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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 the six |
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inhabited regions of Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South and |
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Central America, and the islands and island nations; in addition to |
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providing the recipients with enhanced credibility and |
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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 steep decline, wracked by poverty and |
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rampant crime and plagued by pollution; the U.S. Environmental |
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Protection Agency has noted that Port Arthur has some of the highest |
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levels of toxic air releases in the country, and the companies |
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operating the plants have been cited with hundreds of air pollution |
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violations; the effects of the emissions have been particularly |
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evident in the West Side neighborhood, where Mr. Kelley discovered |
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many people ill with a variety of maladies and suffering from some |
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of the highest asthma and cancer rates in the state; with few job |
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prospects, however, and with property values that have plummeted |
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due to the continued expansion of the chemical plants, most West |
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Side residents have had no avenue of escape; faced with these harsh |
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facts, Mr. Kelley was inspired to move back to Port Arthur to help |
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its 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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on his community; he realized early on that the city's severe |
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environmental problems would have to be addressed in order to |
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improve economic and social conditions; to this end, he established |
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the Community In-Power and Development Association (CIDA), an |
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organization that strives to empower citizens by training them to |
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monitor emissions and air quality and by educating them about |
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pollution and their rights; CIDA also advocates in behalf of the |
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community by pushing for stricter environmental regulation and by |
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challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas |
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Commission on Environmental Quality to enforce such existing laws |
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as the Clean Air Act; 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 many Texans, and he is an inspiring example of the |
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exceptional good that one person can accomplish; now, therefore, be |
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it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
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Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby congratulate Hilton Kelley |
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on receiving the Goldman Environmental Prize and extend to him |
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sincere best wishes for continued success in all his endeavors; |
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and, be it 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. |