In light of the Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC) and KMCO incidents, Commissioner Adrian Garcia votes to approve District Attorney’s Kim Ogg’s request for four prosecutors and four support staff to prosecute environmental crimes.

“The east side of Harris County has been long neglected, and it’s time we do more to protect residents of Precinct 2,” said Commissioner Adrian Garcia “I’ve always been a proponent of holding bad actors accountable. Not all companies are bad actors, but those who are doing illegal dumping or doing something worse that negatively impacts our air, land, and water will be held accountable.”

The move by this court to strengthen resources for the District Attorney coupled with actions to revamp Harris County Pollution Control’s resources and direction sends a strong message to the region about where the County is when it comes to environmental protections and preparedness.

“I’m entrusting the District Attorney’s team to do the job effectively and to use these resources appropriately,” said Commissioner Garcia.

The request from the District Attorney’s office comes shortly after they filed five environmental criminal charges against ITC, who could face up to $100,000 in fines for each of the charges.