Frisco Residents Sound Off On EPA Regulations
FRISCO (CBSDFW.COM) - Frisco residents demanding cleaner air got an update Wednesday on plans to make sure there is no lead in the air they breathe.
The concerns surround a battery recycling plant about a mile south of downtown Frisco. It's one of 16 areas in the nation that does not meet EPA lead standards.
Members of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality took questions from concerned neighbors who live within a 1.3 square mile zone surrounding the Exide Technologies plant.
It's an area with homes, schools and shopping centers.
According to the EPA, the air surrounding the plant has unhealthy lead readings. The agency says lead can impair a child's learning capabilities and behavior.
Frisco residents grilled the TCEQ on what's being done to lower lead levels.
"There are young people dying. This has affected people's lives. And if this is the cause of it, it needs to be stopped," says resident Lisa Vanek.
"Does it make sense to suspend Exide operations, because you'll really get their attention? You can say, 'we're going to suspend things, so you can put these things in place and then we'll test you,'" suggested resident Dawn Perkins.
Exide Technologies says the plant has implemented a new air scrubbing technology and will soon meet those tougher standards.
Federal law requires every city in the country to meet tougher standards by the end of 2015.
