County opts out of stricter emissions control
San Jacinto News- Times - December 2008

COLDSPRING – San Jacinto County will not be included in a non-attainment area with Harris County as a result of intervention by the county and Deep East Texas Council of Governments (DETCOG). County Judge Fritz Faulkner told commissioners’ court last week, “I believe we’ve changed their (Environmental Protection Agency) mind to not include San Jacinto County in Harris County’s non-attainment area. As a safeguard, I’m going to Austin to make sure.” Four areas in Texas have been designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as non-attainment areas because ozone levels exceed the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) maximum allowable limits, Beaumont- Port Arthur, El Paso, Dallas-Ft. Worth and Houston-Galveston-Brazoria. San Jacinto County was to be included in the Houston-Galveston- Brazoria area. Had San Jacinto County been included in the attainment area the government could have imposed stricter fuel emission laws on local residents and businesses, according to Faulkner. “The county wrote letters and DETCOG passed a resolution in favor of San Jacinto County not being included,” Faulkner said. “As a result they changed their mind.” In other business, commissioners’ court: • Approved the appointment of Evergreen resident Randy Baker to serve as president/chair of the Lower Trinity Groundwater Conservation District Board of Directors. • Approved the purchase of and fi nancing of a durapatcher for Precinct 2 from the Buyboard. “I’m having trouble getting patching material. It doesn’t stay in the holes. Pct. 3 has a durapatcher and it lasts a long time so I want to buy one,” Pct. 2 Commissioner Royce Wells said. The court approved $61,000 for the purchase with $10,000 down and the remainder fi nanced over a three year period.