“But along with mayors, business leaders, and farmers in Bell County, north of Austin, and their counterparts in several other parts of the state, Smith and Snyder are taking on a Texas Goliath — the Trans-Texas Corridor, the monster transportation project being pushed by Gov. Rick Perry and the Texas Department of Transportation.”…..

“So they created a planning commission and began asking for consultations and records on TTC. And what they found in the process astounded them.”……

“The local officials charge that the transportation agency report broadly misstated its own consultant’s findings regarding jobs that the TTC would create and failed to mention heavy losses in personal income and in the tax base the project would cause. They say TxDOT has also ignored requirements in state and federal law that it consider effects on air quality and the environment, look into other alternatives — or even to state why the TTC, with its grand vision of toll roads, train and pipeline rights of way, and commercial areas controlled by private corporations, is needed at all. And, perhaps most importantly for one of the state’s richest farming areas, they charge that TxDOT has failed to consider the major impact the project would have on their federally protected farmland.”…..

July 9, 2008

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Is Trans -Texas Corridor Dead? - KFAQ 1170 Podcast - Archive now lost

David Stall of CorridorWatch says not so fast; it is not dead.

May 31, 2008

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TxDOT official: Plans for massive TTC will likely change

NACOGDOCHES — In what may have been the first hint of victory for opponents of the Trans Texas Corridor, a high-ranking Texas Department of Transportation official said Thursday he regretted his agency's communication failures and said one proposed version of the corridor, a 10-lane super highway with rail and utility pathways, will "probably not" be built in East Texas, based on the overwhelming resistance to the idea expressed at public hearings on the project this month.

May 29, 2008

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Local Commission Demands TTC 35 Re-do

Four rural cities and their school districts formally demanded the Texas Department of Transportation stop all plans on the Trans-Texas Corridor 35 until a supplemental study is conducted as required under federal law. Fred Kelly Grant, the attorney and associate to the Eastern Central Texas Sub-Regional Planning Commission (ECTSRPC), wrote the 26-page request. The ECTSRPC is the first sub-regional commission formed under the Texas Local Government Code 391, to force coordination with state agencies planning the TTC. “This is the first substantive legal attack on the TTC, and therefore on the NAFTA Superhighway and the North American Trade Agreement,” stated Grant. If TxDoT complies with the request, it could delay the project for years and the resulting study will reveal the adverse impacts on the human and natural environment, which the agency has ignored. If they don’t comply with the request, a federal lawsuit will certainly ensue blocking the project in court for years. With four sub-regional planning commissions now in place in Texas, TxDoT must begin coordinating with those local groups before any action can be taken on the TTC-35 and 69. Stewards of the Range, American Land Foundation, and Texans United for Reform and Freedom have held two regional workshops teaching the mechanics of forming 391 commissions. One attendee made the comment after learning about coordination: “You’re not just working to stop the TTC, you’re taking our nation back from the ground up.” To learn more about coordination, go to www.stewards.us.

Farm Defense Fund To Sue USDA Over Animal ID

The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund has sent a Notice of Intent to Sue the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) to prevent the implementation of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). The Notice asks the two entities to “immediately suspend the funding and implementation of NAIS” and “fully and fairly examine” whether there is even a need for such a program. The Notice also alleges that USDA has never published rules regarding NAIS; has never performed an Environmental Impact Statement or an Environmental Assessment; is in violation of the Regulatory Flexibility Act that requires them to analyze proposed rules for their impact on small entities and local government; and violates religious freedoms guaranteed by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Taaron Meikle, Fund president said NAIS will not protect the health of livestock and poultry as USDA claims. “At a time when food safety and costs are a concern, the USDA has spent over $118 million to promote a program that will burden everyone [who owns even one chicken] by requiring them to register their property with the state and federal government, to tag each animal and to report “events” to a database within 24 hours. These “events” include a private sale, a state fair, or a horse show. “We also think there are constitutional issues at stake here” Meikle saiad. “The requirement to use electronic ear tags violates the religious beliefs of some farmers, (notably the Amish).” Joe Gomlimbieski, a Fund member and Michigan farmer, voiced additional concerns over cost of the program. “The cost of the tags is just the start. We’re at the mercy of whatever price the stockyards charge to do the tagging. NAIS is likely to put us out of business.” General Counsel for the Fund, Gary Cox, said “USDA and MDA have exceeded their authority and they have completely failed to follow the proper procedure. We are calling on the agencies to immediately halt implementation of the program or face appropriate action.”

California Man Sentenced to 20 Years For Eco-terrorism

A California man, who was convicted by a federal jury last March of plotting to blow up federal property, has been sentenced to nearly twenty years in federal prison. Eric McDavid’s sentence of 235 months “should serve as a cautionary tale to those who would conspire to commit life-threatening acts in the name of their extremist views,” said U. S. Attorney McGregor Scott. Two of McDavid’s co-conspirators, Zachery Jenson and Lauren Weiner, aided the government’s case by pleading guilty and agreeing to testify against him at the trial. The three eco-terrorists obtained a book, “Poor Man’s James Bond” that contained instructions for building explosives. They planned to use their home-made devices to blow up the U. S. Forest Service Institute of Forest Genetics, the Nimbus Dam and Fish Hatchery, cellular telephone towers and electric power stations.

Until Hell Freezes Over

The Bush administration decision to list the polar bear as threatened could mean the end to life in the United States as we now know it, sending this country to the brink of a Dark Age. Although Interior Secretary Kempthorne said the listing does not mean the law [Endangered Species Act] should be used “to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions from automobiles, power plants and other sources. That would be a wholly inappropriate use of the Act ESA is not the right tool to set U. S. climate policy.” Lisa Heinzerling, Georgetown University law professor said this about the administration’s train wreck. “The Department of the Interior has, in short, worked very hard to make sure that its listing of the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act does not trigger the usual protections that act provides.” Environmental groups are already preparing challenges. Kassie Siegel of the Center for Biological Diversity said in an interview last week that the ESA requires agencies to now address greenhouse gases. “We can and will go to court to enforce the law,” she said. It won’t be long before everything in the United States will be affected by this decision. “Environmental activists will argue that all emissions of greenhouse gases that flow as a consequence of the grant of a federal permit of any sort are now subject to review under the ESA and, crucially, that those permits cannnot be issued unless and until the United State Fish & Wildlife Service reviews and approves of the requested permit,” said lawyer and columnist Hugh Hewitt. There are so many things that require some kind of permit that environmentalists could spend from now until hell freezes over obstructing everything they don’t approve of, which is just about every human activity. “An activist armed with a lawyer can now halt anything he wants. He might even be able to stop you from driving to work or taking a hot shower,” writes Kevin A. Hassett, senior fellow and director of economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.

Connecting the Dots at Freedom21

Sustainable development can exist only when government controls people. Freedom can exist only when the people control government. Learn how sustainable development is being implemented in America and hear from those who are fighting to save her at the annual Freedom21 meeting to be held in Addison (Dallas), Texas July 24-26, 2008. This year’s theme is “Connecting the Dots to Agenda 21 and Sustainable Development.” Congressman Ron Paul, Dr. Jerome Corsi, and many others will be featured speakers. This is the most informative conference of its kind and anyone concerned about saving America should attend.
Go to: http://www.freedom21.org to read more and to register.