The Quorum Report has just reported "High-Speed Rail Could Make a Comeback in Texas." I was very sorry to read that "Hope for a statewide high-speed rail network may be revived this session--courtesy of the mammoth stimulus package"--sorry for the landowners in the way and sorry for the taxpayers who will be saddled with yet another white elephant burden for who knows how many decades to come.
Others are concerned, says Quorum Report, that the rail proposal will be like the Trans-Texas Corridor--a "big unwieldy state-run project with little oversight and unquenchable eminent domain demands."
ACRE is following the misguided effort to force UP freight off the line through Austin to a new line that would tear up the valuable Blackland Prairie in our Eastern Williamson Co. area. There is hard data from other countries with extensive high-speed rail that the economics are not there for this scheme to be workable in this country. The facts and figures don't seem to matter to the people who are pushing it. Again, like the Corridor and other such projects, I'm afraid that a lot of land will be condemned and the construction started, or even finished, before it becomes obvious to all that the system really won't take that many vehicles off the roads, that it will never be self-supporting, and that it will have to be heavily tax-payer subsidized always.
Showing posts with label Blackland Prairie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blackland Prairie. Show all posts
Monday, April 20, 2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
New Wilco Transportation Plan looks like it might leave Coupland, Blackland Prairie, alone for now
Williamson County hosted the Precinct 4 Open House to present its updated Transportation Plan yesterday in the Taylor Public Library. The Plan covers the next 25 years. After the presentations to the public, the Commissioners will vote on the plan in early May. If they approve the Plan, it will be submitted to the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization to be included in its 2035 plan.
The maps displayed at the Open House projected that growth and congestion in Williamson County will occur in the cities along IH-35 and west, and somewhat in Hutto. Less growth is projected for the communities along Hwy. 95—Granger, Taylor, and Coupland. The growth that is expected for Taylor is projected for the northwest in the area of the Loop. With less population growth expected for Coupland, no new road projects were proposed for our area.
Johnny Sanford, Taylor School trustee, thinks that if any major road work occurs in the Coupland area for the next several years, it would likely be widening Hwy. 95 from two to four lanes. Adding capacity from this type of project that stays on existing ROW would certainly be preferable to paving over more of our Blackland Prairie.
To see some of the Transportation Plan material, go to roadbond.org. Click on Transportation Plan Update at the top left. The public can email comments on the Plan to roads@wilco.org or call 512-943-1195.
The maps displayed at the Open House projected that growth and congestion in Williamson County will occur in the cities along IH-35 and west, and somewhat in Hutto. Less growth is projected for the communities along Hwy. 95—Granger, Taylor, and Coupland. The growth that is expected for Taylor is projected for the northwest in the area of the Loop. With less population growth expected for Coupland, no new road projects were proposed for our area.
Johnny Sanford, Taylor School trustee, thinks that if any major road work occurs in the Coupland area for the next several years, it would likely be widening Hwy. 95 from two to four lanes. Adding capacity from this type of project that stays on existing ROW would certainly be preferable to paving over more of our Blackland Prairie.
To see some of the Transportation Plan material, go to roadbond.org. Click on Transportation Plan Update at the top left. The public can email comments on the Plan to roads@wilco.org or call 512-943-1195.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
National Geographic STILL won't acknowledge TTC threat to Blackland Prairie
Following up on our August 28, 2008, post about the September 2008 issue of National Geographic:
The cover article “Our Good Earth” reported dangers to soils around the world. Although their map showed the Blackland Prairie through the middle of Texas (and the nation) as one of the largest areas of the most highly fertile soil in the world, the article did not mention the danger to this valuable area posed by the Trans-Texas Corridor (and the NAFTA Supercorridor) which have been proposed to pave over a good bit of this land through the middle of our country.
Even though some of us wrote letters to the editor pointing this out, the letters published about this article (in National Geographic’s January 2009 issue) did not include any about the Corridor or the endangered Blackland Prairie.
One letter writer mentioned “the construction of new highways” generally as a problem. Another mentioned urban sprawl and criticized “using the best land for subdivisions,” although didn’t cover using the best land for highways. A third letter criticized “the replacement of arable soil with concrete.”
