Houston, TX – As Texas prepares to implement newly passed laws intended to tighten air permit regulations for concrete batch plants (CBPs), advocates from across the state are urging the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to go beyond the minimum and use its authority to protect public health, especially in communities already overburdened by industrial pollution.

Air Alliance Houston (AAH), an environmental health nonprofit, is calling on TCEQ to treat the upcoming public hearing on Thursday, November 20, at 2:00 PM, not as a procedural step, but as a turning point. The hearing will review how the agency intends to implement Senate Bills 763 and 2351, which grant new oversight powers for evaluating air permits, but do not require the agency to use them.

“These bills offer tools. Now it’s up to TCEQ to use them boldly,” said Leticia Gutierrez, Director of Government Relations and Outreach at AAH. “The agency must stop treating public health as optional and start considering the real-world impact of permitting decisions on communities.”

Community Health at Stake: What Advocates Are Demanding

Air Alliance Houston and its community partners have outlined clear, evidence-based steps TCEQ must take:

• Enforceable inspections and third-party monitoring to verify compliance.
• Evaluation of cumulative impacts when multiple polluters are clustered in one neighborhood.
• Stronger setbacks measured from the fence line of facilities, not from equipment inside the plant, to better protect schools, homes, and places of worship.
• A firm, consistent definition of what qualifies as a temporary plant to prevent years-long “temporary” operations.

“Permitting shouldn’t be a rubber stamp,” said Gutierrez. “When facilities are concentrated in working-class neighborhoods, when kids go to school across the street from these plants, and when clinics treating asthma patients aren’t even recognized as affected parties—TCEQ is failing its mission.”

Turning Policy Into Protection

While SB 763 requires TCEQ to review concrete batch plant permits every eight years, and SB 2351 allows to require unbuilt plants to meet stricter standards, neither law mandates action by the agency. TCEQ should use its authority to require plants to meet the newest and strictest standards as compelled by a recent court ruling. Advocates warn that without assertive enforcement, these changes could amount to little more than symbolic progress.

AAH will attend the hearing in Austin and is mobilizing residents to participate through in-person and virtual channels. AAH is also hosting a community watch party in Houston for those unable to travel, ensuring broad public participation.

Take Action: Join the Advocacy

Air Alliance Houston (AAH) will be present in Austin and is organizing free transportation from the Carl Walker Jr. Center in Houston’s Fifth Ward, with a 9:30 AM departure. The organization is also hosting a virtual watch party for residents who prefer to participate remotely at their office, starting at 2 pm. (2520 Caroline St. #100, Houston, TX 77004).

Bus registration: https://tinyurl.com/Bus-CBP-PublicHearing 

Watch Online: Virtual Meeting Link