Registration for the 24th Annual Neches River Rendezvous is now live!
To register, please use the following link: https://www.anra.org/conservation-recreation/neches-river-rendezvous/participant-information/
Registration for the 24th Annual Neches River Rendezvous will open on Monday, March 18th. The Neches River Rendezvous is a fun and family-friendly 10-mile paddling adventure down the Neches River and will be held on May 18, 2024.
This is the first year that the Angelina & Neches River Authority will host the event. It was previously hosted by the Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce beginning in 1997, and it quickly became a popular annual event, with up to 300 people participating, however, due to Covid-19, weather conditions, and supply chain issues, the event has not been held the past five years.
The Rendezvous will be limited to 100 paddlers for the first year that the Authority hosts the event in 2024, but depending on the available supply of vans, trailers, kayaks, and canoe rentals needed for the event to be successful, the Authority hopes to increase the number of participants back to 300 paddlers within the next few years.
On the day of the event, paddlers will park at International Paper’s North Boggy Slough Conservation Area and will then be shuttled upriver, where volunteers will assist them in launching their kayaks and canoes in the river. There will be four staggered launch times to avoid overcrowding.
After a leisurely 3-4 hours paddling the river, paddlers will end their journey at the Highway 7 bridge, next to Hackberry Bunkhouse & Kayak Rentals, where they will be assisted out of the river and then shuttled back to North Boggy Slough, where they can purchase a meal from one of several food trucks that will be on-site.
No experience is needed to participate in the event, however, anyone under the age of 18, must have a legal guardian present. Since safety is the top priority of the event, life jackets must be worn by all paddlers. Paddlers must provide their own life jackets. A multitude of local organizations will assist with logistics and safety during the event, including the Deep East Texas Amateur Radio Club, Hudson Search & Rescue, Houston County EMS, Boy Scouts of America, and Trail Life USA.
The Authority is still seeking volunteers and sponsors for the event. A volunteer guide and a sponsor information packet can both be found on the Authority’s website.
Early bird registration begins Monday, March 18th and ends Friday, April 19th. Late registration begins on Saturday, April 19 and ends on Friday, May 3rd. Registration is based on a first-come, first-served basis. Paddlers are highly encouraged to register online, but paper registration forms can be downloaded from ANRA’s website or picked up at ANRA’s office at 2901 N John Redditt Drive, in Lufkin, Texas. Forms and registration fees can be submitted via mail or at ANRA’s office.
For more information, call the Authority’s Central Office Facility at (936) 632-7795, email recreation@anra.org, visit https://www.anra.org/conservation-recreation/neches-river-rendezvous/ , or find both the Authority and the Rendezvous’ event pages on Facebook.
ANGELINA AND NECHES RIVER AUTHORITY
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
Notice is hereby given of a public hearing to be held on August 22, 2023, at 8:00 o’clock a.m., at the Angelina and Neches River Authority Administrative Office, 2901 N. John Redditt Drive, Lufkin, Texas, with respect to a plan of finance for multiple facilities located at or adjacent to 2001 Kurth Drive, Lufkin, Angelina County, Texas 75901, which facilities include solid waste disposal facilities and may also include sewage treatment and sewage disposal facilities (the “Project”). The Project is currently owned by Jefferson Enterprise Energy, LLC, a Texas limited liability company (the “Borrower”). The facilities proposed to be financed include the revitalizing of the Aspen Power Plant, an electrical power generation facility that uses solid waste such as wood and other agricultural waste to drive steam generators (the “Power Plant”). The Borrower is developing the Project as a renewable fiber complex in Lufkin, Texas, to produce “green” products using renewable energy. The Project includes the Power Plant and a waste-to-pulp pulp mill (the “Pulp Mill”). The Pulp Mill is designed to convert agricultural waste, including wood waste, vegetative waste products (“biomass”), excess sugar cane bagasse (“bagasse”) or energy sorghum into bleached, bone-dry pulp fiber. The Company anticipates that the Pulp Mill will produce 146,000 tons per year of pulp fiber meeting the quality specifications for use in manufacturing products such as paper towels, paper plates, napkins, paper cups, fiber containers and similar products. In addition, it is anticipated that a black liquor co-product could be produced at the Pulp Mill that may be thermochemically converted to sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) pellets for sale to the glass and soap manufacturing markets. The Pulp Mill will be powered by electricity from the Power Plant to produce a pulp that can be used to manufacture products such as paper towels, paper plates, napkins, paper cups, and other products. The Project may also include facilities for the treating of sewage and the development of a specialty chemicals plant using electricity from the Power Plant along with waste brine water to produce sodium chlorate and other co-products.
