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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Hilton Kelley of Port Arthur has been named a |
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recipient of the 2011 Goldman Environmental Prize, an |
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accomplishment that is truly worthy of celebration; and |
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WHEREAS, Created in 1990 by Richard and Rhoda Goldman, the |
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Goldman Environmental Prize honors individuals from around the |
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world who are working at the local level to protect and enhance the |
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natural environment; through their grassroots efforts, these |
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community leaders have helped to empower their fellow citizens and |
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have inspired many to stand up for their rights; the prize is |
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awarded annually in April to one individual from each of Africa, |
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Asia, Europe, North America, South and Central America, and the |
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islands and island nations; in addition to providing the recipients |
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with international recognition for their causes, the prize includes |
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financial support of $150,000 to assist them in pursuing their |
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work, making this the world's largest award honoring grassroots |
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environmentalists; and |
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WHEREAS, Hilton Kelley was recognized with this prestigious |
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accolade for his efforts to fight pollution in his community and to |
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secure environmental justice for residents along the Texas Gulf |
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Coast; a Port Arthur native, Mr. Kelley was raised in the city's |
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West Side, a predominately African American neighborhood that has |
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long stood in the shadow of the area's many oil refineries and |
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chemical plants; after graduating from high school he enlisted in |
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the U.S. Navy; his service took him to the San Francisco Bay area, |
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where he remained after his discharge from the navy as a petty |
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officer second class; based in Oakland, California, he found work |
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as an actor and stuntman in television and the movies and was |
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admitted to the Screen Actors Guild in 1991; he also served his |
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community as a youth activist and helped lead efforts to end gang |
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violence; and |
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WHEREAS, On a visit to his hometown in 2000, Mr. Kelley found |
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his former community in decline, facing poverty, crime, and |
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pollution; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has noted that |
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Port Arthur has some of the highest levels of toxic air releases in |
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the country, and the companies operating the plants have been cited |
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with hundreds of air pollution violations; the effects of the |
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emissions have been particularly evident in the West Side |
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neighborhood, where Mr. Kelley discovered many people ill with a |
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variety of maladies and suffering from some of the highest asthma |
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and cancer rates in the state; with few job prospects, however, and |
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with property values that have plummeted, most West Side residents |
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have had no alternative but to stay; faced with these harsh facts, |
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Mr. Kelley was inspired to move back to Port Arthur to help its |
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citizens rebuild; and |
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WHEREAS, Since returning to Port Arthur, Mr. Kelley has |
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launched a number of initiatives that have had a significant impact |
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in his community; recognizing that the city's severe environmental |
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problems would have to be addressed in order to improve economic and |
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social conditions, he established the Community In-Power and |
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Development Association (CIDA), an organization that strives to |
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empower citizens by training them to monitor emissions and air |
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quality and by educating them about pollution and their rights; |
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CIDA also advocates in behalf of the community by pushing for |
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stricter environmental regulation and by challenging the U.S. |
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Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Commission on |
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Environmental Quality to enforce existing laws; and |
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WHEREAS, Among his many accomplishments, Mr. Kelley led a |
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campaign that resulted in the Motiva Refinery installing |
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state-of-the-art equipment to reduce emissions when it expanded its |
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facility; he also helped negotiate an agreement with the company |
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that included the provision of three years of health coverage for |
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people in the West Side neighborhood and that led to the |
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establishment of a $3.5 million fund to spur community development |
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and provide job training; in addition, he guided the successful |
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effort to prevent 20,000 tons of toxic chemicals from Mexico from |
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being brought to Port Arthur for incineration; and |
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WHEREAS, Along with overseeing the work of CIDA, this notable |
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Texan serves on the EPA National Environmental Justice Advisory |
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Council, and he speaks extensively on the environment and social |
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justice; he has been the recipient of numerous honors, including |
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the 2003 Environmental Justice Award from the Lone Star Chapter of |
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the Sierra Club, a 2004 Ben and Jerry's Award for Environmental |
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Activism, a 2006 Houston Hero Award from the Citizens League for |
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Environmental Action Now, and a 2009 Houston-Galveston |
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Environmental Research and Outreach Award from The University of |
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Texas Medical Branch; and |
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WHEREAS, With his continuing advocacy for clean air and |
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environmental justice, Hilton Kelley has made a positive difference |
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in the lives of countless Texans, and he is an inspiring example of |
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the exceptional good that one person can accomplish; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
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Legislature hereby congratulate Hilton Kelley on his receipt of the |
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2011 Goldman Environmental Prize and extend to him sincere best |
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wishes for continued success in all his endeavors; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Mr. Kelley as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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House of Representatives. |
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Deshotel |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 2807 was adopted by the House on May |
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30, 2011, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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