In January 2017, environmental groups met with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston District, to discuss the Coastal Texas Protection and Restoration Feasibility Study which will be released for the entire Texas Coast in the Spring of 2018.  For the Houston-Galveston Area, the Corps is looking at four alternatives other than the No Action Alternative, which is required to be analyzed under the National Environmental Policy Act.  

The four alternatives are:

Alternative A, coastal barrier (giant levee), nonstructural system, and maximum ecosystem restoration.

Alternative B, coastal barrier, maximum ecosystem restoration, Galveston ring levee, and a gate at Bolivar Roads or Texas City.

Alternative C, mid-bay levee, a gate from Smith Point to Texas City, Galveston ring levee, and navigation and environmental gates.

Alternative D, coastal barrier along the bay (either State Highway 146 or along the bay shoreline), Galveston ring levee, and an upper bay gate at the Houston Ship Channel.   

All alternatives have potentially immense environmental problems that could significantly affect Galveston Bay, the Bolivar Peninsula and Galveston Island shorelines, endangered sea turtles and shorebirds, beaches and dunes, and fish, shrimp, and crab populations in the Gulf of Mexico and Galveston Bay.

Unfortunately, some coastal barrier (Ike Dike) supporters continue to push for construction of the $15 billion project with little or no environmental review.  Local cities and counties have sign-on to support resolutions when environmental impacts are not known.

The Sierra Club sent a letter to the Corps on February 12, 2017, and an email reminder on July 20, 2017, about this letter to the Corps.  The letter requested information, provided some preliminary comments, and asked questions.  The Corps, after over 6 months, has not responded to the questions asked and the information requested in the letter.  It is not appropriate to ignore public questions and information requests about a public project that would be funded with public dollars and would be sponsored and constructed by public agencies.

George P. Bush, Commissioner of the General Land Office, who represents all the people of Texas, sent a letter on April 24, 2017, that requests that President Donald Trump fund what he calls a project “in an excellent position to turn dirt as early as next year”.  That project is the storm surge coastal barrier “Ike Dike” concept.  In addition, the Commissioner has urged the President to place this project on his “infrastructure list” that will be sent to the U.S. Congress for funding.

The Sierra Club and Bayou City Waterkeeper had an opinion-editorial (Op-ed) printed in the Houston Chronicle on June 21, 2017.  This “Op-ed” was entitled, “Ike Dike might not be the best surge solution” and clearly stated that any action on a storm surge project is premature when the Corps has not conducted its analysis on storm surge projects; the public has not had its opportunity to comment on these analyses; and when an appropriate environmental impact study is not complete.

In recent months, the Sierra Club has met with several environmental groups to discuss what to do about storm surge and whether an alternative can be found that the environmental community can support.  The Sierra Club will continue to work with these environmental groups to find a solution to storm surge that will “keep people out of harm’s way”, protect Galveston Bay and Gulf shorelines, and protect the Houston Ship Channel.

For more information contact Brandt Mannchen at 832-907-3615 or brandtshnfbt@juno.com.