The Harm of Holly: A Community Reckons with Environmental Injustice -- Adriana Díaz-Mayens, Mimi Bowman, Ariana Diaz, Maze Criss
The Harm of Holly: A Community Reckons with Environmental Injustice takes a closer look at the history of the Holly Street Power Plant (HPP) in East Austin, and, more precisely, how it interacts with the history of the East Austin community itself. We ask: what has been the relationship between the East Austin community, the power plant, and the city of Austin? How does a community reckon with environmental injustice? How do these histories continue to shape the present and future of East Austin?
To address these questions, it is first important to foreground the historical context of the plant. From 1960 through 2007, the Holly Street Power Plant operated without impunity in close proximity to houses, schools, a park, and other neighborhood fixtures in East Austin—a primarily Hispanic community since as far back as 1949. Over its 47 years in operation, the plant was directly responsible for at least seventeen incidents, including spills and three fires.
There was mounting concern among citizens as they found their community being afflicted by increasing hearing loss and cancer rates due to the plant’s deafening noise and high emission levels, respectively, that were largely ignored by the city and dismissed in official reports as unrelated to the HPP. Organized around these concerns, the community rallied together alongside the Austin-based activist group PODER (People Organized in Defense of Earth and Her Resources) to have the plant decommissioned. You can learn more about PODER on their website, and listen to activists discuss the Holly Street Power Plant here.
In 1995, the Austin City Council finally voted to shut down the HPP, and, after much delay, in 2007, the city held a first bolt ceremony to mark the occasion. It wasn’t until 2017, however, that the plant entered its final stages of decommissioning, and to this day the city has yet to fulfill its promise of constructing a community park on plant grounds.
To learn more about the community’s relationship to the power plant, we visited Mendez Neighborhood Park, where what remains of the HPP looms to this day. We spoke with various East Austin residents who were kind enough to share their thoughts and experiences with us. Some of them—like Yolanda, Janet, and Homero—had lived in East Austin for the majority of their lives or up until recently, and recalled what it was like growing up while the plant was still in operation. Yolanda and Janet, who work at the Mendez Park Recreation Center, told us how they felt when the Austin Parks and Recreation Department started talking about building a new park—and how they felt when information stopped coming. Others we spoke to—like Justin and Dan—knew less about the plant but shared some of their experiences in East Austin after it was shut down. Susana Almanza, a founding leader and director of PODER, was also gracious enough to speak with us about the activist movement responsible for the HPP’s decommissioning.
There was one common thread in all our conversations, however: gentrification and the changing environment of East Austin under its influence. While the HPP and other harmful extensions of industry affected it, little thought was given to East Austin and its people; both were seen as low-priority. Now that East Austin residents have made their community safer, they are being priced out of their homes in favor of more affluent, often whiter newcomers. In this light, the history of the Holly Street Power Plant can be seen as more than just a thing of the past. Rather, it is only one instance of the city’s continued neglect of the safety, needs, and concerns of a minority community.
To address these questions, it is first important to foreground the historical context of the plant. From 1960 through 2007, the Holly Street Power Plant operated without impunity in close proximity to houses, schools, a park, and other neighborhood fixtures in East Austin—a primarily Hispanic community since as far back as 1949. Over its 47 years in operation, the plant was directly responsible for at least seventeen incidents, including spills and three fires.
There was mounting concern among citizens as they found their community being afflicted by increasing hearing loss and cancer rates due to the plant’s deafening noise and high emission levels, respectively, that were largely ignored by the city and dismissed in official reports as unrelated to the HPP. Organized around these concerns, the community rallied together alongside the Austin-based activist group PODER (People Organized in Defense of Earth and Her Resources) to have the plant decommissioned. You can learn more about PODER on their website, and listen to activists discuss the Holly Street Power Plant here.
In 1995, the Austin City Council finally voted to shut down the HPP, and, after much delay, in 2007, the city held a first bolt ceremony to mark the occasion. It wasn’t until 2017, however, that the plant entered its final stages of decommissioning, and to this day the city has yet to fulfill its promise of constructing a community park on plant grounds.