The plan of finance will include the issuance from time to time of one or more series of bonds in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $250,000,000 (the “Bonds”), which may include refundings thereof, by the Angelina and Neches River Authority Industrial Development Corporation (the “Issuer”). Proceeds of the Bonds will be loaned to the Borrower or an affiliate thereof to finance or refinance the Project, including but not limited to, financing the costs of acquiring, constructing, rehabilitating, developing, improving and equipping capital improvements, equipment, land and infrastructure and pay related financing costs and to finance capitalized interest and working capital for the Borrower for the Project.
The Borrower, Jefferson Enterprise Energy, LLC, is a Texas limited liability company and is the current owner and operator(s) of the Project. The Borrower’s headquarters are currently located at 9595 Six Pines Drive, Suite 6370, The Woodlands, TX 77380.
The maximum aggregate face amount of the Bonds to be issued in more or more series pursuant to such plan of financing is $250,000,000. Such plan of financing is an addition to the outstanding bonds already issued by the Issuer for this Project, the proceeds of which have been loaned by the Issuer to the Borrower, and which outstanding bonds include the Issuer’s (i) $22,000,000 Solid Waste Disposal and Wastewater Treatment Facilities Revenue Bonds (Jefferson Enterprise Energy, LLC Project), Series 2020 Bonds, (ii) $35,000,000 Solid Waste Disposal and Wastewater Treatment Facilities Revenue Bonds (Jefferson Enterprise Energy, LLC Project), Series 2021A Bonds, (iii) $30,000,000 Solid Waste Disposal and Wastewater Treatment Facilities Revenue Bonds (Jefferson Enterprise Energy, LLC Project), Series 2021B-1 Bonds and (iv) $35,000,000 Solid Waste Disposal and Wastewater Treatment Facilities Revenue Bonds (Jefferson Enterprise Energy, LLC Project), Series 2021B-2 Bonds.
The public hearing will be conducted by Kelley Holcomb, who is a director and officer of the Issuer, or by an authorized representative and hearing officer appointed by Kelley Holcomb.
All interested persons are invited to attend such public hearing to express their views with respect to the issuance of the Bonds and with respect to the nature and location of Project. Questions or requests for additional information may be directed to attorney Lance Fox, Creighton, Fox, Johnson & Mills, PLLC, bond counsel for the Issuer, at 3535 Calder Avenue, Suite 310, Beaumont, Texas 77706, telephone 409-833-0062, fax 409-833-0084, or e-mail lcf@cfjmlaw.com.
Any interested persons unable to attend the hearing may submit their views in writing prior to the hearing to Lance Fox at the address, fax or email stated above or alternatively to the Issuer, Angelina and Neches River Authority Industrial Development Corporation, Attention: Kelley Holcomb, General Manager, 2901 N. John Redditt Drive, Lufkin, TX 75904; Telephone: (936) 632-7795; Fax: (936) 632-2564; Email: kholcomb@anra.org.
This notice is published and the hearing is to be held in satisfaction of the requirements of Section 147(f) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has made available for public comment the Implementation Plan (I-Plan) for five draft Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for indicator bacteria in Hillebrandt Bayou and Neches River Tidal, of the Neches-Trinity Coastal Basin and Neches River Basin, in Jasper, Orange, and Jefferson counties.
The purpose of the meeting is to provide the public an opportunity to comment on the draft I-Plan for five assessment units: 0601_01, 0601_02, 0601_03, 0601_04 and 0704_02.
After the public comment period, staff may make appropriate changes to the proposed I-Plan and will respond to public comments. Following the public comment period, the TMDL Program will request that the Commission consider approval of the final I-Plan. Upon approval, the final I-Plan and a response to all comments received will be made available on TCEQ’s website. The I-Plan, combined with the TMDL, provides local, regional, and state organizations with a comprehensive strategy for improving and maintaining water quality in an impaired watershed.
The public meeting for the draft I-Plan will be held at Jefferson County Extension Office, 1225 Pearl St, Ste 200, Beaumont, Texas 77701-3642 on February 28, 2023, at 6:00 p.m.
Meeting-related updates and documents are available on the project websites for Hillebrandt Bayou and Neches River Tidal.
During this meeting, individuals will have the opportunity to present oral statements. An agency staff member will give a brief presentation at the start of the meeting and will be available to answer questions before and after all oral statements have been received.
Written comments on the draft I-Plan may be submitted to Nicole Reed, Water Quality Planning Division, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, MC 203, P.O. Box 13087, Austin, Texas, 78711-3087 or faxed to fax4808@tceq.texas.gov Electronic comments may be submitted at: https://tceq.commentinput.com/
All written comments must be received at TCEQ by midnight on March 14, 2023, and should reference Implementation Plan for five Total Maximum Daily Loads for Indicator Bacteria in Hillebrandt Bayou and Neches River Tidal.
