The plant is right off the West Loop near Awty International School’s Early Learning campus and the LIPP Schools Babble campus.
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Parents gathered early Friday outside the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s (TCEQ) Houston office, calling for the shutdown of a concrete batch plant near I-10 and the 610 West Loop.
The plant sits next to Awty International School’s Early Learning Campus and the LIPP Schools Babble Campus.
For many parents, the biggest concern is the potential future health problems the plant could cause their children. Some say their children have already started to experience symptoms.
“I shouldn’t be having to send my daughter to school every day, a place that she loves, by the way, with medication for her to be able to get through the day without having a nosebleed,” said Jessica Koch, a parent at Awty.
Some parents say they’ve already filed a motion with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to revoke the plant’s permit. They’re also pushing for a full investigation into how it was approved.
“We filed our motion. We’ve yet to get assigned to an agenda or a docket for a hearing,” said Angelica Gonzalez, a parent at Awty. “I want to see the plant get relocated to a neighborhood, not even a neighborhood, an industrial area where it’s not hurting anyone.
The protest came the same week Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee announced a court victory against TCEQ.
A state district court struck down a 10-year grace period the agency granted to concrete plant operators before enforcing stricter pollution rules; a decision Menefee said should have an immediate impact.
“These facilities are going to need to get into compliance immediately with the more strict rules that are going to protect people’s health,” Menefee said.
It’s unclear how that ruling will affect the temporary plant on the West Loop that parents have been protesting.
One mom, whom KHOU 11 has previously spoken with, said the plant has received six separate TCEQ violations, two violations from the City of Houston for dust, and one from Harris County Pollution Control.
This map shows you where Awty International School’s Early Learning Campus and the LIPP Schools Babble Campus are in relation to the plant.
Under state law, temporary plants are allowed to operate within 100 feet of a school, and in this case, these two schools are next door.
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