“I will campaign as a voice for the families of Precinct 1. The County Commissioner needs to know how to balance the growth of Precinct 1 with the needs of its current residents.”
– Richard Morrison
In the News
Morrison: If Elected I’ll Urge County To Break Contract Barring Allied Waste Lawsuit
Richard Morrison, candidate for Commissioners Court Precinct 1 and attorney representing the Coalition Against Blue Ridge Landfill Expansion, says if elected he will suggest that Fort Bend County break the contract barring a lawsuit against Allied Waste.
“If elected, I am going to urge the county to break the contract and come out against the expansion,” said Morrison.
He says there is no conflict of interest involved in his run for Commissioners Court and his role as attorney representing CABRLE. The hearing to determine if the landfill will be allowed to expand, scheduled for June 16-25 in Austin, will have long been over before he would be sworn in as commissioner.
Representatives of local television news stations are expected to contend that an expansion of the landfill will interrupt Doppler radar signals, which would put Texas residents at risk. Morrison says he will contend that an expansion would exacerbate already environmentally harmful conditions at the landfill.
He is not “confident” of a ruling in CABRLE’s favor, but says he is hopeful.
“These proceedings are stacked in favor of the landfill,” said Morrison. “Confident is an overstatement.”
Posted on February 6, 2008
Ten candidates vying for nomination; attempt to unseat Precinct 1 Commissioner Stavinoha
Two-term incumbent Precinct 1 Commissioner Tom Stavinoha, a Needville resident, has represented his precinct for two consecutive terms. He wants voters to return him to the seat but he now faces some serious opposition.
The Precinct 1 commissioner’s race has generated the most interest, largely due to several controversial issues that fall in the jurisdiction of the Precinct 1 Commissioner.
Incumbent Stavinoha will face Republican candidates Greg Ordeneaux, of Sugar Land, and Bill Dostal, of Richmond, in the March primary. More…
Posted on January 29, 2008
TV stations dealt a blow in landfill controversy
A state environmental agency official who had turned on the green light for a controversial landfill expansion project in east Fort Bend handed another victory last week to the company that proposed the project.
Glenn Shankle, executive director of the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality, in a motion filed on Nov. 28 urges state administrative law judges to shift the burden of proof from the company, Allied Waste, to three local television stations fighting the project.
The stations - KTRK (Channel 13), KRIV (Fox 26) and KHOU (Channel 11) - are opposed to the project on grounds that Blue Ridge Landfill, if expanded to 1,345 acres from the current size of 599 acres and to 170 feet from its current height of 58 feet as proposed over a 40-year period, would eventually impair their Doppler radar signals critical to public safety.
Shankle holds the television stations, instead of the waste management company, responsible for demonstrating that the project would have adverse effect on their operations. More…
Posted on December 4, 2007
Democrat Morrison Joins Precinct 1 Commissioner Race
The Democrat who unsuccessfully challenged Republican U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay in 2004 has announced his entry into the race for Fort Bend County Precinct 1 commissioner.
“The main reason is because I can’t get my current county commissioner to stand up and oppose that toll road they want to put next to my neighborhood,” said Greatwood resident Richard Morrison.
An environmental attorney, Morrison said he opposes plans to construct Segment C of Grand Parkway as a toll road, and contends the Commissioners Court should use its authority to stop the project.
Segment C is a local portion of the planned 170-mile Grand Parkway that would run from U.S. 59 at Crabb River Road to U.S. 288 in Brazoria County.
Incumbent Precinct 1 Commissioner Tom Stavinoha, a Republican, seeks re-election. Stavinoha, in the March primary, faces a challenge from Greg Ordeneaux. More…
Posted on November 27, 2007
Blue Ridge Landfill Meeting
(Austin, TX) — On Wednesday, July 25th, 2007, Representative Mike O’Day (Pearland) met with Commissioners of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to discuss a Contested Case Hearing in regards to Blue Ridge Landfill TX LP’s permit application to expand the landfill.
Rep. O’Day is adamantly opposed to this expansion and expressed his concerns to the TCEQ Commissioners on the expansion of this landfill in the community. In November 2005, a statistically significant increase in the amount of Barium was detected at the landfill, a metallic element that can act as a powerful nerve poison. In previous comments to the TCEQ, Richard Morrison, an attorney retained by the members of Citizens Against the Blue Ridge Landfill Expansion (CABRLE) said “this amounts to evidence that the landfill is already leaking.” Allied Waste’s Project Development Manager Gary McCuiston’s responded that the company is “very confident” that the presence of Barium represents a naturally occurring event. More…
Posted on July 26, 2007
