Environmental Headlines, May 6-12, 2006

AIRBORNE PARTICLE LEVELS ON THE RISE
Houston Chronicle 5/11/06
The level of fine particle pollution that makes up soot in east Houston is dangerously close to exceeding federal limits, state officials acknowledged Wednesday.

BP REFINERY IN TEXAS CALLED BIGGEST POLLUTER
Yahoo News.com 5/7/06
HOUSTON – The nation’s worst polluting plant is the BP PLC oil refinery where 15 workers died in an explosion last year, raising questions about whether the company has been underreporting toxic emissions.

HUMBLE STUDENT INFECTED WITH RABIES AFTER APPARENT BAT BITE
Houston Chronicle 5/10/06
An Humble High School sophomore infected with rabies is fighting for his life as federal and county disease investigators try to determine how many of the student’s classmates may need preventive treatment, a school official said today.

BATS MAKE SOME UNEASY IN WAKE OF RABIES CASE

FEDERAL RECIPE FOR GASOLINE HELPED DRIVE UP THE PRICE
New York Times 5/6/06
WASHINGTON, May 5 – Nine months after Congress passed major energy legislation, one provision affecting gasoline formulas is helping to drive the price of gas up much faster than the rising price of crude oil.

US HOUSE LEADER SUGGESTS ETHANOL IMPORT TARIFF CUT
Environmental News Network 5/10/06
WASHINGTON – House Majority Leader John Boehner said Tuesday that a temporary reduction in fuel ethanol import tariffs would help lower motor fuel pump prices.

GAMES BID GETS IN GEAR
Houston Chronicle 5/9/0
In keeping with promises to streamline a potential bid for the 2016 Olympics, the trappings of Monday’s visit by a US Olympic Committee leadership group were a far cry from the last time the group came calling to talk about hosting the games.

DEVELOPMENT ALARMS RESIDENTS
Houston Chronicle 5/9/0
The bulldozer slamming into the cute Craftsman cottage on Aurora Street, knocking down two stately trees for good measure, wasn’t a good sign.

ASTROWORLD SITE SOLD
Houston Chronicle 5/11/06
Six Flags has found a buyer for the former AstroWorld property, bringing the redevelopment of this closely watched site one step closer.

ASTROWORLD SITE TO BE SOLD FOR $77 MILLION

SUNKEN SHIP LIKELY LEAKING OIL NEAR FREEPORT
Houston Chronicle 5/9/0
FREEPORT – A ship that sank in 1976 may be leaking oil off the coast of Freeport, said state officials, who are considering using divers to pinpoint the source of the leak.

POINTING LASERS IN NEW DIRECTION
Houston Chronicle 5/9/06
It’s possible to shoot a specialized laser at a detector and determine nearly everything Ëœ from smog to chemical weapons Ëœ in the air traversed by the light beam.

$3.5 MILLION SETTLEMENT WITH CITY OF DALLAS REQUIRES INCREASED CITY EFFORT TO KEEP STORMWATER SEWERS CLEAN
Environmental Protection Agency News Release 5/10/06
The City of Dallas, Texas, has reached an agreement with the federal government requiring the city to spend in excess of $3.5 million in a comprehensive effort to decrease the amount of pollution entering the city’s stormwater system, the Department of Justice and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today.

PARK AND PARCEL
The Texas Observer 5/5/06
The underfunded Texas Parks and Wildlife Department struggles to sell itself.

COCKEYED CONSERVATION
Houston Chronicle 5/10/06
The Bush administration is proposing to sell off up to 300,000 acres of national forest land in 35 states, including Texas. The funds would be used to finance public schools in woodland areas. While the goal of boosting education is laudable, letting go irreplaceable national forest land to create short-term income is the wrong means to that end.