To learn more about the community’s relationship to the power plant, we visited Mendez Neighborhood Park, where what remains of the HPP looms to this day. We spoke with various East Austin residents who were kind enough to share their thoughts and experiences with us. Some of them—like Yolanda, Janet, and Homero—had lived in East Austin for the majority of their lives or up until recently, and recalled what it was like growing up while the plant was still in operation. Yolanda and Janet, who work at the Mendez Park Recreation Center, told us how they felt when the Austin Parks and Recreation Department started talking about building a new park—and how they felt when information stopped coming. Others we spoke to—like Justin and Dan—knew less about the plant but shared some of their experiences in East Austin after it was shut down. Susana Almanza, a founding leader and director of PODER, was also gracious enough to speak with us about the activist movement responsible for the HPP’s decommissioning.
There was one common thread in all our conversations, however: gentrification and the changing environment of East Austin under its influence. While the HPP and other harmful extensions of industry affected it, little thought was given to East Austin and its people; both were seen as low-priority. Now that East Austin residents have made their community safer, they are being priced out of their homes in favor of more affluent, often whiter newcomers. In this light, the history of the Holly Street Power Plant can be seen as more than just a thing of the past. Rather, it is only one instance of the city’s continued neglect of the safety, needs, and concerns of a minority community.
References
Bailey, Gigi. (2020). Tamarac [Song recorded by Gigi Bailey]. On Lumino Pleco. Quiet Time.
Bernier, N. (2011, October 21). Holly Power Plant Deconstruction to Begin Saturday. KUT 90.5. Retrieved from https://www.kut.org/energy-environment/2011-10-21/holly-power-plant-deconstruction-to-begin-saturday.
Bowman, M. (2021). [“AUTHORITARIANS HAVE NO PLACE HERE” written on base of HPP electric tower] [Photograph].
Bowman, M. (2021) [Picture through fence running between the HPP site and Mendez Park, showing both sides] [Photograph].
Busch, A. (2013, March 7). Building “A City of Upper-Middle-Class Citizens”: Labor Markets, Segregation, and Growth in Austin, Texas, 1950–1973. Journal of Urban History (39(5), 975–996). Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1177/0096144213479324.
Caterine, J. (2017, March 21). Holly Power Plant to be officially decommissioned in August, staff reports. Austin Monitor. Retrieved from https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2017/03/holly-power-plant-to-be-officially-decommissioned-in-august-staff-reports/.
City of Austin. (n.d.) A History of Austin Energy. Austin Energy. https://austinenergy.com/wcm/connect/ae/history.
City of Austin. (n.d). Holly Shores / Edward Rendon Sr. Park at Festival Beach Vision Plan. Austin Texas. https://www.austintexas.gov/department/holly-shores-edward-rendon-sr-park-festival-beach-vision-plan.
Criss, M. (2021) [A closer look at infrastructure on the HPP site] [Photograph].
Criss, M. (2021) [Children’s community garden in Mendez Park, HPP in background] [Photograph].
Criss, M. (2021) [Sign reading “Recognize You Gentrified” on fence separating Mendez Park from HPP] [Photograph].
Criss, M. (2021) [Train tracks running through Mendez Park, leading to HPP site] [Photograph].
Devenyns, J. (2017, October 3). Austin Energy to turn over Holly Power Plant site by December. Austin Monitor. Retrieved from https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2017/10/austin-energy-turn-holly-power-plant-site-december/.
Díaz-Mayens, A. (2021) [Family fishing at Mendez Park’s lakeside trail] [Photograph].
Díaz-Mayens, A. (2021) [HPP electric tower standing above Mendez Park] [Photograph].
Díaz-Mayens, A. (2021) [Picture of HPP remnants beside Mendez Park] [Photograph].
Douglass, N. [Holly Street Power Plant Construction] [Photograph]. University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, crediting Austin History Center, Austin Public Library. Retrieved from https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth329385/m1/1/?q=holly%20street%20power%20plant.
