| Bruce Davidson: EAA warned of backlash threat
House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Robert Puente is among those who believe Edwards Aquifer managers should back away from plans to pass their own impervious cover rules. In an interview last week, the San Antonio lawmaker said the Edwards Aquifer Authority should "tread lightly" on the issue. The EAA board in July is scheduled to decide whether to draft regulations limiting impervious cover — rooftops, roads and concrete. The decision was delayed this month when the board sought additional information from staff, including cost estimates. Board members likely will choose between two options: drafting tough EAA rules or working with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to monitor adherence to existing state rules. If the EAA pursues its own rules, the agency almost certainly will face retribution in the Legislature, where property rights advocates wield more clout than environmentalists.
Council delays action on two water related projects
City lawmakers delayed making decisions on two water related projects Monday that involve adding capacity to the city's water system.The council deferred action for two weeks on awarding a contract to Olsson Associates to complete the Water Master Plan that would include improvements needed to develop the proposed Southbridge industrial area south of Sioux Gateway Airport.The council delayed authorizing the construction of the Southeast Morningside Reservoir because of concerns voiced once again by property owners living east of Sioux City who don't want the reservoir on their land. The council will take up that issue in two weeks.Councilman Jim Rixner questioned spending $91,607 on the Olsson contract. Councilman Jason Geary said he thought it sounded like "too much money." Councilman Brent Hoffman wanted to know why city staff couldn't do the study.Rick Mach, water plant superintendent, explained that Olsson would look at supply, storage and where the water could be obtained in the new industrial area, as well as making recommendations on whether a new wastewater treatment plant should be built to handle the industries' waste water.
Officials decry private flu drug deals Feds' supply is low, but ...
Swiss drugmaker Hoffmann-La Roche has launched a campaign urging businesses to stockpile its antiviral pill Tamiflu, despite a backlog of orders from world governments building emergency caches for the public as a hedge against a deadly flu pandemic. With only a fraction of the doses needed for a U.S. government stockpile on hand, the prospect that private companies could jump the queue to build their own reserves of Tamiflu has upset some American disaster planners who believe the public interest should come first. "I think it is socially irresponsible. Frankly, I think it is unconscionable,'' said Dr. Brian Johnston, a Los Angeles emergency room physician and a trustee of the California Medical Association who works on disaster preparedness. Included in Roche's plan for businesses are suggestions for distributing packs of the pills to employees for storage at home, despite explicit state and federal policies discouraging personal stockpiling of the drug.
Sovran Acquires 20 Cornerstone Properties
Amherst, N.Y.-based real estate investment trust Sovran Self Storage Inc. acquired 20 properties from Cornerstone Development Corp. of Dallas for $90 million. The deal includes seven facilities in St. Louis, a new market for Sovran. Others are in Dallas, San Antonio, Tampa and Southeast Louisiana. The company currently owns or operates 316 self-storage facilities in 22 states under the Uncle Bob's Self Storage brand name. The deal brought another 1.3 million square feet of rentable space to Sovran's existing portfolio of more than 19 million square feet. "The Dallas, San Antonio and Tampa stores will fit in very well with the stores we already operate in those cities," said David Rogers, chief financial officer. "We are looking forward to introducing Uncle Bob's to the St.
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