'Perrylous' Journey

East Harris County native running for 25th U.S. Congressional District


by Terri Juneau
North Channel Sun

Highlands native and Republican candidate Brent Perry believes Congressman Ken Bentsen, a Democrat, does not represent the values, principles and beliefs of people in the 25th Congressional District.

Therefore, Perry is seeking Bentsen's seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, and he expects a close and "high profile race."

People in the district do not agree with Bentsen's whole set of values," said Perry.

"He's the same old type of Democrat who wants to increase spending and keep the government running our lives," said Perry. "I believe the people of the 25th Congressional District want to be able to keep more of their money in their pockets, and want Washington out of their lives as much as possible."

Perry, 32, says he wants a Congressman who focuses on national issues that work toward getting the federal government "out of our lives," reducing taxes and "protecting the right and freedoms of individuals."

For example, Perry suggests tax reforms that remove the role of the Internal Revenue Service and welfare reforms that place managing authority at the state level, with the federal government sending money back to the state in block grants.

"I'd like to be a congressman who doesn't believe that the federal government is the solution to every problem," says Perry.

On a more local level, Perry wants to see Highway 59 become a "NAFTA Super Highway" which will help increase property values and economic developement in the district.

Perry also says he wants to see better representation in Congress for small businesses.

"Ken Bentsen is one of the most anti-small business Congressman in America," says Perry.

When asked about the ongoing issue of removing an estimated 20 to 30 abandoned barges form the San Jacinto River, Perry says he is not opposed to Bentsen "trying to take care of problems" in the district.

However, he says there is a "real concern" that those who dump the barges are being "let off the hook at the expense of taxpayers" and he does not believe ample attempts are being made to identify the barges and their owners.

"If they are really right, that you really can't identify the people, that the barges need to be removed, then it's a good thing," he says. "On the other hand, the (U.S.) Coast Guard seems opposed to doing it, and I think there is a real question of using federal dollars."

Bentsen recently requested an extra $4 million for the Coast Guard to get the barges removed, for which he was highly praised by many local residents.

While Perry says he does not "have a problem" with regulations that prevent polution of the San Jacinto River, he believes the Environmental Protection Agency needs to be "more flexable" in it's methods of regulating so "we can achieve the results we need."

Perry says the way the EPA operates now actually works against companies "trying to do their jobs."

"The problem is that the EPA is not only telling companies what to do, it's telling them how to do it," says Perry, "and in a lot of cases the companies could do a better job of accomplishing the results that the EPA wants if the EPA would leave it up to them to decide how to do what needs to be done."

Perry says a congressman must "really know" the people in a district in order to represent them in Washington, DC and he believes his background provides him insight into the people of East Harris County, where he grew up.

[Web page editors note: remainder of artcle clipped for brevity]

First Step taken in Barge cleanup

Staff reports
Baytown Sun , June 7, 1996

One more step has been taken toward removing abandoned barges currently littering the San Jacinto River.

U.S. Rep. Ken Bentsen announced Thursday that the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation recently approved legislation directing the U.S. Coast Guard to remove abandoned barges from the river, including $1 million earmarked for removal operations.

Bentsen, a Democrat who represents the 25th Congressional District which covers part of Baytown, requested the funding from the subcommittee in February.

The recent approval of the funding, which was included in the the federal transportation budget for the coming year, is the first step in securing funding for the removal projects, Bentsen said.

"This measure is an important first step to correct a potentially dangerous and environmentally hazadous situation on the San Jacinto River," Bentsen said.

"I look forward to meeting with the Coast Guard, Mayor (Pete) Alfaro, and other local officials to devise a workable, cost effective plan to accomplish this goal," he added.

The subcommittee's action directs the Coast Guard to fund the barge removal out of it's fiscal 1997 budget if normal salvage operations are unsuccessful.

The bill includes that includes the barge removal must be approved by the full Appropriations Committee, the full House of Representatives and the Senate before it becomes law.

A final congressional vote is expected this fall, Bentsen said.

Protect and Preserve

TPWD's saturation patrols designed to save boaters' lives...

by Shannon Tompkins
Houston Chronicle
June 6,1996

[Webpage editors note: The San Jacinto River, including Lake Conroe, Lake Houston and the Lower San Jac have been included in the list of "high profile" areas under patrol.]

