HOUSTON — Houston Mayor John Whitmire said he's going to meet with the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday about the cancer clusters in the Fifth Ward.
Next week, Houston City Council will vote on whether or not to move forward with a voluntary relocation plan for residents living in the affected area.
Whitmire said he wants to know why the EPA is "dragging their feet" on soil testing around a railroad on Liberty Road. In November, the agency started working to determine contamination levels of creosote that was used to treat railroad ties until the mid-1980s.
Whitmire said he spent four hours driving around the Fifth Ward last weekend to see what it's like. He said a lot of residents recognized him and stopped him to tell him about their concerns and confusion over the plan.
About 40 families living near the railyard are eligible for the relocation plan funds, but the area's City Council member, Tarsha Jackson, said only nine families are interested. The previous regime at City Hall set aside $5 million for the residents.
"I've met with our health department -- (Director) Steve Williams briefed me very thoroughly yesterday (Tuesday). There are serious medical issues -- dioxins being found in the attics of some of the residents -- but they're confused because they see commercial development, they see government improving their infrastructures. So, I want to have a very transparent and complete presentation," Whitmire said.
Even after a community meeting on Monday night, a lot of residents said they still have questions about how the program will work. Jackson urged residents to allow the EPA to test soil on their property.
The EPA said it expected to finish sampling and release a risk report this summer.