Harris County leaders approve action to close concrete plant

All right. And other news here tonight. There's a concrete plant on the east side of the city, right? And it's possible here that they could be shut down. Leslie Delosport joining us here with that story. Leslie, I understand Harris County Commissioners, they voted today to authorize the county attorney to pursue that next step there. Exactly. And you said it perfectly, Anthony. So the vote that happened at the county commissioner's court today doesn't actually close the plan. This is actually the plant behind me. I want to step out so you can see it. It's called Budget Ready Mix. But today's vote allows the county attorney to ask the judge to stop operations until that company's authorization is in place. So Budget Ready Mix, also known as RS Concrete, it's on Market Street near Carpenters Bayou and between Beltway 8 and I-10. Now, the county sued the company last Over alleged environmental violations. Court documents describe problems with dust control, unpaved areas used by trucks. And concrete material tracked onto nearby roads. Now, the county says this plant has been operating without the required air permit since at least April 21st of this year. The county also alleges runoff and other materials entering storm drains and nearby water. Now, documents supporting today's vote say the pollution control has inspected the facility at least nine times since 2020. Now, the company has pushed back in court. In earlier filings, the company says the alleged violations Either never existed or were Corrected before the lawsuit, it also argues the county didn't provide proper notice and opportunities to fix the problem. Now that earlier defense does not specifically address the county's newer allegation about the expired air permit. Now in a statement today, county attorney Abby came and said we are continuing to fight for the health and safety of Harris County residents. My office is pursuing all avenues to make sure our communities are protected, including holding this facility accountable. Leslie, do we know how soon a judge could actually take this up and make a decision? Yeah, very soon, actually. So the county says that this case is in a two-week trial docket. So what does that mean? That means starting November 16th that this case could go to trial within a two-week period. So that's when we're hopefully going to see an update in this case, Anthony. All right, Leslie, thank you so much for that report.