and you can help!
Contact the White House! ( And/Or any of the officials listed below.) It takes less than 5 minutes and just might make a difference!
Here's what you do:
-Click on the link above. Include your name and such, whatever required information they ask of you. Under "subject," choose non-policy, in the additional box, choose "other." Then leave a message.
-Say you have friends (or family, whatever the case may be) living in East Austin, and that the city is allowing TXI to put a 10-15 year gravel mine project in our residential area.
-If you feel up to it, you can also copy your message and send it to these guys, too. Again, it only takes a few minutes and has a massive amount of potential for us making an impact and getting the answers we need:
Texas Senator, Kirk Watson (Scroll down for the e-mail form.)
Texas House of Representatives, Dawnna Dukes
Texas House of Representatives, Eddie Rodriguez
Congressman Lloyd Doggett
Mayor Lee Leffingwell
-Here are some ideas for other things you might mention:
- The land on which TXI intends to dig presently contains 2 graveyards and the historic Hunter's Mansion- which, I might add, is listed on the city's very own website as "an Austin Treasure." What was once a completely rural area now has many new subdivisions, a new elementary school, a new middle school (under construction), and a huge toll-way. It is no longer just fields and cow pasture ( although we do retain a bit of those.)
- The area in question is less than a mile from the Colorado River.
- Two, new, never before seen species have been discovered in the area- one plant and one animal.
- The city denied a charitable organization the rights to the land, which they had wanted to use for building homes for low-income families.
- TXI says they expect 200+ trucks to be going in and out of the area on a DAILY basis. The mine will be less than a mile from the neighborhood elementary school. Additionally, there are only two roads that come into my neighborhood, the same two roads that will be accessing the mine.
- TXI has repeatedly failed to meet the city's requirements. Now, all of a sudden, it is rumored the city will be changing the requirements, lowering their standards so that TXI will get a passing grade.
- Members of our community have been going to county court meetings for months and have walked away with very few of our questions answered.
-Takes less than 5 minutes and means so much to me. I"m hoping to just get some feedback on whether or not there is actually anything to be done about this mess. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
2 comments:
Ok I sent a message to the wtite house and to all those other people you listed except the congressman, it wouldn't let me because I'm out of his district. This is what i wrote to them all;
I have close friends who live in East Austin in a newly developing where TXI is trying to build a gravel mine that will take 10-15 years to build. The area where they are trying to build will destroy the hisoric Hunter's Mansion which has been called "an Austin Treasure". I have personally seen this historic home and it would be a shame to see it and the historic graveyards on the property destroyed. Furthermore, the area in question has newly built schools and neighborhoods less than a mile away. The air, noise, and traffic pollution from this gravel mine would be a detriment to the community and destroy not only a historic site but the quality of life for families in the nearby community. I also know that TXI has failed to meet the cities requirements numerous times and that it has been proposed standards be lowered in order for TXI to get a passing grade and thus gain rights to the land that a charitable organization was denied rights to. Please deny TXI the right to build a gravel mine in East Austin and preserve the quality of life for your citizens!
Let me know how it goes!
fabulous! Thanks to everyone who has been protesting on our behalf. I'll keep posting as I find out new information.
Post a Comment