NewsTaco

By Amanda Maxwell, La Onda Verde de NRDC

Chile

HidroAysén, the company intending to build a 2,750 megawatt dam project on two rivers in Patagonia, announced that it would not present the environmental impact study for its transmission line until the end of 2014, in the most optimistic of scenarios. The company has not shown clarity about how it would move forward since parent company Colbún announced in May 2012 that it recommended halting work on the project. Among the reasons given for the delayed timeline, HidroAysén cited the need to re-evaluate the baselines and other technical studies needed for the transmission line’s environmental impact assessment. At the same time, Chile’s government announced that the Committee of Ministers, which is supposed to rule on the 58 appeals filed against HidroAysén’s dams’ approval, will likely not make a decision this year. Filed in the middle of 2011 and originally set for 2012, the appeals case is viewed as too politically unpopular for the government to take a stance. (Economía y Negocios 3/19/2013, 3/21/2013)

The first stone was laid in the Pampa Elvira Solar project in Antofagasta, a $26 million investment by the Chilean-Danish consortium Energía Llaima-Sunmark. The complex will produce 51,800 MWht annually, allowing the Gaby Mine to replace 85 percent of its diesel fuel and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 15,000 tons of CO2 each year. Officials expect Pampa Elvira Solar to be operational during the second semester of 2013. (La Segunda 3/15/2013)

Executive Director of the Chilean Renewable Energy Association (ACERA), Carlos Finat, spoke to the Energy and Mining Commission in the Chamber of Deputies of ACERA’s support for the proposed “20-20 law”, which would mandate that 20 percent of Chile’s energy generation come from renewable sources b 2020. He argued against the executive branch’s recent statements that the law would be too difficult to achieve, saying it is both technically feasible and economically beneficial. He further said that the “20 by 2020” goal would allow renewables to compete in upcoming distribution tenders. (Cámara de Diputados de Chile 3/21/2013)

Community members in Puchuncaví and La Greda fear that the opening of the new coal-fired power plant in AES Gener’s Ventanas will create even higher levels of industrial pollution in the already-saturated area. The addition of the new 270 MW plant will make AES Gener’s Ventanas complex the largest coal power plant in Chile, at 885 MW. (El Mercurio de Valparaiso via Terram.cl 3/20/2013)

High energy costs and low water levels are pushing Chilean winemakers to invest in innovative ways to run their wineries. The Morandé winery has installed solar panels at its Añade vineyard, and is assessing the feasibility of using solar energy at other vineyards, too. The De Martino winery says it has already achieved savings by using energy more efficiently, and is looking to optimize insulation and natural light uses. The Montes winery also reports considerable savings after employing various energy efficiency strategies. (Diario Financiero 3/15/2013)

Mexico

The city of Cancun will be host to the 2013 Solar World Congress during November 3-17th this year, making it the first time the congress will be held in a Latin American nation. The 50 year-old Congress will be attended by over 110 countries and organizations, such as the International Agency of Energy and the International Agency of Renewable Energy. At this year’s event, the congress will encourage energy reforms among member countries, pushing governments to make the transition to renewable energies as soon as possible. (Tiempo en Linea 3/20/13)

The Mexican Center for Environmental Law (CEMDA), the Marine Turtle Specialist Group (MTSG) as well as international experts have contacted President Enrique Peña Nieto about the already high and growing mortality rate of sea turtles off the coast of Baja California Sur. According to CEMDA, more than 2,000 turtles died in 2012 – a 600 percent increase from the mortality rates in the past few years – placing it among the highest turtle mortality rates in the world. Many of these deaths can be associated with high levels of accidental kills associated with small-scale fishing in the Gulf of Ulloa. (Hispanically Speaking New 3/13/13)

At the Fourth High Level Dialogue between Mexico and the European Union (EU), Marie-Anne Coninsx, the head of the EU’s delegation, recognized President Peña Nieto for the country’s new environmental policies. Among the advances highlighted in the meeting was Mexico’s recent adoption of the Climate Change Law. At the meeting, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources also announced a new forest program which would plant 180 million trees to increase the awareness among Mexicans of the need to manage forest resources sustainably and rationally. (El Economista 3/19/13).

