Public comments on a planned specialized concrete batch factory in Missouri City will be heard by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) on Thursday.
Permission to construct the factory at 953 Pheasant Valley Dr., just off U.S. 90, is being sought by Verti-Crete Houston, LLC.
Because the pollution-producing factory would be located next to a neighborhood, several locals and environmental activists are worried.Additionally, the factory would be close to a city park and Marshall High School in Fort Bend ISD.
Anthony D. Souza, a senior research and policy coordinator for the neighborhood charity Air Alliance Houston, stated that the plant is not located in any industrial region. It is situated in the center of a neighborhood, which is fairly crowded. There are already more than 1,300 homes within a mile.
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The facility produces less pollution than a conventional concrete batch plant since it is a specialist plant with a lower limit on the amount of concrete it can handle.
In order to lessen pollution, it will also have an enclosure. D’Souza added that Harris County Pollution Control has visited specialist plants and discovered that the enclosures had no discernible effect on pollution prevention.
PM2.5, which are microscopic airborne particles produced by concrete plants, have been connected to heart disease, asthma, and low birth weights. According to one investigation, 8,405 deaths in Texas were attributed to PM2.5 in 2016.
“Because of just how small and invisible it is, it penetrates deep into the human respiratory system, even passing from the lungs into the bloodstream,” said D’Souza.
RELATED: TCEQ tightens regulations to reduce pollution in concrete batch facilities, especially in Greater Houston
Houston’s Verti-Cretewas unable for comment prior to publication.
The meeting on Thursday is set to begin at 6 p.m. at the Missouri City campus of Houston Community College, which is situated at 1600 Texas Parkway.
Residents will have a chance to ask questions during the first part of the meeting. There will be a public discussion opportunity during the second half of the meeting. According to the TCEQ, the comments made by residents during public comment will be taken into account during the permitting process.
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