ENVIRONMENTAL HEADLINES, OCTOBER 13 – 19
METRO PANEL VOTES FOR LIGHT RAIL ON ALL FIVE PLANNED LINES
Houston Chronicle 10/18/07
The Metropolitan Transit Authority board voted today on a Richmond-Wheeler route for its controversial University light rail line. But that was almost an anticlimax: It also voted to put light rail – not Bus Rapid transit – on all five planned lines.
ENERGY PACKAGE IS HUNG UP ON OIL COMPANY TAXES
Houston Chronicle 10 /16/07
The White House is threatening to veto any energy bill that seeks to raise taxes on oil companies, prompting Democratic lawmakers Tuesday to accuse the administration of being too cozy with the industry.
FLOOD INSURANCE MEASURE ADVANCES
Houston Chronicle 10/18/07
Taxpayers would eat about $20 billion in debt to get the National Flood Insurance Program on better financial footing under legislation that a Senate committee passed Wednesday.
CONSERVATIONISTS LOSE WIND FARM RULING
Houston Chronicle 10/18/07
A divided Public Utility Commission shut the door Wednesday on conservationists’ efforts to air concerns about the effect of planned Gulf Coast wind farms on migratory birds.
TWO LANES OF CAUSEWAY CLOSE FOR TWO-WHEELERS
Galveston County Daily News 10/18/07
Galveston County motorists should keep their eyes out for batches of bicyclists this weekend during the Bike Around the Bay event.
BAYOU BARGE GRAVEYARD ON STATE’S RADAR
Galveston County Daily News 10/15/07
The passage of state House Bill 2096 in 2005 made it easier to declare vessels abandoned and holds owners criminally responsible for their discard.
PEAK-OIL CONFERENCE TO SPOTLIGHT STATE OF SUPPLY
Houston Chronicle 10/15/07
The state of the world’s oil resources will take center stage at the Association for the Study of Peak Oil’s four-day conference in Houston this week.
SIGHTING OF A RARE BUTTERFLY CAUSES STIR
Houston Chronicle 10/12/07
A tiny green butterfly not seen in the United States in more than 70 years likes the new butterfly garden at Falcon State Park, experts said.
GORE SHARES NOBEL WIN WITH U.N. CLIMATE PANEL
Environmental News Network 10/12/07
Former Vice President Al Gore and the U.N. climate panel won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for their part in galvanizing international action against global warming before it “moves beyond man’s control”.
THE POLITICS BEHIND THE PEACE PRIZE
THE GREEN-COLLAR SOLUTION
New York Times 10/17/07
Van Jones is a rare bird. He’s a black social activist in Oakland, Calif., and as green an environmentalist as they come. He really gets passionate, and funny, when he talks about what it’s like to be black and green.