Why do the National Geographic editors refuse to recognize the biggest threat to one of the biggest areas of the most fertile soil in the world if they are concerned about threats to valuable soil? The letters were chosen and the January issue had gone to press well before some Texas officials started calling the Corridor “dead” during the first few days of January, so it couldn’t be that the National Geographic editors thought the Corridor was not a threat anymore.
Are some most highly fertile soils more valuable than others? Does National Geographic agree with Gov. 39% that Texas (and American) rural residents and their land are just not that important?
The cover article “Our Good Earth” reported dangers to soils around the world. Although their map showed the Blackland Prairie through the middle of Texas (and the nation) as one of the largest areas of the most highly fertile soil in the world, the article did not mention the danger to this valuable area posed by the Trans-Texas Corridor (and the NAFTA Supercorridor) which have been proposed to pave over a good bit of this land through the middle of our country.
Even though some of us wrote letters to the editor pointing this out, the letters published about this article (in National Geographic’s January 2009 issue) did not include any about the Corridor or the endangered Blackland Prairie.
One letter writer mentioned “the construction of new highways” generally as a problem. Another mentioned urban sprawl and criticized “using the best land for subdivisions,” although didn’t cover using the best land for highways. A third letter criticized “the replacement of arable soil with concrete.”
Why do the National Geographic editors refuse to recognize the biggest threat to one of the biggest areas of the most fertile soil in the world if they are concerned about threats to valuable soil? The letters were chosen and the January issue had gone to press well before some Texas officials started calling the Corridor “dead” during the first few days of January, so it couldn’t be that the National Geographic editors thought the Corridor was not a threat anymore.
Are some most highly fertile soils more valuable than others? Does National Geographic agree with Gov. 39% that Texas (and American) rural residents and their land are just not that important?
Thursday, August 28, 2008
More suggestions re National Geographic "Earth" article
Vernagene Mott, a Pflugerville ISD Trustee, has made the suggestion to send letters referencing the National Geographic article to elected officials and other editors at papers such as the Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, and the New York Times. She comments, “In the not too distant future, we may be dependent upon food imports just as we are petroleum imports.”
Jody Krankel, Blackland Prairie Concerned Citizens, and Marcia Snyder, whose husband Ralph is on the Eastern Central Texas Sub-Regional Planning Commission, have both sent an article from Country World that reports that documents uncovered by the TURF lawsuit against TxDOT may be helpful to the 391 Planning Commissions. Go here to read the article.
http://www.countryworldnews.com/news/2008/8-August/082108TTC.php
Related to the soil issue, the article notes “a copy of a May 2006 letter from then state conservationist Larry Butler to engineer Edward Pensock with TxDOT on farmland protection issues related to TTC. In that letter, Butler said that the TTC project ‘will constitute the largest conversion of Prime Farmland for a single project in the history of Texas.’”
Jody Krankel, Blackland Prairie Concerned Citizens, and Marcia Snyder, whose husband Ralph is on the Eastern Central Texas Sub-Regional Planning Commission, have both sent an article from Country World that reports that documents uncovered by the TURF lawsuit against TxDOT may be helpful to the 391 Planning Commissions. Go here to read the article.
http://www.countryworldnews.com/news/2008/8-August/082108TTC.php
Related to the soil issue, the article notes “a copy of a May 2006 letter from then state conservationist Larry Butler to engineer Edward Pensock with TxDOT on farmland protection issues related to TTC. In that letter, Butler said that the TTC project ‘will constitute the largest conversion of Prime Farmland for a single project in the history of Texas.’”
National Geographic soil map not online
About the Sept. 08 National Geographic article “Our Good Earth,” which has a map that identifies the Blackland Prairie through the middle of the United States as one of the most highly fertile soils in the world . . .TTC-35 and the Supercorridor will pave over this valuable resource.
National Geographic has confirmed, “Unfortunately, the map was not included in the online adaptation and is not available electronically.” The map is only in the print edition, on page 92.
You can see the article online at
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/09/soil/mann-text
or by going to
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm.
At the top left-hand corner, where it says Current Issue, September 08, click under that on Table of Contents. When that comes up, click on “Our Good Earth,” which is the top featured article.
