Staff -

Eagle Pass

Eagle Pass City Council has agreed to appeal against the ruling last week that gave the Railroad Commission of Texas, with a vote of 2-1, permission for the Dos Republicas company to operate coal mines in the northern sector of Maverick County on Thompson Road. The honorable Ramsey English Cantu, Mayor of Eagle Pass said he filed an appeal to state authorities asking that the case be reheard in order to provide the commission further proof and dialogue in reference to the renewal, extension and expansion of the Eagle Pass Mine. According to authorities, the city had 30 days to make the appeal and ask the Railroad Commission to reconsider their previous verdict which came back as a 2-1 split with David Porter of the Railroad Commission casting the lone vote against the expansion of what will be known as the Eagle Pass Mine. A point of concern for the commission was the adequate use of water needed for operation of the coal mine. Mayor Cantu reiterates that the major concern that the city has is possible environmental damage, such as the adequate disposal and usage of water, a dwindling commodity in the Texas region. The shortfall of water within our state has been a hot topic in Austin as politicians from both sides of the aisle understand the shortages of water within our state and have put this along with transportation infrastucure at the top of their lists of priorities. According to the project details, the company plans to extract the coal north of Eagle Pass and then transport it via railroad to a thermal power plant in Nava Coahuila, Mexico. A highly debated topic within our community as well as in Austin, with both sides making a good case for themselves. On one hand the local business community sees this as yet another opportunity for Eagle Pass to add jobs and economic growth and on the other side local officials and environmentalists have argued that the opening of the Dos Republicas coal mine has negative and long lasting effects on our environment and ultimately the health of our local residents.