ENVIRONMENTAL HEADLINES, NOVEMBER 4 – 10
SUIT SAYS HOUSTON SMOG PLAN WON’T WORK
Houston Chronicle 11/7/06
The Galveston-Houston Association for Smog Prevention filed a lawsuit that claims that a suite of revisions approved by the EPA in September will not reduce ground-level ozone in the region enough to meet federal health standards.
CITY OKS SMOKING BAN
Baytown Sun 11/8/06
After months of debate, Baytown voters had the final say Tuesday, electing to snuff out smoking in public places.
SMOKING BAN TO TAKE EFFECT ON DEC. 1
CULBERSON’S SWAY OVER METRO PLANS MAY BE DILUTED
Houston Chronicle 11/9/06
U.S. Rep. John Culberson easily won re-election, but his party lost the House, which means the Houston Republican could lose some of the committee influence that has made him a force to be reckoned with in Metro’s transit plans.
POMBO’S LOSS ELATES ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT
San Diego union-tribune 11/9/06
The California rancher deemed by some as the nation’s biggest threat to environmental conservation has lost his seat in Congress and must cede control of the House Resources Committee.
ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE PROVIDES GREEN RATINGS ON YAHOO! AUTOS
E-Magazine 11/8/06
The nonprofit research and advocacy organization Environmental Defense announced last week that it is teaming up with Yahoo! Autos to provide car buyers with easy-to-access information on how various new car and truck models stack up in terms of environmental performance and fuel efficiency. Thanks to the partnership, consumers browsing the free Yahoo! Autos website can see green ratings on various cars and trucks right next to vehicle prices and other common specs.
GALVESTON BIRDING GUIDE ACCUSED OF SHOOTING CAT
Houston Chronicle 11/9/06
GALVESTON – A well-known birder and founder of the Galveston Ornithological Society has been charged with animal cruelty, accused of shooting a stray cat with a .22-caliber rifle.
VOTERS SAY NO TO PORT BONDS
Brazosport Facts 11/8/06
FREEPORT – Voters in the Brazos River Harbor Navigation District, known as Port Freeport, rejected a $50 million bond issue to help the port pay for its seventh and largest berth.
BEAUMONT DEVELOPER ADDS LUXURY BOLIVAR CONDOS
Houston Business Journal 11/6/06
Crown Team Texas has broken ground on a luxury residential community on the Bolivar Peninsula.
75-FOOT TREE IN LIBERTY COUNTY A NATIONAL CONTENDER
Houston Chronicle 11/4.06
Hidden inside a densely forested marsh, past a jungle of cane and sticker bushes in Liberty County, grows a tree that has surpassed its peers. At least three people would have to lock hands to reach around the tree’s gnarled trunk.
U.S. CONSIDERS BIRD-FRIENDLY COMMUNICATIONS TOWERS
Environmental News Network 11/7/06
WASHINGTON – The Federal Communications Commission drew praise from a wildlife conservation group Monday for considering a plan to make communications towers less deadly for migrating birds.