ENVIRONMENTAL HEADLINES, August 5-11
STERLING CONSTRUCTION NETS $90M TEXDOT CONTRACT
Houston Business Journal, 8/9/06
Sterling Construction Co. Inc. secured a $90.1 million contract from the Texas Department of Transportation, the largest contract for a single project in the history of the company.
CRADDICK BACKS CALL FOR MORE PARK FUNDS
Houston Chronicle 8/10/06
AUSTIN Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick added his support Wednesday to those urging more funding for state parks.
RAIL ROUTE PLAN ANGERS HOUSTON CITY COUNCILWOMAN
Houston Chronicle 8/5/06
Houston City Councilwoman Ada Edwards said Saturday she was angered to hear of a suggestion that Metro explore a new route to the University light rail line that would mean the elimination of 50-75 homes in her district.
METRO SPELLS OUT DETAILS FOR BUS RAPID TRANSIT LINE
RED-LIGHT CAMERA FINES TO BEGIN SEPT 1
Houston Chronicle 8/7/06
Running a red light at ten camera-equipped Houston intersections will cost $75 starting Sept 1 and there will be no warning period to get drivers used to the idea.
CONTRAFLOW PLAN CALLS FOR FAST EVACUATION
Houston Chronicle 8/8/06
Vowing that the nightmarish traffic jams that marked Houston’s flight from Hurricane Rita will not be repeated, county and state officials Monday announced plans to convert four major highways into one-way escape routes should the city be menaced by another storm.
PRUDHOE BAY RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT OLD OIL FIELDS
Houston Chronicle 8/7/06
ANCHORAGE, Alaska BP’s problem of corroding pipes is worsening as the nation’s largest oil field ages and more water and less oil is produced during drilling.
WHEN OILMEN TURN SOUR ON CRUDE
San Antonio Current 08/09/2006
HOUSTON – It’s a small group: three members of the Unitarian church we’re gathered in, an engineer from Mexico, a smattering of activists, and a Pacifica Radio reporter. The meeting opens – the second of the just-hatched Houston Climate Protection Alliance – by talking about what each at the table has done to cut down on their fossil-fuel use.
COUNTY OKS EXXON MOBIL LAWSUIT
Baytown Sun 8/9/06
Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday approved a possible lawsuit against Exxon Mobil for violations stemming from the January release of process gas oil from a tank at the companys Baytown Refinery.
LOCAL GROUP TO FACE MOTIVA IN COURT
Port Arthur News
An area environmental group will be taking a major refinery to court to stop its expansion before answering all concerns about the health risks to local residents.
COMMITTEE OFFERS RECOMMENDATIONS ON SEAWEED
Galveston County Daily News 8/9/06
GALVESTON When it comes to dealing with seaweed on the islands main tourist beaches, one clump of the stuff is one clump too many.
FREEPORT MARINE TERMINAL WINS TOP AWARD
Brazosport Facts 8/9/06
The Freeport Marine Terminal at Dow Texas Operations Plant A facility in Freeport has received the highest level award given by the U.S. Coast Guard.
OPEN BEACHES LAW FACES CHALLENGE
Brazosport Facts 8/7/06
SURFSIDE BEACH Many Surfside Beach residents with homes on public beaches are looking to a California womans federal case.
A PAGE OF HISTORY IN DANGER AT THE ALABAMA THEATRE
Houston Chronicle 8/6/06
Since the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance added three Art Deco landmarks to its list of endangered buildings last month, grass-roots protest has focused on the Landmark River Oaks Theatre. Sources said it could be razed as soon as 2008.
4 PENGUINS DIE IN WRECK ON WAY TO MOODY GARDENS
Houston Chronicle 8/8/06
A refrigerated truck full of penguins bound from the Indianapolis Zoo to Galveston overturned on U.S. 59 in East Texas early Tuesday, sending highway patrol and animal control officers scurrying to save the flightless birds.
ONE BY ONE, PENGUINS BEGIN ROAD TO RECOVERY
HOUSTON INVENTORS TO BE FEATURED ON NEW PBS SHOW
Houston Business Journal 8/8/06
Bouncing Brain Productions Inc. is conducting a search for amateur inventors in the Houston area.
THE GREEN WALMART
TomPaine.comonsense 8/8/06
Last October, Wal-Mart CEO H. Lee Scott Jr. gave a remarkable speech to his employees. He pledged to transform Wal-Mart the world’s largest retailer, No. 2 on the Fortune 500 into a company that runs entirely on renewable energy and produces zero net waste.