Area mayors accuse Mayor White of overstepping his authority

(3/15/07 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- Area mayors are accusing Houston Mayor Bill White of overstepping his authority. That's in response to White's plan to reduce emissions at plants outside of the city limits.

Some mayors in the Houston port region, from Baytown to Texas City, said Mayor White's plan was stepping too far into their terrain. Today, the city leaders sat down to clear the air.

"We all see the benefits of something that's regional and not just within the jurisdiction of one city or another," said Houston Mayor Bill White.

At today's summit, the mayors decided on three specific goals they could all agree on - incentives for facilities to use infrared cameras to discover leaks and second, community involvement.

"We want to have public forums, especially in east Harris County, where we can bring scientists in, where they can get the data to the community where we can get the information out to what we're trying to achieve," said Pasadena Mayor John Manlove.

Finally, the mayors also agreed to support a task force that will promote cleaner air, economic growth, and health benefits for the community. The task force will review and offer suggestions on White's Benzene reduction plan.

"Working in short order, we ought to be able to come up with a plan that will result in cleaner air based on scientific principles," said Mayor White.

Mayors in the port channel region are still concerned about their local economies, and argue that cars emit more Benzene than the plants in their cities. At this point, Mayor White's plan is based on voluntary emission reduction.

You can read more about the story in our Houston Community Newspaper, the Pasadena Citizen.
(Copyright © 2007, KTRK-TV)

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