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Toledo Bend Bi-State Alliance
Minutes January 27, 2003
The meeting was called to order by Larry Kelly.
J. B. Meyers lead the group in the opening prayer.
Larry Kelly asked members and visitors in attendance to introduce themselves and state where they are from.
Minutes of the November 25, 2002, meeting were approved and accepted as read.
Janna Lehman gave the Treasurer’s Report. Current balance is $2531.56 plus monies collected tonight for dues. There are 9 organization members and 11 associate members. Asterisks beside members’ names on the report denote they did not pay dues last year. Notices have been mailed. Discussion followed regarding former members and the need to contact them and others who might be interested in joining. Motion was made, seconded and passed to accept the report as read.
Old Business:
DETDA Report: Charles English
A one-day Tourism Workshop will be held on February 13, 2003 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Fredonia Hotel Convention Center in Nacogdoches. The cost is $20 per person. Charles noted Jasper was back in the news. Another issue discussed was the rural disadvantage to East Texas caused by the legislative re-districting of the counties. East Texas’ legislators were reduced to 9 from the 13 previously. Houston now has 31. Also noted was the lawsuit lost in Sabine County that will cost the county $300,000.
East Texas Regional Water Planning Committee Report: Bill Heugel
The Water Seminar held on Dec. 16th in Lufkin with Sen. Todd Staples presiding was attended by Bill as county representative, and Larry Kelly, J. B. Meyers, and Linda Mauer as TBBSA representatives. The meeting addressed concerns about the availability and sale of water, as well as ground water districts. In order to join a ground water district, one must be adjacent to a county that is already a member of a district. Bill spoke with Sen. Staples after the meeting to ask how Recreation could have representation in our legislature. Sen. Staples suggested we find someone with like concerns and legislative ties to champion our cause, and get the laws changed. Region I is still in the process of organizing in regard to the latest changes in the population projections, which is the basic starting point in the Water Planning Process. One issue being finalized is the Modeling of the Sabine River Basin and Sabine Lake. One thing Bill feels will influence what happens to the Basin and Lake is the National Wildlife Federation and other agencies’ requests to the Texas Water Board for water rights for the environment. Larry said the Texas SRA at their last meeting, voted to fund a study of the estuaries below Toledo Bend Dam to determine the water needs, in preparation for re-licensure in the year 2013. Discussion about Texas legislators that have been connected with the Natural Resources Committee, Water Planning and Water Boards followed. Larry mentioned the Texas SRA has hired Ron Lewis, the former Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee as their lobbyist.
New Business:
Lake Level: Larry Kelly
FERC- The SRAs and their Washington D.C. attorneys filed a report on Dec. 17th with the FERC. This report contains most, if not all, of the publications and discussions of the Collaborative Effort Meetings. That report can be found on their web site and can be downloaded (about 27 pages). It contains the complete Operating Guide Re-evaluation Study and other reports published elsewhere. Larry asked that members open, read and study the second Preliminary Report from FERC on our request to have the Operating Guide changed, that he forwarded just recently and give him feedback with comments for a response that must be returned to FERC within a 60-day period. We are down to 30 days for our response to be submitted in 7 copies. Larry was very disappointed in their reply. It indicated that the SRA’s own study was not good. Comments are needed by Feb. 6th so Larry can compile a response.
SRA-LA: At the last meeting of the SRA-LA Larry brought up the need for rules for residents building below the dam. No real controls or procedures are set up that would prevent law suits in case of flooding. Larry stressed that we make sure people understand we are asking the Sabine River authorities and the power companies to stop routine power generation at a minimum lake level of 168 msl, except when conditions of power brown-outs or blackouts, or minimum flow down-stream dictate the need to generate or to lower the reservoir as directed by the FERC. We are not asking lake level be held at a certain level.
SRA-TX: 1616 signatures have been collected petitioning the Texas SRA Board for a meeting in the Hemphill area to discuss the Toledo Bend Lake level. Larry has signed the cover letter and is asking Janna to take the letter to Linda Mauer for her signature and then to be mailed to the Texas SRA Board of Directors. If this doesn’t work, we may have to find legal help that understands the laws on water conservation to help file a lawsuit. Of course, that would require raising the funds to pay legal help.
LEGISLATION: TX & LA- LA legislators Sen. Smith and Rep. Salter will be introducing a proposed bill regarding the stopping of routine power generation at 168 msl at the next legislative session. On Thursday, Jan.30th, we will be taking a draft of that legislation to Sen. Todd Staples and Rep. Wayne Christian’s offices in Austin to ask that the 1999 proposed legislation be revised to read the same as the LA legislation and be introduced into the Texas Legislature this session. We will probably see only their representatives, not the Senator or Representative. We have to convince these legislators that this is a good thing for conservation of water and that it does not violate the Power Sales Agreement. Larry says he has been able to get a copy of the Vernon Statutes that have to do with the SRA, and discovered it was placed as an issue on the Local Calendar versus the State Calendar in Texas. A few members will be going to the LA PSC on Monday, Feb. 3rd about what can be done, and then we need to talk with the TX PUC.
ALLIANCE WEB SITE: Frank Davis reported the committee is done with the changes and encouraged members to visit the site and see what has been changed. Larry complimented the committee on a job well done. Frank, Linda Mauer, and Janna Lehman comprised the committee. Janna says they have made the site more accessible and more meaningful to our association. Janna has the password, and can input news articles and meeting notices. It was suggested we find a reporter that lives on the lake and is interested, to champion our cause through news articles.
Approval of New Members: Warren Bourgeois was approved as a new Associate Member.
Approve Payment of Outstanding Bills: Payment was authorized to send Larry Kelly as a Director to the LA Wildlife Assoc. Conference. Payment was approved to pay $33.40 to Larry for travel to Greenville, TX for SRA meeting. Approval was given for payment of $50.38 to Janna Lehman for ink and postage for dues notices.
Next Meeting Date: March 24, 2003
Meeting Adjourned.
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