Feldman, A. (2013, February 25). Meeting Tonight to Help Plot Future of Holly Power Plant. KUT 90.5. Retrieved from https://www.kut.org/austin/2013-02-25/meeting-tonight-to-help-plot-future-of-holly-power-plant.
Industrial Zoning in East Austin, USA. (2016, February 8). Environmental Justice Atlas. https://ejatlas.org/conflict/industrial-zoning-in-austin.
Rambin, J. (2019, July 3). At Holly Point, Long-Awaited Upgrades Head for an East Austin Park. TOWERS. Retrieved from https://austin.towers.net/at-holly-point-long-awaited-upgrades-head-for-an-east-austin-park/.
Rambin, J. (2021, February 10). New Parkland at the Former Holly Street Power Plant Takes One Small Step. TOWERS. Retrieved from https://austin.towers.net/new-parkland-at-the-former-holly-street-power-plant-takes-one-small-step/.
Rentería, R. (2012, July 25). Environmental Justice – Shutting Down Holly Street Power Plant (Austin,TX.). https://renerenteria.wordpress.com/2012/07/25/environmental-justice-shutting-down-holly-street-power-plant-austintx/.
Smith, A. (2011, January 14). Holly Won't Go Lightly: Nobody said this demolition job would be cheap. The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved from https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2011-01-14/holly-wont-go-lightly/.
Smith, A. (2011, January 21). One More Detour on Holly Street: Power plant demolition delay reprises neighborhood history. The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved from https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2011-01-21/one-more-detour-on-holly-street/.
Snell, M. B. (n.d.). Neighborhood Watch: A Texas twosome takes on polluters, and wins. Sierra Club. http://vault.sierraclub.org/sierra/200309/profile_printable.asp.
Susana Almanza. (2021, August 7). East Austin Activist Talk about the Holly Power Plant [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD1STw3cIP8.
The New Gas Plant and Race: Is a New Decker Lake Gas Plant Environmental Racism? Austin Environmental Directory. Retrieved from https://environmentaldirectory.info/history-of-early-austin-energy-utility-infrastructure/.
Unknown. (~1970). Holly Street Power Plant [Photograph]. University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, crediting Austin History Center, Austin Public Library. Retrieved from https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth124352/m1/1/?q=holly%20street%20power%20plant
Wirsching, C. A. (2011, May). Insurgent Historiographies of Planning in Marginalized Communities: Competing Holly Street Power Plant Narratives and Implications for Participatory Planning in Austin, Texas. (https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/handle/2152/ETD-UT-2011-05-3009) [Master’s thesis, The University of Texas at Austin]. Texas ScholarWorks.
Bailey, Gigi. (2020). Tamarac [Song recorded by Gigi Bailey]. On Lumino Pleco. Quiet Time.
Bernier, N. (2011, October 21). Holly Power Plant Deconstruction to Begin Saturday. KUT 90.5. Retrieved from https://www.kut.org/energy-environment/2011-10-21/holly-power-plant-deconstruction-to-begin-saturday.
Bowman, M. (2021). [“AUTHORITARIANS HAVE NO PLACE HERE” written on base of HPP electric tower] [Photograph].
Bowman, M. (2021) [Picture through fence running between the HPP site and Mendez Park, showing both sides] [Photograph].
Busch, A. (2013, March 7). Building “A City of Upper-Middle-Class Citizens”: Labor Markets, Segregation, and Growth in Austin, Texas, 1950–1973. Journal of Urban History (39(5), 975–996). Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1177/0096144213479324.
Caterine, J. (2017, March 21). Holly Power Plant to be officially decommissioned in August, staff reports. Austin Monitor. Retrieved from https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2017/03/holly-power-plant-to-be-officially-decommissioned-in-august-staff-reports/.
City of Austin. (n.d.) A History of Austin Energy. Austin Energy. https://austinenergy.com/wcm/connect/ae/history.
