ustxtxb_obs_2008_04_04_50_00015-00000_000.pdf

Control officials at least five times during that period. Former Republican Congressman Kent Hance, a Waste Control investor and chancellor of the Texas Tech University System, paid a visit to Shankle’s office in early November. Cliff Johnson, a principal in Textilis Strategies, an Austin-based firm that lobbies for Waste Control, visited with Shankle in September. Shankle also met with Giblin, Baltzer, and Mike Woodward, a Waste Control lobbyist and attorney with Hance’s law firm, during that period. The TCEQ higher-ups were in a bind: Their own technical experts had unequivocally recommended denial, and two members of the team had left in disgust. Yet the agency’s managers still wanted to push the licenses forward. “In late October, Susan Jablonski acknowledged in writing to senior management in the agency that faulty site conditions exist and that they cannot be corrected through license conditions:’ said Lewis, the former staffer. “What is baffling is that Ms. Jablonskiat the same time acknowledging the inherent impossibility of correcting a bad applicationstill pledged to support whatever nonsensical recommendation her boss may decide to pursue.” By late October, Waste Control had a draft license in hand for its byproduct dump. TCEQ Executive Director Shankle had chosen to deal with his staff’s objections by adding stipulations to Waste Control’s licenses, including a requirement that the company conduct further studies on erosion, groundwater, and possible fractures. In March, he rebuffed the Sierra Club’s call to rescind the license. A draft license for the low-level landfill is currently being written. artisan-roasted in Marfa, Texas 10 0 % ORGANIC & FAIR TRADE w wvv.bigbendcoffee.com 11 /Wholesale inquiries welcome $5 shipping on all orders @ www.bigbendcoffee.com Serving the Austin community since 1975 SAVE AND SUSTAIN BOOK-WOMAN Love the Observer? SPREAD THE WORD! 1111111111111111.111f Att,A., eiexastbser Extend my subscription for just $27 Check enclosed Charge to my VISA MasterCard AmEx Number: Exp. Date: Name on card: Street address: City/ST/ZIP: *Phone: * Phone number required for credit card processing. Friend’s name: Street address: City/ST/ZIP: Friend’s name: Street address: City/ST/ZIP: Help save an endangered species: The independent women’s bookstore For details go to www.savebookwoman.com APRIL 4, 2008 THE TEXAS OBSERVER 15