For further information regarding the draft I-Plan, please contact Nicole Reed at Nicole.Reed@tceq.texas.gov
The draft I-Plan can be obtained via TCEQ’s website for each project at https://www.tceq.texas.gov/…/118-hillebrandtbayou-bacteria and https://www.tceq.texas.gov/…/nav/118-nechestidal-bacteria
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has made available for public comment the Implementation Plan (I-Plan) for four draft Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for indicator bacteria in Tributaries of the Neches River below Lake Palestine, of the Neches River Basin, in Angelina County.
The purpose of the meeting is to provide the public an opportunity to comment on the draft I-Plan for four assessment units: 0604A_02, 0604B_01, 0604C_01, and 0604M_03.
After the public comment period, staff may make appropriate changes to the proposed I-Plan and will respond to public comments. Following the public comment period, the TMDL Program will request that the Commission consider approval of the final I-Plan. Upon approval, the final I-Plan and a response to all comments received will be made available on TCEQ’s website. The I-Plan, combined with the TMDL, provides local, regional, and state organizations with a comprehensive strategy for improving and maintaining water quality in an impaired watershed.
The public meeting for the draft I-Plan will be held at the Angelina County Extension Office, 2201 S Medford Dr., Lufkin, Texas 75901 on February 27, 2023, at 6:00 p.m.
Meeting-related updates and documents are available on the project website at:
https://www.tceq.texas.gov/…/118-lufkinwatersheds-bacteria
Written comments on the draft TMDLs may be submitted to Nicole Reed, Water Quality Planning Division, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, MC 203, P.O. Box 13087, Austin, Texas, 78711-3087 or faxed to fax4808@tceq.texas.gov.
Electronic comments may be submitted at: https://tceq.commentinput.com/
All written comments must be received at TCEQ by midnight on March 14, 2023, and should reference: Implementation Plan for four Total Maximum Daily Loads for Indicator Bacteria in Tributaries of the Neches River below Lake Palestine.
For further information regarding the draft I-Plan, please contact Nicole Reed at Nicole.Reed@tceq.texas.gov. The draft I-Plan can be obtained via TCEQ’s website.
ANRA will host a public meeting on Thursday, November 17th at 6:00 p.m. to discuss the transfer and consolidation of the Central Heights Water System.
The meeting will be held at the Central Heights ISD Board Room at 10317 U.S. Hwy 259 North, Nacogdoches, Tx 75964
If you are a City of Nacogdoches water customer who lives in the Central Heights area, please join us for this public meeting to find out more information about the transfer and consolidation of the Central Heights Water System. We look forward to meeting you and addressing your questions and concerns!
We also invite you to join the Facebook group that we have created to encourage open dialog regarding the water system.
The Central Heights Water Customers Facebook group can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/centralheightswater
The Angelina & Neches River Authority (ANRA) is proposing new Rules that outline the policy and procedures that ANRA will follow for the investigation and enforcement of complaints related to On-Site Sewage Facilities (OSSFs) in ANRA’s jurisdictional area.
A copy of the Proposed Rules is available for download here, or from ANRA’s Central Office, located at 210 E. Lufkin Avenue in Lufkin, TX.
Update 2016-09-12: In order to prevent potential confusion, the draft version of the Proposed Rules has been removed now that the final version has been approved. You can view the final version of the Rules here: On-Site Sewage Facilities
A Public Hearing to present the Proposed Rules will be held on Monday, July 11, 2016 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the following location:
Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce
1615 S. Chestnut
Lufkin, TX 75901
Persons or entities that will be impacted by the Rules will have an opportunity to comment on the Proposed Rules prior to those Rules being adopted by ANRA’s Board of Directors. Comments may be presented orally or in writing at the meeting, or in writing beginning at the time of this notification and until fifteen (15) days following the Public Hearing. Written comments may be submitted by mail, fax, or email. The final date for written comments is Tuesday, July 26, 2016 at 5:00 PM. The contact information for written public comments is as follows:
Angelina & Neches River Authority
210 E. Lufkin Ave.
Lufkin, TX 75901
FAX: 936-632-2564
Email: ossf@anra.org
Please reference OSSF RULES as the subject of any comments.
Following the Public Hearing and Public Comment period, comments will be reviewed and ANRA’s Proposed Rules will be evaluated to determine if changes need to be made. The Proposed Rules will be presented to ANRA’s Board of Directors for approval at the August 2016 Regular Board of Directors Meeting.