It happened right over there, Steve Gibson said grimly, nodding his sun-bleached flat-topped toward breakwaters under the State highway 146 bridge over the Clear Lake Channel.

One night a year ago a bass boat carrying four people crashed into one of the structures on the edge of the channel. People died. They weren't wearing life jackets. The boat operator's blood/alcohol level was twice the legal limit. It was a tragic and avoidable accident.

Gibson knows a lot about boating accidents -- more than most people would want to know.

In addition to his regular duties as a Galveston County based game warden for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Gibson is saddled with the job of investigating boating accidents.

He has seen more than his share of dead bodies and shattered lives resulting from careless, ignorant and even criminal boating behavior.

TPWD game wardens who investigate boating accidents see more carnage than those in almost any other state. Texas, which averages more than a boating death a week, is second only to Florida in the number of boating ralated fatalities.

Part of the blame for the high number of fatalities and boating accidents in Texas is attributable to our hoards of boats, year long boating season, long coastline and incredible abundance of public reservoirs.

But blame squarely on the shoulders of Texas boat operators, many of whom don't know or don't abide by water safety laws of the tenets of safe boat operation.

The conversation about the boating accident took place this past weekend as Gibson and fellow Galveston County warden Bobby Kana educated dozens of boaters in the Clear Lake channel concerning water safety laws.

The lessons cost some of those boaters money. But the experience may save lives and certainly will increase awareness of Texas boating safety laws. And that was the point.

Gibson and Kana were part were part of a TPWD water safety "saturation/BWI patrol" that hit Clear Lake, one of the most popular recreational boating areas on Galveston Bay.

The Clear Lake effort, which involved a dozen TPWD wardens in six boats working from 3pm until 2am this past Saturday and Sunday, is the largest ever launched in Texas.

How they fared:

Scoreboard for the TPWD statewide boating safety patrols from may 17 through June 3rd


TPWD is spending $1.2 million dollars ona multi-pronged, Memorial Day til Labor Day program aimed at making Texas waters safer for boaters, and making safer boaters. Money to fund the program comes from a recent increase in boat registration, titling and dealer fees.

PArt of the program involves a high profile, in-your-face radio and TV campaign designed to reach the 20-40-year-old males, the subpopulation most likely to be involved in boating accidents.

The add campaign, promoted under the slogan "Don't Be a Pain in the Boat" hits on what Texas boating safety officers say are the three main messages the public needs to hear: don't operate a boat while intoxicated; wear life jackets, and take particular care when operating personal watercraft (Jet Skis, Wave Runner, ect.)

But the bulk of the $1.2 million is being spent on funding law enforcement "saturation / BWI patrols" across the state.

The saturation patrols, which will hit dozens of lakes and coastal waters through the July 4th holiday week involve task forces of a dozen or more game wardens doing intense water safety law enforcement patrols over the course of a couple of days, mostly weekends.

Wardens regularly assigned to cover these waters often are overwhelmed by the number of boaters on a piece of water. One or two wardens can cover only so much.

But when a dozen or more hit a lake or bay at the same time, odds are that any boating safety violations won't go unnoticed.

TPWD has targeted several "high profile" boating areas such as Clear Lake for particular scrutiny. On these areas, TPWD coordinates with local law enforcement officials and officers of the Department of Public Safety and Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.

Involving DPS and TABC helps game wardens deal with one of the most dangerous (for the boating public) and time-consuming (for the officers) incidents they see on the water: alcohol abuse.

Boating safety officials and organizations agreed alcohol is a factor in at least half the nation's boating fatalities and perhaps that many boating accidents.

Handling one BWI suspect -- the field sobriety test, taking tge suspect to the bank for further field tests, inventorying and securing a suspect's vessel, transporting the person to county jail and doing the paperwork -- can consume four or more hours of a game warden's time.

By having DPS and TABC officers on hand, game wardens can turn suspects over to their counterparts and let them do the tranporting, ect. That way, wardens in the saturation patrols can spend more time on the water. A month into the saturation patrol effort, TPWD law enforcement officials are saying they're happy with the results, so far.

"I can't say enough about hte jobs our wardens have done," said Col. Charles Hensley, Director of TPWD's law enforecement division.