Regional

Mountainous communities in the Andes have been experiencing climate change’s impacts on glaciers first hand, as melting glaciers are increasingly causing dramatic flooding events that can threaten communities. The Risk Management Office in the Peruvian municipality of Huaraz recently warned that water levels in the glacial Palcacocha Lake are again at record highs, indicating that the lake’s walls –formed by loose rocks and debris—could rupture and cause a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF). If it were to happen, the equivalent of 240,000 Olympic swimming pools (approximately 17 million cubic meters of water) would rush down the valley and to the city of Huaraz, home to over 110,000 people. The threat of the GLOF has citizens calling on the government to take preemptive action. (E&E News, Climatewire 3/14/2013)

This article was first published in NRDC Switchboard.

Amanda Maxwell is a born and bred Jersey girl, but has lived for varying amounts of time in Michigan, Vermont, Rhode Island, New York, and the Czech Republic before moving to Washington, DC. Prior to joining NRDC she received my Masters degree in International Politics and Economics with a focus in Renewable Energy policy from Charles University in Prague. While there, she gained an appreciation for night running, train travel (especially of the high speed variety), and the local pivo. She received a Bachelors degree in history and Spanish from Middlebury College, and also studied in Buenos Aires.

[Photos: Mexican Sea Turtle by Quiltsalad; Palcacocha Lake courtesy University of Oregon; Puchuncavi La Greda Chile courtesy Prensa.cl]

By Anamda Maxwell, La Onda Verde de NRDC

Chile

4.80 GW of non-conventional renewable energy projects were approved by Chile’s environmental impact system in 2012, more than four times the 943 MW that were approved in 2011. Of the total approved, 3.14 GW were proposed solar projects, which surpassed the capacity of proposed wind projects for the first time. Another 2.40 GW of renewables projects are still under evaluation, including wind, solar, mini-hydro and geothermal plants.(Business News Americas 1/30/2013)

According to a new study, coal fired power plants represented 25 percent of the energy generation in Chile’s main grid, the SIC, in 2012 – the highest percentage in the last 11 years. At the same time, hydroelectric power fell to its lowest generation in a decade, at 41 percent. The study’s authors noted that imports of hydrocarbons grew to a record amount in the past year as well, and that they expect the role of coal power to grow over the coming years particularly as the country’s low rain levels continue for a fourth straight year. (Economía y Negocios 1/28/2012)

Borja Prado, the head of Endesa España –one of the companies that owns the controversial HidroAysén—said last week that the future of the hydroelectric project depends on the government’s approval, and that once the project has passed all of the necessary steps, the company will study the project’s profitability. “We have invested a lot of money in HidroAysén, but it is a project that has to undergo the government’s process,” he said. (El Mercurio 1/25/2013) The municipality of Chile Chico, located in the same region as HidroAysén’s proposed dams, rejected the project. The town’s mayor, Luperciano Muñoz, spoke out against the project and lamented that some members of the community had accepted money from the company. (Radio Universidad de Chile 2/1/2013)

The Transport Ministry announced a new regulation on auto emissions which will go into effect later this year, limiting some of the riskiest air pollutants to public health: nitrous oxide and sulfur oxide. The newly amended Decree 149 makes the current regulation 10 percent more demanding as of June 25, and will become 20 percent more demanding in 2015. Authorities say that approximately 100,000 vehicles in Santiago –of the area’s 1.6 million – will likely not comply with the new standard. (El Mercurio, via Terram.cl 1/26/2013)

Mayors of Chile’s Metropolitan Region near Santiago asked the government to nationalize Chile’s waters after a massive water shortage last week caused by the company Aguas Andinas left many in the country’s capital without water for hours. According to Article 19 of the Constitution, the rights for Chile’s waters are privatized, allowing private parties to buy and sell them as property. The petitioners, members of the Chilean Municipalities Association, argued that the government should manage all water resources and be charged with their environmental protection and sustainable use. (El Dinamo 1/24/2013)

Costa Rica

Costa Rica was recognized as an international model in marine conservation at an event organized by the National Geographic Society during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The event acknowledged Costa Rica’s leadership in the creation of the Eastern Tropical Pacific marine corridor, a four-country initiative that includes Cocos Island, Malepelo Island and the Galapagos Islands. (La Nación 1/28/2013)

Costa Rica’s Agromonte pineapple company received carbon neutral certificationfollowing a two year accreditation process under the in the international PAS2060 system. The certification process included accounting for emissions from fertilizers, herbicide, water and other resources used during the cultivation stage but did not consider other stages of production such as transportation. (El Financiero 2/1/2013)

