AirMail - Concrete Batch Plant/Aggregate Processing Permits
Open Concrete Batch Plant and Other Aggregate Processing Permit Applications
Do you have questions or need more help creating your comments? Email us at [email protected]. We may also be able to support/represent you if you are interested in participating in a hearing to challenge this permit.
Please make sure to contact your elected officials about your concerns regarding this proposed facility. They have networks and influence to effect change, but they need to hear from you first! Not sure who represents you? Check here.
Torres Brothers Ready Mix, Inc: Permit Renewal No. 72039
APPLICATION Torres Brothers Ready Mix, Inc., has applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for renewal of Registration No. 72039, for an Air Quality Standard Permit for Concrete Batch Plants, which would authorize continued operation of a Concrete Batch Plant located at 4247 Fuqua Street, Houston, Harris County, Texas 77048.
Immediate actions and help documents:
⚠️ ACTION: Submit public comments TODAY
Resources:
Thank you to everyone who reached out to their elected officials. A meeting has been scheduled.
⚠️ ACTION: Watch our virtual community prep session
Click here to watch this community prep session video where we explain the permit process, what to expect at the Public Meeting, and why the permit is a concern to public health.
⚠️ ACTION: Attend a Public Meeting
November 18, 2024 at 7 PM at Hiram Clark Multi Service Center 3810 W Fuqua St, 77045
VERTI-CRETE HOUSTON LLC : Construction of a specialty concrete batch plant No. 176289
Verti-Crete Houston, LLC, has applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for an Air Quality Standard Permit, Registration No. 176289, which would authorize construction of a specialty concrete batch plant located at 953 Pheasant Valley Drive, Missouri City, Fort Bend County, Texas 77489. This application is being processed in an expedited manner, as allowed by the commission’s rules in 30 Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 101, Subchapter J.
Immediate actions and help documents:
⚠️ ACTION: Attend a Public Meeting
Thanks to everyone who contacted their representatives, Senator Borris Miles has requested a public meeting from the TCEQ.
- Join Air Alliance Houston for a community prep session before the public meeting. Details forthcoming.
- The public meeting will be held on Thursday, December 12 at 6 PM at Houston Community College – Missouri Campus 1600 Texas Parkway, Missouri City 77489.
What are Concrete Batch Plants and why are they an air quality concern?
Concrete batch plants are facilities that mix cement, sand, and aggregates with water to create the concrete used to construct bridges, buildings, roads, and more. While these projects are often necessary, living near one of these facilities can significantly impact your health and quality of life in a number of ways. Currently, there are no meaningful restrictions on where these facilities are constructed relative to homes, schools, parks, and other places where people live, work, and play.
While concrete batch plants are the most common aggregate-processing facility in Houston, there are other types of facilities that process aggregates and have similar concerns. These include asphalt plants, hot mix asphalt plants, and concrete crushers.
Concrete batch plants (and other aggregate processing) produce a lot of dust, especially the smallest and most difficult to detect dust, known as fine particulate matter, or PM2.5. These particles are able to penetrate deep into the lungs and may enter your bloodstream. This kind of pollution can pose serious health risks:
- It can lead to heart and lung disease, as well as cancer, and is known to affect lung development in children;
- Is known to trigger or worsen chronic diseases such as asthma, heart attack, bronchitis, and other respiratory problems;
- Has been associated with a higher risk for birth defects when pregnant people are exposed;
- It may cause immediate or delayed irritation
Concrete batch plants (and other aggregate processing) significantly increase the presence of heavy-duty vehicles on neighborhood roadways. The noise, traffic, wear and tear of local roadways makes living and travel for residents unsafe and unbearable. Diesel-fueled vehicles within the heavy-duty fleet emit black carbon and nitrogen oxide into residential neighborhoods. Diesel exhaust contains both very small particles and 40 chemicals that are classified as “hazardous air pollutants” under the Clean Air Act. The pollution in the exhaust can aggravate asthma and allergies, as well as cardiovascular and respiratory disease. Vehicle emissions are still present and harmful even when you can’t see the exhaust.
If the facility operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, as would be allowed by the permit, you may be subject to 24/7 exposure to harmful air pollutants that can exacerbate existing health conditions.
The TCEQ’s spotty history in regulating Concrete batch plants (and other aggregate processing) facility operations creates uncertainty around any CBP’s ability to operate responsibly and prevent anticipated impacts to nearby residents. In 2021, Harris County Pollution Control issued over 80 violation notices after conducting 149 inspections of Harris County concrete batch plants (and other aggregate processing).
In Harris County, concrete batch plants (and other aggregate processing) are predominantly located in communities of color and with lower incomes. Some of these facilities are located in residential areas and neighborhoods, close to schools, parks, and homes. The surrounding residents are shouldered with the burden of breathing dust and polluted air.
Please note: While we encourage you to bring up any concerns when challenging a permit, please keep in mind that the TCEQ will be concerned with air pollution impacts to health and environmental welfare. We recommend that you focus your arguments on the possible impacts to your health and quality of life.