ENVIRONMENTAL HEADLINES, OCTOBER 27 – NOVEMBER 2
TEXAS A&M PROFESSOR BRYAN W. SHAW NAMED TO STATE ENVIRONMENTAL BOARD
The Dallas Morning News 11/1/07
Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Texas A&M professor Bryan W. Shaw to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the body that directs the state’s environmental agency.
POWER PLANT TO CAPTURE CARBON DIOXIDE
Houston Chronicle 11/2/07
A Houston-area power plant will become the site of a project to capture large amounts of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide – up to 1 million tons per year – so that it can be stored underground or used for enhanced oil recovery.
COURT RULING COULD SAVE OIL FIRMS BILLIONS
Houston Chronicle 11/1/07
A federal judge in Louisiana has thrown potentially tens of billions of dollars in federal offshore oil and gas royalties into question, siding with a Houston firm in a dispute over how much authority federal regulators have to assess royalty payments.
BAYPORT DREDGING RECEIVES APPROVAL
Houston Chronicle 10/30/07
Houston port commissioners approved $15 million in work at the new Bayport terminal on Tuesday, a week before voters decide on a quarter-billion dollar bond issue for continued expansion.
FLOOD DETENTION PROJECT PROGRESSES
Houston Chronicle 10/31/07
Progress continues to be made on the Brays Bayou Flood Damage Reduction Project, also known as Project Brays.
HOUSTON MAYOR PROPOSES $200 MILLION IN STORM DRAINS
Houston Chronicle 11/1/07
Mayor Bill White on Wednesday proposed spending more than $200 million on storm drainage projects across Houston by 2013, more than doubling the five-year budget for such improvements.
LIGHT RAIL FUNDING STILL HAS HURDLES TO CLEAR
Houston Chronicle 10/31/07
Despite the optimism expressed by Metropolitan Transit Authority officials last week, the agency still has some hurdles to clear before it gains federal funding for two of its light rail lines.
HOUSTON LAWMAKERS TRY TO REVIVE CLEAN-AIR BOND EXEMPTION
Houston Chronicle 10/29/07
Two Houston-area congressmen are co-sponsoring legislation aimed at helping local industries achieve federal clean air goals by making it easier to buy pollution-control equipment.
CURBSIDE RECYCLING COMING TO BAYTOWN
Baytown Sun 10/31/07
Baytown residents will soon be able to go green without having to go all the way to a recycling drop off point, as the city is working on a plan to collect curbside recycling that should be ready by early next year.
OFFICIALS WARN OF LEAD THREAT TO GALVESTON CHILDREN
Galveston County Daily News 10/29/07
Health officials say about 20 percent of this city’s children test positive for lead poisoning each year and more than 2,100 have been affected in the past 15 years.
TIRZ 14 BOARD SEEKS LOAN TO REPAY DEVELOPER
Galveston County Daily News 11/1/07
Developer Sullivan Interests spent $6.6 million on infrastructure improvements to the area around its Evia subdivision, and the company now wants its investment repaid.
SCORES OF MIGRATING BUTTERFLIES FLUTTER BY
The Enterprise 11/01/07
They flutter their orange and black wings rimmed with white spots as hard as they can and then soar like a hang glider catching unseen wind currents.
SEE LIVE ANIMATION OF THIS FALL’S MONARCH MIGRATION PER JOURNEY NORTH:
IOWA: DOG SHOOTS HUNTER
New York Times 10/31/07
A hunter is recovering after he was shot in the leg at close range by his dog, a spokesman with the Department of Natural Resources said. The hunter, James Harris, 37, of Tama, was hit in the calf Saturday, the opening day of pheasant season, said the spokesman, Alan Foster.