Mexico

According to a new study by Bloomberg New Energy Finance and Vestas, nearly 92 percent of Mexicans favor renewable energy over conventional alternatives. The study also found that 65 percent of the people surveyed would pay up to 10 percent more for power generated by renewable sources. However, sixty-three percent of respondents also said they felt they had little access to information about energy consumption. (Informador 1/29/2013)

President Peña Nieto launched an Interagency Commission on Climate Change charged with defining a joint agenda and creating guidelines for a national policy on climate change.  The commission is composed of 13 federal agencies and will include the participation of civil society, private and academic leaders. The interagency effort will have a budget of 34,500 million pesos. (Diario Crítico de México 1/29/2013)

By 2020 renewables could represent a fifth of Mexico’s installed capacity, attract over 350 million pesos in investment, generate 50 million jobs and help cut 13 million tons of CO2, according to Mexico’s Undersecretary of Energy Planning and Transition Leonardo Beltrán who spoke at the  Mexico Windpower Congress and Expo. Speaking at the same event, the head of the Mexican Wind Association, Leopoldo Rodriguez, highlighted that in 2012 wind power represented over  two percent of the nation’s total installed capacity, or 1,4000 MW. (Noticias 1/31/2013)

This article was first published in NRDC Switchboard.

Amanda Maxwell is a born and bred Jersey girl, but has lived for varying amounts of time in Michigan, Vermont, Rhode Island, New York, and the Czech Republic before moving to Washington, DC. Prior to joining NRDC she received my Masters degree in International Politics and Economics with a focus in Renewable Energy policy from Charles University in Prague. While there, she gained an appreciation for night running, train travel (especially of the high speed variety), and the local pivo. She received a Bachelors degree in history and Spanish from Middlebury College, and also studied in Buenos Aires.

By Amanda Maxwell, La Onda Verde de NRDC

Chile

The Supreme Court ruled this week that the environmental approval for the Pirquenes coal plant in the Biobío Region was illegal, and that the local authorities would have to conduct a new vote. The court upheld an earlier decision by an appeals court that the $80 million, 50 megawatt plant requires an environmental impact assessment for the approval. The company argues that no plant of that size has needed an environmental impact assessment before. But, those who oppose Pirquenes and representatives of the local government argue that Pirquenes is a special case. It plans to extract water from the local drinking supply, the land will be contaminated with pentachlorophenol, a toxic chemical, and the project’s environmental impact declaration was made before the 8.8 magnitude earthquake of 2010. (Radio Universidad de Chile 11/28/2012)

Mining industry executives celebrated the inauguration of the world’s largest thermo-solar energy plant connected to a mine, on Thursday. A $15 million investment, the new plant will use parabolic troughs to heat mining solutions used for copper production, and will replace 55 percent of the diesel fuel currently used for these processes, saving the company $2 million annually. By doing so, the new plant will also reduce the company’s carbon emissions by more than eight thousand tones, or four percent of the company’s total emissions. (Revista Electricidad 11/30/2012)

Chile’s Senate approved the highly controversial new fishing law after five intense days of debate. The Senate began discussing the law on November 20th, but needed several days to address the nearly 1000 suggested changes to the text. The bill now returns to the lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, for its third round of discussion there. (La Nación 11/29/2012)

Costa Rica

Starting this coming January, Costa Rica will start importing diesel and gasoline with a lower sulfur content. Sulfur content in diesel will drop from 50 parts per million (ppm) to 15 ppm. Sulfur in gasoline will drop from 200 ppm to 80 ppm. The cleaner fuels will meet sulfur standards applicable in Europe, and make Costa Rica the leader in low-sulfur fuel in Central America.  Costa Rica’s new fuel standards will also limit the amount of MMT, an additive that can harm gasoline engines. (Inside Costa Rica 11/30/2012)

Costa Rica’s President Chinchilla and Minister of the Environment signed a decree declaring the import, use and distribution of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the public interest.  The government claims importing natural gas would help meet the country’s transportation and electricity needs at a lower cost than petroleum, and with lower greenhouse gas emissions.  According to the government, Costa Rica is poised to begin imports in six months. Costa Rica’s College of Geology disagree with the government’s cost estimates, predicting that importing LNG would be just as expensive as importing oil.  As an alternative to importation, the College is calling for the lifting of the moratorium on natural gas exploration in the country. (La Nación 11/21/2012)

An extremely rare frog thought to be extinct in the 1980s has reappeared in Costa Rica, but now in a different ecosystem  and at a higher altitude. Formerly, the frog was found only in mountainous areas between 1,210 and 2,040 meters above sea level.  Its recent re-discovery in Costa Rica was at an altitude of 2,300 meters. The frog’s re-location may be possibly due to climate change according to herpetologist Alan Pounds. (El País 11/30/2012).

