05-29-2003 Bayport Expansion Review Committee Meeting

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.. e e . site] is of national significance." The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also recommended denial of the permit for Bayport. Wetlands are important for water quality in Galveston Bay. Wetlands are important as habitat for fish and wildlife. Wetlands are a vital part of the coastal ecology. Wetlands should not be taken for a port facility if they don't have to be taken. We don't have a lot of wetlands left along the west shoreline of Galveston Bay. Every acre is important. Why are we building Bayport at this location? Why are we allowing these wetlands to be destroyed? This FEIS is raising important issues that we should debate as a community. . There is also a very confusing statement contained in a fact sheet that accompanied the Bayport FEIS. The Corps identified several commonly asked questions and provided answers. Question 8 asked whether or not the Port of Houston Authority had offered compensatory mitigation in the Katy Prairie or in the Banana Bend area of the San Jacinto River. In its answer, the Corps stated that "the applicant (the Port of Houston Authority) has been engaged in ongoing discussions with state and federal resource agencies concerning Banana Bend and Katy Prairie sites, but no final decisions have been reached in the discussions." From this statement, it is clear that the wetland mitigation is still being negotiated. Apart from questions as to why mitigation would be appropriate in the Katy Prairie, the larger issue is why was an FEIS issued before this important mitigation concept had been resolved? This is not a Final EIS. The final proposal has not been developed. This FEIS should be shelved until we, the impacted public, can see a final proposal. 5. Noise Impacts The FElS also analyzes the impact of the proposed Bayport facility on noise levels in adjacent neighborhoods and the results are startling. For the first time, the Corps admits that there will be major impacts on adjacent neighborhoods from noise from Bayport. The FEIS admits that sound le~els may increase in EI Jardin by over 5 dBA from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. and in other areas by over 10 dBA during that same time. In the FElS, it states that EP A considers sound levels greater than 10 dBA over background as being startling or sleep disturbing. The City of Pasadena municipal code, which applies to El Jardin, prohibits an instantaneous sound level greater than 5 dBA from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. . The FEIS states that the sound levels can be dropped to an acceptable level by two things. First, if the port is not operating between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m, the levels would be acceptable. However, that is not the plan and it' doesn't make sense. The port should be located at a place where it could operate 24 hours. It cannot at this location. Second, to protect the areas such as LaPorte and Shoreacres, the Corps states that building the proposed sound wall on the north side of the ship channel to 30 feet rather than 20 feet would help. Can you image what would happen to a 30 foot high sound wall during a hurricane, much less what an eyesore it would be? And that still does not solve the problem of the sound levels in the City of Pasadena. 4