ENVIRONMENTAL HEADLINES, DECEMBER 16 – 22
FOUR HOUSTON-AREA CHEMICAL PLANTS ACCUSED IN STATE LAWSUIT
Houston Chronicle 12/21/06
Four Houston-area chemical plants could face hundreds of thousands of dollars – if not millions – in penalties for releasing pollutants into the air and failing to properly monitor equipment for leaks.
NEW FLOOD MAPS TO AFFECT 10,000 HARRIS PROPERTIES
Houston Chronicle 12/18/06
Thousands of Harris County property owners whose land will lie within newly configured flood plains have six months to obtain flood insurance at current rates and avoid paying higher premiums required in flood-prone areas.
THIRTEEN STATES SUE US EPA OVER SOOT EMISSIONS
Reuters 12/20/06
PHILADELPHIA – Thirteen US states sued the federal Environmental Protection Agency on Monday for failing to set air quality standards that could save up to 24,000 lives a year.
SUBURBAN SPRAWL MAY CREATE HEAVIER KIDS
Reuters 12/18/06
NEW YORK – US children who live in expansive suburbs may start to pay for it with expansive waistlines, new research suggests.
UH MAKEOVER PLAN INCLUDES NEW SHOPS, HOUSING
Houston Chronicle 12/16/06
The first thing you notice is the sea of striped asphalt. Parking lots – 62 in all – ring the University of Houston, reinforcing its reputation as a commuter school, a place that empties at day’s end.
RICE BLOWS OFF KLEENEX AFTER STUDENTS’ SUGGESTIONS
Houston Chronicle 12/19/06
If you’re looking for a Kleenex on the Rice University campus in the near future, you may be out of luck.
RURAL RESIDENTS LOSE LAWSUIT AGAINST WIND FARM BUILDER
Houston Chronicle 12/20/06
ABILENE – After a two-week trial, a company that built the world’s largest wind farm has won a lawsuit filed by neighboring landowners who said the wind turbines were too loud and devalued their property.
GALVESTON MAN SUED BY FEDS IN PROPERTY DISPUTE
Houston Chronicle 12/20/06
GALVESTON — A property owner accused of illegally filling and dredging in a Galveston bayou and environmentally sensitive wetlands is being sued by the US Attorney’s Office.
RICHMOND GRAPPLES WITH INCREASING WATER DILEMMA
Fort Bend Herald and Texas Coaster 12/19/06
Perplexed city commissioners still haven’t figured out how to provide affordable water to Richmond residents in the coming years, venting their frustration at a specially-called discussion Monday prior to the regular City Commission meeting.
ZONING PETITION TOPS ROSENBERG COUNCIL AGENDA
Fort Bend Herald and Texas Coaster 12/18/06
A petition requesting the adoption of zoning regulations by the city of Rosenberg will be presented to City Council at its meeting Tuesday. The petition will be presented by former economic development director Bill Knesek, and council may take action on the matter.
LAMPSON BROUGHT UP TO SPEED ON FLOODING
Friendswood Journal 12/14/2006
More than 50 local officials from both Pearland and Friendswood attended a luncheon meeting at Las Rosas Mexican Restaurant in Pearland on Monday to bend their new congressman’s ear on the hottest of all local hot-button issues – flooding
WHOOPERS BACK IN TEXAS
Houston Chronicle 12/20/06
This winter, the marshes along the Texas coast are more alive with snowy white whooping cranes than they’ve been in a century.
BIRDERS FIND 232 SPECIES IN ANNUAL COUNT
BOOK PROFILES HISTORICAL COURTHOUSES
Houston Chronicle 12/19/06
WHARTON – When Wharton County Judge W.J. Croom and his commissioners announced plans to build a new courthouse, rancher Able “Shanghai” Pierce raised such a ruckus that the governor called in the Texas Rangers to keep the peace.