"They've taken this operation seriously amd with an upbeat attitude, and I think that's reflected in the positive response we've seen from the public."

A lot of the boating public has had a chance to respond to the saturation patrols. Since the operation started on May 17, wardens involved in the patrols have contacted almost 325,000 people and checked for water safety violations on almost 40,000 boats.

Those wardens filed more than 25,000 cases involving water safety law violations. The majority of citations have been for volations of personal flotation device (life jacket) requirement, one of the moste basic and important water safety rules.

(Texas law requires a wearable PFD for each person on board any boat, and passengers under 13 years old must wear a PFD when the vessel is under way. )

Game wardens Gibson and Kana saw plenty of that during their weekend tour of duty working the Clear Lake Channel. Some boats had PFD's, but not enough. Others had no PFD's at all. They got tickets.

But equally unsettling, many of the boats that did have the proper number of life jackets had them squirreled away in lockers where they were not easily available; some boat operators didn't even know where their jackets were located and had to paw through several storage areas before they found the gear.

Overall, most of the boaters in the Clear LAke area were in compliance with the water safety laws. And part of that may go to TPWD and Harris County Sheriffs regular presance on the lake.

During the weekend saturation patrol on Clear Lake, Gibson, Kana and the other 10 wardens working the area contacted 1,102 people in 436 boats, said Wes Clogston, regional law enforcement commander for TPWD.

They filed 32 cases involving water safety law violations, conducted 27 field sobriety tests and filed one BWI case and were involved in one public intoxication charge. Wardens also recovered two stolen personal watercrafts.

"It was a good effort by everyone involved," Clogston said of the saturation patrol. ""It did what of was designed to do: make the water a safer place for the public and make boaters more aware of water safety laws."

If that's true, and this intense summer-long water safety crackdown and education campaign works, guys like officer Gibson won't have as many tragic, unnessary boating accidents to investigate.

That would be fine with him and everyone else who boats on Texas waters.


Bentsen gets $1 million for Barge Removal

Committee okey still needs full approval in Congress' '97 Budget

by Bobby Horn Jr.
Star-Courier staff
June 13, 1996

WASHINGTON D.C. -- U.S. Confgressman Ken Bentsen (D-Tx) announced last week that the first major hurdle in removing the abandoned barges on the San Jacinto River had been cleared.

In a statement from Bentsen, he said the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation agreed to put a provision in it's 1997 budget that will allocate $1 million for the barges' removal.

According to Bentsen, who has been working towards the barge's removal since last year, "this measure is an important step to correct a potentially dangerous and environmentally hazardous situation on the San Jacinto River. We have cleared the biggest hurdle towards getting them removed quickly and efficiently."

Bentsen first testified before the committee in February. In his testimony, he told members that the Coast Guard, which is authorized to remove such barges, refused claiming they didn't have the funds to complete a project that they didn't feel was a high priority.

Bentsen added that Coast Guard reports indicatede that the removal, if salvage attempts are unsuccessful, would be approximately $1 million.

In attempts to gain support on Capitol Hill for his request, Bentsen enlisted the aid of local officials from the City of Baytown, Harris County, the State House of Representatives as well as members of the San Jacinto River Association and Banana Bend Civic Club.

Last month, Bentsen went on a tour of the river in which he renewed his pledge to continue fighting of the barges removal. At that time, Bentsen said that the abandoned barges presented not only a hazard tp recreational users of the waterway and a danger to the environment, but that the barges interfered with a major artery of the Houston Ship Channel and the Port of Houston.

Bentsen said that now the request has been added to the budget proposal, he hoped that plans could be made for the barges removal. "In light of today's vote, I hope the Coast Guard will take immediate steps to develop a plan tp remove the barges from the San Jacinto River and it's tributaries."

"I will be lookig forward to meeting with the Coast Guard, Mayor (Pete) Alfaro, and other local officials to devise a workable, cost-effective plan to accomplish this goal. We must prevent today's threat from becoming tomorrows disaster," he added.

Bentsen said that now the provision has been added to the budget request,it must now be approved by a vote of the full Appropriations Committee and joint Houses of Congress to become law.

A final Congressional vote is expected in the fall of this year.


