Second Public Meeting: July 11, Gainesville

TCEQ has scheduled a second public meeting on EOG's proposed air quality permit #95412.  The official notice is available here.

The public meeting is to be held at 7:00 PM in the Gainesville Civic Center (Main Room), 311 S. Weaver, Gainesville, Texas.

The purpose of the public meeting is to allow the public an opportunity to ask questions about the permit and the proposed industrial sand processing plant.

A couple of fresh questions on the minds of many in the wake of the notice of this second public meeting include:
- Why was such short notice given of the second public meeting?  TCEQ mailed the notice on July 3, and it appeared in local mailboxes on July 5, six days before the meeting.  No notice of the public meeting appeared in the Saint Jo Tribune.
- Why was the public meeting, which is likely to run well into the late evening, scheduled for the night before the 10 AM beginning of the contested case hearing?

Request a Second Public Meeting on EOG Frac Sand Processing Plant

Requests and public comments due by June 30th

In its notice of the contested case hearing for EOG's Cooke County industrial frac sand processing plant, TCEQ stated that it will hold a second public meeting on EOG's application if "there is a significant degree of public interest in the application or if requested by a local legislator."

The purpose of the public meeting is to "provide the opportunity to submit comment or to ask questions about the application."

Considering that many people were unable even to find parking or standing room at the first public meeting last August, and that changes have been made to the permit application since that time, a second public meeting seems more than justified.

Please submit your requests for a second public meeting to TCEQ. The process is the same as that for the hearing and meeting requests that were placed previously, available through this link: http://www10.tceq.state.tx.us/epic/ecmnts/ (Enter this permit number: 95412)

Remember, the deadline for public comments and meeting requests is June 30.

Please also contact state representative Rick Hardcastle and state senator Craig Estes, and ask them to request a second public meeting on EOG's permit application for its Cooke County frac sand processing facility.

Senator Craig Estes

Capitol Address: State Capitol, Room 3E.8 P.O. Box 12068 Capitol Station Austin, Texas 78711 (512) 463-0130 Fax: (512) 463-8874

District Address: 2525 Kell Blvd., Suite 302 Wichita Falls, Texas 76308 (940) 689-0191 Fax: (940) 689-0194

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Representative Rick Hardcastle

Capitol Address: Room 4N.04, Capitol P.O. Box 2910 Austin, TX 78768 (512) 463-0526 Fax: (512) 463-6003

District Address: 1930 Fannin Vernon, TX 76384 (940) 553-3825 (940) 553-3861 Fax

Contested Case Hearing Set to Begin July 12 in Gainesville

TCEQ has set the date for a preliminary hearing on EOG's permit application for the industrial frac sand processing plant in northwestern Cooke County. Anyone can attend this preliminary hearing, which will take place at 10:00 AM on July 12, at the Cooke County Court Annex Building at 112 South Dixon, Gainesville, Texas.

This preliminary hearing is the first phase of the contested case hearing. At the preliminary hearing, the parties to the contested case hearing will be determined, and the schedule for the contested case hearing will be set. The rest of the contested case hearing will most likely be conducted in Austin.

Anyone can request to become a party to the contested case hearing. Those wishing to become parties must attend the preliminary hearing and show 1) that they would be adversely affected by the application and air emissions from the facility in a way not common to the general public; 2) the location and distance of their property relative to the facility; and 3) how they use the property which may be impacted by the facility.

Please make every effort to attend the preliminary hearing in Gainesville on July 12, whether or not you intend to seek party status to the case.

Revised Permit Application and Draft Permit Now Available

The revised permit application, and TCEQ's preliminary decision and draft permit, for EOG's Cooke County industrial frac sand processing plant, are now available online (click here), as well as in hard copy at TCEQ's central and D/FW regional offices, and at the Muenster Public Library.