Mexico

In a big win for Mexican civil society, Desarrollos Zapal has withdrawn its Environmental Impact Manifestation for their highly controversial mining project, Los Cardones, which they had submitted for review to the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat). The company wishes to wait and resubmit the manifestation once the new federal administration has taken control and is in position. (Peninsular Digital 11/30/2012).

Maremotrices de Energias Renovables (Marersa), a Mexican energy company, intends to start building four wave energy projects totaling 30 megawatts in February. The company, based in Mexico, City, will construct 450 buoys that capture the movement of waves to produce this energy, and will be selling it at costs 20% lower than the cost of energy from the Federal Commission on Energy. An anonymous investment bank is backing Marersa’s projects with $100 million in equity. (Bloomberg 11/23/2012).

The Secretary of Energy (Sener) is contributing to the current administration’s legacy as a proponent of renewable energy by publishing five detailed studies on the potential for wind power, solar power, geothermal, biomass and cogeneration. Each study highlights the benefits of these renewable sources as well as different techniques of maximizing each one, and offering regulations that will make for safer production and a greener future. The contents of the studies are available on the Sener website. (Reve 11/26/2012).

This article was first published in NRDC Switchboard.

Amanda Maxwell is a born and bred Jersey girl, but has lived for varying amounts of time in Michigan, Vermont, Rhode Island, New York, and the Czech Republic before moving to Washington, DC. Prior to joining NRDC she received my Masters degree in International Politics and Economics with a focus in Renewable Energy policy from Charles University in Prague. While there, she gained an appreciation for night running, train travel (especially of the high speed variety), and the local pivo. She received a Bachelors degree in history and Spanish from Middlebury College, and also studied in Buenos Aires.

By Brett Israel, New America Media/Daily Climate

Coal plants place a disproportionate burden on poor and largely minority communities, exposing residents to high levels of pollutants that affect public health, according to a new report led by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

The report ranks all 378 coal-fired power plants in the United States according to a plant’s impact on the health, economics and environment of nearby communities. People living near coal plants are disproportionately poor and minorities, the report found; the six million people living within three miles of those 378 plants have an average per capita income of $18,400 per year; 39 percent are people of color.

“The message arising from this report is simple: These polluting, life-compromising coal plants must be closed,” the NAACP concluded in its report, Coal Blooded: Putting Profits Before People.

Coal plants are large emitters of mercury, lead, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon dioxide – a potent greenhouse gas. Along with contributing to climate change, pollution from coal plants is linked to asthma attacks, heart problems, and other diseases.

Failing Grades

The report also found that not all coal plants are equal. The impacts of some plants on the public health of nearby communities are measurably worse than others, the authors said. And more often than not, the most offending plants are located in poor and largely minority communities.

The NAACP report gave 75 coal plants a “failing” grade on their environmental justice scorecard and found that those plants were responsible for a heavy pollution burden: 14 percent of sulfur dioxide emissions and 13 percent of all nitrogen oxide emissions from all U.S. power plants came from those 75 power plants, according to the report.

The four million people living near those 75 “failing” plants are even poorer and more isolated communities of color. The average per capita income within three miles of the 75 failing plants is $17,500 and nearly 53 percent of the people are minorities, the analysis found.

“It’s very easy right now to talk about climate change as something that is theoretical, to talk about the dirtiness caused by coal plants as something that is aesthetic” said NAACP president Benjamin Todd Jealous. “But when you … actually meet with people in these communities, the stories that they tell you – about their children’s lives being diminished, about older people in the communities lives being shortened by the presence of these plants – are disturbing.”

Worst Offender

Illinois topped the “failing” list with nine coal plants found to disproportionately harm the poor and communities of color. Illinois is also home to the worst offending coal plant on the list: Crawford Generating Station in Chicago, Ill, a 597-megawatt plant built in 1958 and operated by Edison International. The plant closed in August.

