REP. PATTERSON REQUESTS MORE THAN $35M TO HELP FRISCO WITH FORMER EXIDE BATTERY RECYCLING CENTER CLEANUP

(Austin, IX) – Representative Jared Patterson has requested more than $35 million to assist the City of Frisco with the former Exide Battery Recycling Center cleanup efforts. This request can be made due to a 2021 bill he passed allowing funds within the State’s Hazardous and Solid Waste Remediation Fee Account to be used for this purpose. Patterson previously obtained $3 million for this effort. Rep. Patterson has already met with the Chairman of House Appropriations, the Texas House Speaker’s Office, and other House Members and staff to designate the necessary funds. Ultimate approval must be made within the State’s budget during the 2025 legislative session.

The cleanup effort would restore the local environment and allow Frisco to finally move forward with their plans to develop at least 300 acres of the long-storied Grand Park along the Dallas North Tollway. The State fund holding the requested dollars is comprised of battery recycling fees paid by residents across the State of Texas.

Located along the border of Denton and Collin County, the Exide Battery Recycling Center was operational from 1964 to 2012 and served as one of the only battery recycling facilities in Texas. After high levels of lead emissions were discovered, the City of Frisco began a monumental effort to claim the site and begin decontamination. To do so, Frisco has partnered with the State of Texas and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Despite Exide operating on a 90-acre tract, the contamination expanded to an additional 102 acres, including Stewart Creek. Stewart Creek feeds Lake Lewisville in Denton County.

“I am proud to partner with the City of Frisco on this remediation effort. Frisco has gone above and beyond, already spending tens of millions of dollars on the Exide site that once benefitted the entire State of Texas while doing great harm our local environment.” Rep. Patterson stated. “The funds sitting in the State’s budget were paid as fees for battery recycling, which makes it common sense to use those funds for this exact purpose.”

Jared Patterson represents House District 106 in Denton County. Patterson serves as Chairman of the Select Committee to Protect Texas LNG Exports and Joint-Chairman of the Study Committee on Effects of Media on Minors. He also serves on the House Committees on Calendars, Transportation, and Licensing & Administrative Procedures, and as Policy Chair of the Texas House Republican Caucus. His family resides in Frisco.