Work begins on Wallisville Lake Project

by Jimmy Bagent
The Baytown Sun
June 13,1996

[Webpage Editors note: Wallisville Lake is expected to alleviate some of the fresh water shortages in Harris County. It is also expected to cause environmental problems in Galveston Bay since it is the major source of fresh water inflow into Galveston Bay. The Trinity is also a major source of estuary land for breeding of aquatic species in the Bay. As part of the Galveston Bay Plan, fresh water discharge is expected to increase from the San Jacinto River (via Lake Houston Dam) once Wallisville Reservoir is on line.]

ANAHUAC -- After years of stalemates, work on the $30 million Wallisville Lake Project is finally under way.

The project, slated for completion in 1998, is expected to help control water supply and enhance the envoronment for fish and wildlife in the area.

The project, headed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was first authorized by the River nad HArbor Act of 1962. However, in the past 30 years that plan has changed drastically.

Initial construction began in 1966 and continued until 1973 when an injunction issued by U.S. District Court halted work. At the time construction was stopped, the project was about 72% complete. Since that time, in responce to environmental concerns, the reservoirs size was scaled down to 5,600 acres in 1983, then to 3,800 acres in 1990.

According to Mike McClennan, project manager for the Corps of Engineers, construction efforts are running smoothly.

"Rosiek Construction Co. of Arlington is handling the construction and refurbishing at the locks on the Trinity River, where a cofer dam will be built to access the locks easily from I-10 just east of the Trinity River bridge," said McClennan. "We are working to get the navigation channel through the locks so navigation is possible up and down the river once construction on the coffer dams begins."

Rosiek's work includes the rehabilitation of the locks and completion of the navigation channel.

The firm is also constructing a non-overflow levee on the south end of the project and a gated controlled spillway and bridge accessing the lock.

Workers are currently repairing and painting the lock where the new channel will run, and building an administration building and visitor's center adjacent to the lock.

When the project is completed, there will be a public boat ramp on the south end of the river, along with a visitor's center and new offices for the Corps of Engineers.

On the possibilities of acquiring the additional $5 million in federal funding needed to complete work at Wallisville, McClenan was optimistic but cautious.

"Getting funding hasn't been a problems so far, but with government's budget getting tighter and with cutbacks becoming more common, you just never know what may happen," he said. "Despite all the cutbacks, we look for the remainder of the needed funding to be forthcoming so we can get this thing refurbished and operational."

Trinity River tour planned for June 23rd

A tour of the Trinity River will be hosted by the Galveston Bay Foundation on June 23.

The boat tour, which will last from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. will feature the geography and habitats that are important to Galveston Bay.

Tour guides will explain the human impacts on this delicate area and find out what'e being done to enhance and preserve the natural resources along the waterway.

The workshop/boat tour starts out at the Wallisville Heritage Park (east of Baytown on I-10) with a classroom session , then moves upriver for a closer look at the disappearing wetlands which make up part of the delta system.

The public is invited and encourgaged to attend, but space is limited. The cost is $40 per person, ($20 per students under 18). Advance registration is required. Please call (713) 332-3381 before June 20 to reserve a place.


Banana Bend Civic Club holding its annual picnic June 23rd -- Everyone invited!


The Banana Bend Civic club is holding its annual picnic benefitting the civic group and area charities. There will be a huge BBQ and live music. Also on the agenda is an auto and bike show, and an auction featuring items donated to the local civic group.

A raffle will be held to raise money for the group's activities. Prizes include a 1996 Polaris 250 4-wheeler, a 46" Big Screen TX and a 102 Qt Rubbermaid Ice Chest for those huge river parties. Raffle Tickets are $5 a piece. Contact Michael Taylor by e-mail or Stella Welsheimer at 426-4214 if you are interested in raffle tickets or need any more information about the auto/bike show.

The fun will begin at 12am and last until 6pm (or possible later!)Everyone is invited to come out and enjoy the festivities!

To get to the Picnic, take I-10 east to the Highlands, San Jacinto Monument exit, proceed north on FM 2100 (Main St.) past Highlands. Look for a yellow Banana Bend sign on the left. That is Grace lane. Follow Grace and you will see the picnic in action!!

Contact Stella