"EPA is opening two civil rights investigations of Texas’ environmental agency, exploring whether state regulators failed to properly permit concrete batch plants and discriminated against people who speak limited English.

In a statement today, EPA said its External Civil Rights Compliance Office — also known as ECRCO — would accept the complaints against the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for investigation. A TCEQ spokesperson said he was aware of the EPA announcement but had no comment.

Specifically, EPA will probe TCEQ’s criteria for its permitting process for concrete batch plants in Harris County, Texas, including whether it discriminated on the basis of race or national origin in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The agency will also look into whether the state agency blocked public participation from people who speak limited English."

Kelsey Brugger reports for E&E News August 9, 2022. [2]