You can easily send an email letter to the National Geographic editor at ngsforum@nationalgeographic.com.
National Geographic has confirmed, “Unfortunately, the map was not included in the online adaptation and is not available electronically.” The map is only in the print edition, on page 92.
You can see the article online at
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/09/soil/mann-text
or by going to
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm.
At the top left-hand corner, where it says Current Issue, September 08, click under that on Table of Contents. When that comes up, click on “Our Good Earth,” which is the top featured article.
You can easily send an email letter to the National Geographic editor at ngsforum@nationalgeographic.com.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Update to National Geographic post
It is very easy to send a letter to the editor of National Geographic through
ngsforum@nationalgeographic.com
ngsforum@nationalgeographic.com
Saturday, August 23, 2008
National Geographic recognizes our soil, not the danger to it
The September issue of National Geographic has an interesting article, “Our Good Earth,” on the soils of the world and the dangers to them. If you have access to this issue, please see the map on page 92 and notice how TTC-35 and the NAFTA Superhighway will create a path of destruction all along our nation’s most valuable farm land.
Even though National Geographic ranked this soil as one of the “most highly fertile soils in the world,” the article did not mention the imminent threat to it posed by TTC-35, even though it covered threats to some other soils. I have sent the letter below to the magazine. Perhaps if more of us write, National Geographic will recognize the importance of this topic.
The article is online at nationalgeographic.com in the September issue.
I can’t find the map online. It is on page 92 in the print edition.
To the Editor of National Geographic:
Regarding “Our Good Earth” in the September 2008 issue, one imminent danger not covered in your article is the Trans-Texas Corridor, which is underway in Texas and forms the first stage of the NAFTA Superhighway. Your map on page 92 illustrates that one of the largest areas of the most highly fertile soils in the world begins at the Texas-Mexico border and runs north to the northern Midwest.
Much of this Blackland Prairie in Texas, from the Mexican border to the Oklahoma border, is slated to be paved over by the Trans-Texas Corridor route called TTC-35—an almost quarter-mile wide swath of 10 vehicular lanes, 6 rail lines, and pipeline and utility zones. It is proposed to proceed north from Texas as the NAFTA Superhighway, covering hundreds of thousands of acres of the world’s best farmland, right through the middle of “the world’s breadbasket.”
Texas farmers, ranchers, and other rural residents have been fighting the Corridor for years, and we would like to alert the rest of the country, indeed the world, that one of the largest areas of “Good Earth” in existence is in extreme danger from an unnecessary project that benefits only those who will profit monetarily from its construction, while permanently depriving the world’s population of this invaluable resource.
Even though National Geographic ranked this soil as one of the “most highly fertile soils in the world,” the article did not mention the imminent threat to it posed by TTC-35, even though it covered threats to some other soils. I have sent the letter below to the magazine. Perhaps if more of us write, National Geographic will recognize the importance of this topic.
The article is online at nationalgeographic.com in the September issue.
I can’t find the map online. It is on page 92 in the print edition.
To the Editor of National Geographic:
Regarding “Our Good Earth” in the September 2008 issue, one imminent danger not covered in your article is the Trans-Texas Corridor, which is underway in Texas and forms the first stage of the NAFTA Superhighway. Your map on page 92 illustrates that one of the largest areas of the most highly fertile soils in the world begins at the Texas-Mexico border and runs north to the northern Midwest.
Much of this Blackland Prairie in Texas, from the Mexican border to the Oklahoma border, is slated to be paved over by the Trans-Texas Corridor route called TTC-35—an almost quarter-mile wide swath of 10 vehicular lanes, 6 rail lines, and pipeline and utility zones. It is proposed to proceed north from Texas as the NAFTA Superhighway, covering hundreds of thousands of acres of the world’s best farmland, right through the middle of “the world’s breadbasket.”
Texas farmers, ranchers, and other rural residents have been fighting the Corridor for years, and we would like to alert the rest of the country, indeed the world, that one of the largest areas of “Good Earth” in existence is in extreme danger from an unnecessary project that benefits only those who will profit monetarily from its construction, while permanently depriving the world’s population of this invaluable resource.
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