out of the river and second, we need the state to provide localized census tract data for the area, because how do we assist our communities, how do we know which areas are disproportionately impacted and which ones are not?”