ENVIRONMENTAL HEADLINES, SEPTEMBER 30 – OCTOBER 6
CONOCOPHILLIPS, ENCANA TO CREATE NEW OIL COMPANY
Houston Business Journal 10/5/06
ConocoPhillips and EnCana Corp have entered into an agreement to create a North American joint-venture heavy oil company.
VALERO LEAK PROMPTS EVACUATION
Houston Chronicle 10/5/06
An accidental gas release at the Valero refinery in east Houston sent nearly 30 workers to area hospitals, where they were treated for respiratory complaints.
VALERO LEAK ‘ALL CLEAR,’ INQUIRIES BEGIN
DESPITE DEBATE, CONGRESS AGAIN DOESN’T PASS ENERGY BILL
Houston Chronicle 10/2/05
WASHINGTON – Remember the $100 rebates taxpayers were supposed to get to help fill up their SUVs? Or the proposal to allow drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? And the bills to open more areas offshore to oil and gas exploration?
BOND PLAN PRAISED BY WHITE
Houston Chronicle 10/4/06
A new city-county jail facility and an upgraded radio system for emergency personnel would be key future projects if Houston voters approve a $625 million bond referendum on the November ballot, Mayor Bill White said Tuesday night.
MIXED REVIEWS FOR WEST LOOP
Houston Chronicle 10/2/06
At 5 am last Wednesday, the Texas Department of Transportation reopened all lanes of the spectacularly reconstructed West Loop for the first time in four years. At 6:30 pm Friday, southbound traffic on the Loop between the Katy Freeway and Westheimer was crawling at 20 mph.
TEXAS RICE FARMERS IN A HOLDING PATTERN
Beaumont Enterprise, 10/01/06
BEAUMONT – The sweet fragrance of fresh grain hovered above the century-old Beaumont Rice Mills on Pecos Street Wednesday afternoon as employees tinkered with equipment.
BIOLOGIST TRIES TO BRIDGE GAP WITH RELIGION
Galveston County Daily News 10/1/06
Edward O. Wilson says the intersection of faith and science is vital to humanity’s future.
NEW OBSERVATION TOWER DEDICATED IN QUINTANA
Brazosport Facts 9/30/06
Flights of stairs ascend 26 feet, providing picturesque views of trees, the Gulf of Mexico and, for the enthusiasts, a better spot for bird watching.
PROPOSAL FOR TRAILS SUPPORTED
Houston Community Newspapers 9/30/06
Connecting city attractions with a 150-foot-wide trail is Larry Ashley and Martin Simonton’s vision and, now, they are sifting through the technicalities of making it a reality.
US BORDER FENCE BILL CLEARS SENATE HURDLE
Reuters 10/3/06
WASHINGTON – A bill authorizing construction of a fence along the US border with Mexico advanced in the US Senate on Thursday as Republican backers pushed to get an immigration measure to President George W. Bush’s desk before the Nov 7 elections.
PROPOSED BORDER FENCE COULD FACE ENVIRONMENTAL OBSTACLES
Houston Chronicle 10/2/06
EL PASO – Plans to build a fence along about 700 miles of the US border with Mexico could mean the destruction of costly environmental restoration projects and could cut in to lucrative tourism and cross-border spending in the Rio Grande Valley and elsewhere in South Texas.
THE POLITICS OF PARKS: MORE MONEY ISN’T THE ANSWER
Houston Chronicle 9/30/06
Some years ago the Parks and Wildlife Department was partly funded by a dedicated tobacco tax that was shrinking.