State questions slowness of debris removal firms
Recovery czar says companies refusing help
AUSTIN — Attorney General Ken Paxton revealed Friday he is investigating an undisclosed number of debris removal companies he said “may be overpromising and underdelivering” on services across battered Southeast Texas in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.
His office stopped short of saying what companies they were looking into and in what cities. But the “czar” in charge of the state’s storm recovery effort said the state needs to ensure haulers are picking up the mounds of trash quickly as cities try to clean up and move on from the storm’s destruction.
“It’s time to find out why some are moving too slowly, and why some are refusing help that would remove debris faster,” said John Sharp, A&M University’s chancellor who chairs Gov. Greg Abbott’s Commission to Rebuild Texas.
The promise of investigation into contracted hauling companies came at the behest of Sharp out of concerns that some haulers are slow-walking the job. He made the request to Paxton, whose office is now soliciting comments from local governments about their experiences with haulers.
Areas across the battered region are still trying to clean up after Harvey
tore through parts of the state and dumped more than 50 inches of rain in some areas. The torrential rain has caused many to gut their homes, businesses and schools, leaving massive piles of decaying debris needing to get picked up and disposed of.
Trash removal could take months, according to officials, including Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who last week commended Solid Waste Management employees for their work managing “the cleanup of this overwhelming and emotional debris field.”
In Rockport, where the Category 4 hurricane first hit Texas, 35 percent of all homes and businesses were destroyed. There, about 800 cubic yards of debris had been removed as of this week.
Attempts to reach Sharp for more details about areas that have made complaints were routed to the attorney general’s office. A spokesman there declined to say how many companies it is looking into or what towns and cities are experiencing slower than expected results from contractors removing mounds of debris.
The attorney general’s office said it is specifically examining the “representations” some of the haulers have made about debris removal and whether they are fulfilling their obligations.
“Texans are working hard to clean up after Hurricane Harvey, and these companies should do the same. They cannot sign contracts with local governments, and then change the price or not deliver services,” Paxton said.
In addition to accepting complaints about hauling companies, his agency is also asking people to report instances of price gouging. His office is combing through more than 5,000 complaints ranging from inflated prices on items like water and or gas during and following the storm to excessive pricing for repairs or rebuilding of flooddamaged homes.
The agency has filed just three lawsuits, but a spokesman said the attorney general’s office expects to take legal action against more price gougers in the coming weeks.
The three lawsuits Texas filed against alleged price gougers took on Robstown Enterprises Inc. doing businesses as Best Western Plus Tropic Inn in Robstown; Encinal Fuel Stop, a Chevron-branded gas station just outside Laredo; and the Bains Brothers, owners of Huffines Texaco in Carrollton.