By Staff Reports
Dallas, TX –
Benzene Calculation Off in FW Air Study
The Eastern Research Group, which is doing air quality testing at the request of the Fort Worth City Council, says it made a mistake in calculations that showed higher than expected levels of benzene at TWO well sites.
E-R-G now says it's only ONE site near a gas drilling pad with elevated levels of benzene. The site on Mercado drive on the near-northside is okay. Only a test site along I-30, west of Loop 820 has a high level of benzene. But officials say it does NOT exceed state standards.
The final report on Fort Worth Air quality and natural gas drilling is due in June.
TV Star Lobbies In Austin
Actress Eva Longoria lobbied state lawmakers today at a rally on behalf of the mentally disabled. She says the proposed but in services would bring "shame on Texas."
Lawmakers, grappling with a 27 billion dollar shortfall, are considering a 20% cut to the Department of Aging and Disability Services. That's about a billion dollars.
Longoria has a sister with Down's Syndrome. She told the crowd that if Texans knew what the cuts would do to people like her sister, they would oppose them.
Firefighters Get Handle on Wildfires
Wildfires in west Texas and the panhandle are under control. 120 thousand acres have been scorched. Firefighters are still putting out hot spots. Some 80 homes were destroyed. 146 of the state's 254 counties are under burn bans.
State Warns Against Spring Break In Mexico
The Texas Department of Public Safety is advising students on spring break to avoid Mexico. D-P-S director Steve McCraw says while the drug cartel violence is most severe in northern Mexico, it's also prominent in resort areas such as Cancun and Acapulco.