All contractors working on projects for the city's economic development corporation face a payment hold until the city approves a new board for the corporation. This includes work for almost a dozen projects valued at approximately $15.7 million. Board member terms recently expired, leaving the EDC unable to function. Mayor Johnny Isbell deferred presenting nominations to city [...]
Pasadena Refining System System Inc. finds itself repeatedly in the spotlight during the past two weeks. Shortly after Environment Texas and the Sierra Club’s Lone Star chapter filed a lawsuit against the plant alleging pollution violations under the Clean Air Act, Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan filed an enforcement action in a state district court. The enforcement [...]
The city of Pasadena will not fight an appellate court's decision to uphold a district judge's voting rights ruling on city council elections. In a high profile case, Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal ruled that a six neighborhood and two at-large city council seat system was discriminatory against Latino voters. The city sought a [...]
Sulzer began construction on a new Pasadena pump services facility with a groundbreaking ceremony in January. Sulzer is an independent service provider for repair and maintenance of turbomachinery, pumps and electro-mechanical equipment. The company currently operates a Houston location, and the Pasadena service center will be the new regional headquarters for pump services. The new [...]
The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to hear expedited arguments in the voting rights lawsuit that found Pasadena's City Council elections restructuring discriminated against Latino voters. The court will consider Feb. 1 whether to temporarily halt a federal judge's order that undid the city's recent election system and called for Federal oversight in upcoming [...]
Upcoming maintenance at Pasadena Refining Systems could release massive quantities of air pollution. Plant officials informed the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality that the first few days of an estimated 50 day turnaround could result in the release of a ton of fine particulate matter, on top of nearly as much sulfur dioxide. An estimated 15 [...]
Chief U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal agreed that a redistricting scheme intentionally discriminated against Hispanic and Latino residents by diluting their ability to elect preferred candidates to City Council. In 2014, voters narrowly approved the controversial voting plan that called for electing six members from districts and two at large. This was changed from an eight-single-member City [...]
Gulbrandsen Technologies finds itself repeatedly under scrutiny with Harris County. Multiple mishaps have proven enough to touch off a lawsuit. Last month the the Harris County Attorney's Office filed a legal claim asking for stiff civil penalties and an injunction that would force Gulbrandsen Technologies to implement a site-specific Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan, decommission [...]
Environmental groups announced their plan to sue the Pasadena refinery over allegations the location consistently released illegal levels of particulate matter. Environment Texas and Sierra Club said in a statement they intend to file a suit within the 60-day grace period against Pasadena Refining System, Inc. or PRSI which is owned by Petrobras, the state-controlled [...]
A credit card thief is thought to be responsible for thousands of dollars of fraudulent credit card transactions in Deer Park, Pasadena, Houston and La Porte. The Deer Park Police Department seeks input from the community to locate the suspect, who has reportedly stolen nearly $10,000 in the past months. The suspect attempts to [...]