Two other Midwestern states, Indiana and Michigan, each had five plants on the “failing” list.

“To our indigenous people, this is a life-and-death issue,” said Tom Goldtooth, executive director of the Indigenous Environmental Network, who noted that tribal people in the Midwest continue to struggle with mercury contamination in their fish-heavy diets.

The Southeast also has its share of coal-fired problems: Virginia has five plants on the failing list, followed by North Carolina with four, then South Carolina and Florida with three apiece.

Doing Work

Closing the 75 “failing” plants on the NAACP list would decrease U.S. electricity by about 8 percent, but would drop the number of Americans living within three miles of a coal plant by 67 percent, according to the report.

Some of the plants on the list, like Chicago’s Crawford plant, have closed or are slated to close in the next few years.

“We have been doing work, we are doing work, and we will continue to do work on our plants,” said Susan Olavarria, spokesperson for Midwest Generation, the subsidiary owner of the Crawford plant. Olavarria noted that Midwest Generation already has a fleet of coal plants that meet federal mercury emissions standards that don’t go into effect for years.

The Environmental Protection Agency, under the Obama administration, has throttled the coal-powered electricity industry, proposing the first-ever limits on carbon dioxide from power plants and also seeking a 91 percent cut in mercury emissions by 2016. The rules, proposed in March, would apply to all new power plants but are so steep that coal-fired power plants could only meet the standard by capturing and storing some of their carbon dioxide emissions – a practice too costly to be used commercially today. Natural gas plants can meet the proposed standard without additional equipment.

Coal today provides about 45 percent of the nation’s electricity, a declining share that the EPA projects will slide below 30 percent by 2035.

This article was first published in New America Media/The Daily Climate.

Brett Israel is Senior Editor and Staff Reporter at Environmental Health News.

[Photo courtesy New America Media]

By Adrianna Quintero

A study released by the coal industry attempts to justify dirty energy and life-threatening pollution by claiming that Hispanics and blacks will be hit hardest by energy price increases.

The study by the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity looked at 2010 data and concluded that due to income inequalities, Hispanic households must be more impacted by rising energy costs. This extrapolation is not substantiated by facts and ignores the reality that due to the pollution caused by coal, low-income families, whether they be Hispanic, black, Asian or white, are facing higher health expenses.

Lower-income families are more vulnerable to price fluctuations. That much is true and is true where food prices, housing, health care and energy costs are concerned.  What this coal industry report ignores, however, is the fact that low-income communities, and especially Hispanic and black low-income communities, are disproportionately impacted by pollution spewed into the air by coal-burning power plants.

Thanks to coal burning power plants, the low-income communities that surround these are left suffering serious health effects, including asthma, bronchitis, lung and heart disease, developmental disorders, and increased mortality. For Latinos, the situation is dire since, one out of every two Latinos in the U.S. lives in counties that frequently violate air pollution standards. The further aggravating factor for Latinos is that, in addition to living in heavily polluted areas, a lack of adequate insurance coverage, high unemployment and a high number of workers working outdoors make the health and consequent cost impacts even more severe.

While the coal industry would like to profess concern for the well-being of Hispanics, actions speak louder than words and Latinos nationwide recognize this. Like most Americans, Latinos want clean air and a strong economy. We recognize that we need clean air to thrive and that energy efficiency is the best answer if we really want to save money on heating and energy bills.

Most of all though, we love our families and as the fastest growing group of voters in the U.S., we as Latinos, want our leaders in Washington—and EPA– to protect our health, create jobs and move our country forward.

Low-income people should not have to pay for power with their health. This is why groups representing millions of Latinos have repeatedly come together to call on EPA to adopt strong, health protective standards which would allow families to avoid unforeseen health costs, lost work days and the pain and suffering that comes from watching your child gasp for air. The ACCCE ‘’study’’ is yet another scare tactic by an industry supported front group seeking to justify the pollution industry’s ability to continue making obscene profits at the expense of some of the more vulnerable people in our country.

[Photo By snowpeak]

By Sonya Cortez

Corpus Christi, Texas — I am the most important person in the United States: a young, unmarried, Hispanic female. So according to the research, I am part of the fastest-growing, most influential demographic group in the country. Yet, it seems that there’s another interest group contending for the title of “most influential”: big polluters.