City of Austin. (n.d). Holly Shores / Edward Rendon Sr. Park at Festival Beach Vision Plan. Austin Texas. https://www.austintexas.gov/department/holly-shores-edward-rendon-sr-park-festival-beach-vision-plan.
Criss, M. (2021) [A closer look at infrastructure on the HPP site] [Photograph].
Criss, M. (2021) [Children’s community garden in Mendez Park, HPP in background] [Photograph].
Criss, M. (2021) [Sign reading “Recognize You Gentrified” on fence separating Mendez Park from HPP] [Photograph].
Criss, M. (2021) [Train tracks running through Mendez Park, leading to HPP site] [Photograph].
Devenyns, J. (2017, October 3). Austin Energy to turn over Holly Power Plant site by December. Austin Monitor. Retrieved from https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2017/10/austin-energy-turn-holly-power-plant-site-december/.
Díaz-Mayens, A. (2021) [Family fishing at Mendez Park’s lakeside trail] [Photograph].
Díaz-Mayens, A. (2021) [HPP electric tower standing above Mendez Park] [Photograph].
Díaz-Mayens, A. (2021) [Picture of HPP remnants beside Mendez Park] [Photograph].
Douglass, N. [Holly Street Power Plant Construction] [Photograph]. University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, crediting Austin History Center, Austin Public Library. Retrieved from https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth329385/m1/1/?q=holly%20street%20power%20plant.
Feldman, A. (2013, February 25). Meeting Tonight to Help Plot Future of Holly Power Plant. KUT 90.5. Retrieved from https://www.kut.org/austin/2013-02-25/meeting-tonight-to-help-plot-future-of-holly-power-plant.
Industrial Zoning in East Austin, USA. (2016, February 8). Environmental Justice Atlas. https://ejatlas.org/conflict/industrial-zoning-in-austin.
Rambin, J. (2019, July 3). At Holly Point, Long-Awaited Upgrades Head for an East Austin Park. TOWERS. Retrieved from https://austin.towers.net/at-holly-point-long-awaited-upgrades-head-for-an-east-austin-park/.
Rambin, J. (2021, February 10). New Parkland at the Former Holly Street Power Plant Takes One Small Step. TOWERS. Retrieved from https://austin.towers.net/new-parkland-at-the-former-holly-street-power-plant-takes-one-small-step/.
Rentería, R. (2012, July 25). Environmental Justice – Shutting Down Holly Street Power Plant (Austin,TX.). https://renerenteria.wordpress.com/2012/07/25/environmental-justice-shutting-down-holly-street-power-plant-austintx/.
Smith, A. (2011, January 14). Holly Won't Go Lightly: Nobody said this demolition job would be cheap. The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved from https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2011-01-14/holly-wont-go-lightly/.
Smith, A. (2011, January 21). One More Detour on Holly Street: Power plant demolition delay reprises neighborhood history. The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved from https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2011-01-21/one-more-detour-on-holly-street/.
Snell, M. B. (n.d.). Neighborhood Watch: A Texas twosome takes on polluters, and wins. Sierra Club. http://vault.sierraclub.org/sierra/200309/profile_printable.asp.
Susana Almanza. (2021, August 7). East Austin Activist Talk about the Holly Power Plant [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD1STw3cIP8.
The New Gas Plant and Race: Is a New Decker Lake Gas Plant Environmental Racism? Austin Environmental Directory. Retrieved from https://environmentaldirectory.info/history-of-early-austin-energy-utility-infrastructure/.
Unknown. (~1970). Holly Street Power Plant [Photograph]. University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, crediting Austin History Center, Austin Public Library. Retrieved from https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth124352/m1/1/?q=holly%20street%20power%20plant
Wirsching, C. A. (2011, May). Insurgent Historiographies of Planning in Marginalized Communities: Competing Holly Street Power Plant Narratives and Implications for Participatory Planning in Austin, Texas. (https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/handle/2152/ETD-UT-2011-05-3009) [Master’s thesis, The University of Texas at Austin]. Texas ScholarWorks.