Audio transcript
Last night’s public meeting in Greenville on the proposed solid waste transfer facility near Commerce drew about 100 attendees. Among those present were several elected officials. State Representative Bryan Slaton, who requested that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality host the event, was on hand. So were Hunt County Judge Bobby Stovall and Commerce Mayor Wyman Williams. Most in attendance expressed opposition to the permit, which would allow Paris-based Transfer Station Solutions to operate a municipal waste transfer facility along State Highway 24 south of Commerce. The TCEQ is receiving more public comment for 30 days and will publish a recommendation on the permit this summer. If the permit is headed for approval, TCEQ Staff Attorney Anthony Tatu says there’s one more chance for opponents of the permit to affect the outcome.
Tatu: “And then, there’s an opportunity for folks to ask for contested case hearing, which is kind of like a civil trial. It’s held before the State Office of Administrative Hearings. And that can stretch it on, if there is a contested case hearing, that could be another year or so.”
Today the Texas A&M University-Commerce student government announced its objection to the permit. The university administration announced the school’s opposition to the project last year. The property in question lies near a curve in the highway and near several A&M-Commerce instruction and research facilities.