I’m a native South Texan, so Corpus Christi was my first choice for college. I had not spent too much time around the ocean, so it was a nice change from my small hometown in the middle of the Rio Grande Valley along the border. Here, I like to frequent the downtown area, walk along the sea wall, and I like to watch the sailboats and windsurfers moving through the bays on a day when the constant wind makes the South Texas sun more bearable — very picturesque. In these moments, Corpus Christi truly is the Sparkling City by the Sea.

With the possible construction of Las Brisas, a petroleum-coke power plant, the city is in danger of losing its sparkle. Not only will air quality plummet, but toxic levels of mercury in our bays are likely to increase. Our health and the health of our coast are at risk.

Corpus Christi has a strong relationship with the sea, and many folks here fish regularly. There have already been documented instances of toxic game fish and members of the fishing industry, like fish distributor Charlie Alegria, have already expressed their concern about saving their family businesses if Las Brisas comes to town.

The EPA announced new standards for mercury pollution by coal plants, the largest single-source emitters of mercury into our atmosphere. It’s an incredibly important step forward for the health and sustainability of our community.

But the Las Brisas plant still casts a shadow on Corpus Christi. It seems that quick and easy opportunities for making money outweigh everything else.  Human health, as well as the health of our bays, is at the mercy of big business. Coal and pet-coke refineries operate at the cost of human health. But we have a choice. We can and must shift our attention to renewable resources and using what we have more efficiently. There are many cleaner, safer efforts that need to be focused on if can have any hopes for a sustainable future.

I have found that the case is not always that people don’t care, it is that they are unaware of what is really going on. The more we can tell our friends, neighbors, and even strangers about the choices we must make, the better. South Texas is my home. I, someday, hope to raise a family here. I want my children born into a world where they can breathe clean air, swim in clean waters, and eat local seafood without fear that they will end up in a hospital due to an asthma attack or mercury poisoning.

By moving from coal to clean energy, we can make that possible.

Sonya Cortez is a volunteer with the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign.

[Photo By epSos.de]

The fight is still in people along the border of Eagle Pass, Texas and Piedras Negras, Coahuila against a huge strip mining proposal that many say would have detrimental effects to the community’s water supplies, among other health concerns. We wrote about these issues earlier this year:

The city council has voted unanimously to oppose efforts by Dos Republicas to expand, hundreds of citizens have formally voiced their opposition, as well as countless public entities in Eagle Pass, and full disclosure, my uncle runs The Eagle Pass Business Journal where these articles link.

And the fight is still on. Luis Ruiz, who lives in Eagle Pass, wrote to tell us about it:

Dos Repúblicas — a name that sends a chill up the spine of the people of Quemado, Eagle Pass, El Indio, and Maverick County. Why you may ask? Well, it is simple: Money! Particularly money from the conglomeration of the Mexican Coal Company of MICARE and North American Coal Company.

We here in Eagle Pass take this seriously as it is not only a local issue this mine will also impact Laredo, McAllen, Brownsville and the entire Rio Grande Valley (Texas border). On June 14, the brave citizens of Maverick County will rally together to support the community of Las Minas where the mine is proposed to be opened, to make their case to the Railroad Commission of Texas.

To begin their battle they formed an organization to help inform the community about the detrimental effects of the coal mine; they went on to inform about the meetings and create public awareness. It was not long until this caught attention of the Dos Repúblicas Company and they sent a representative to disrupt a meeting. Several weeks later it came to the attention of various trusted lawyers that this company was also sending threatening letters that if this organization got the word out, invited people to the meetings, sent out invites, left leaflets at homes or other ways of communication with people, they would sue for slander.

The people are resolute, they are ready to put their foot down and whether thy have the support of their public officials, who at one point did, or are waffling on this issue: it is time to make a stand. Whether for or against, decide but go and decide which side of this issue you are on, Short-term economic boom for some or Long-Term environmental disaster for all. Here’s some more information:

• Support
• Citizens oppose
• Dos Republicas Representative
• Hearing
• Info about the association and here

Why is this important? Latinos tend to live in areas that are polluted, this creates a whole host of health issues. Eagle Pass is about 96% Latino according to the Census. Would you want your family to be breathing the air and drinking the water from a place where there’s a large coal mining operation going on?

Follow Sara Inés Calderón on Twitter @SaraChicaD

[Photo By [sic]]