ENVIRONMENTAL HEADLINES, FEBRUARY 9 – 15

NOBEL LAUREATE URGES OIL COS TO HELP CUT EMISSIONS
Reuters 2/14/08
HOUSTON – Rajendra Pachauri said he thought he was “walking into the lion’s den” Tuesday when he told oil executives they need to take a lead in cutting greenhouse gas emissions in order to save the earth.

COAL DOESN’T HAVE TO BE A DIRTY WORD, CEOS SAY

MONEY WOES AND A MISTAKE PUT BRAKES ON ROAD WORK
Houston Chronicle 2/8/08
Building Katy Freeway frontage roads inside the Loop, widening U.S. 59 past Splendora and various road improvements in Lake Jackson are among $276 million in area highway projects state officials have shelved, citing a funding crisis and a billion-dollar planning error.

HOUSTON OFFICIALS SEEK DELAY IN RULES FOR HIGH-RISES
Houston Chronicle 2/13/08
City officials want to spend up to seven more months to consider ways to regulate traffic from high-density buildings, Mayor Bill White said Wednesday.

ASHBY HIGH-RISE DEVELOPERS REMAIN HOPEFUL FOR DEAL

JUDGES FORUM LEAVES VOTERS DEBATING
River Oaks Examiner 2/12/08
In one of many such forums between incumbent Ed Emmett and challenger Charles Bacarisse, at least some audience members were still debating which Republican to nominate for Harris County Judge.

LEAD COMMITTEE NARROWS FUNDING SOURCE LIST
Galveston County Daily News 2/13/08
A task force is mulling initiatives that would make the island a lead-safe community, if elected officials are willing to lend their support.

PANEL URGES ALL CHILDREN IN GALVESTON BE TESTED FOR LEAD

TOURISTS, TAKE NOTE: GALVESTON SET FOR A FACE-LIFT
Houston Chronicle 2/10/08
An effort to transform a tract of wetlands on the east end of Galveston Island into a world-class ecotourism park is one of several projects expected to make the city more attractive to tourists.

PLAN WON’T ADDRESS WORST OF CITY’S FLOODING
Galveston County Daily News 2/13/08
A federal plan that aims to reduce flooding along Clear Creek found that fixing Friendswood’s drainage problems isn’t worth the trouble.

WALLER COUNCIL GOES ON RECORD AGAINST TTC
Waller County News Citizen 2/14/08
The Waller City Council unanimously approved a resolution of opposition to the encroachment of the proposed Interstate 69 Trans-Texas Corridor through the city limits and extra-territorial jurisdiction of the city at their meeting Feb. 11.

STATE CORRIDOR HEARING ECHOES SMALL-TOWN CONCERNS

TRANS-TEXAS CORRIDOR DRAWS HEATED DEBATE
THE DIRT ON NUCLEAR POWER
CLEAN Subscriber Update, February 2008
Nuclear energy is being promoted as clean energy. While it’s true that nuclear power plants don’t emit green house gases that fuel global warming, the mining of uranium to fuel these plants is anything but clean. Water use is another issue. Millions of gallons of water per minute are boiled in the process of making electricity.

DIGITAL ADS SHINE LIGHT ON EXTRA COST
Houston Chronicle 2/13/08
If safety concerns, legal issues, public outcry, visual blight and Lady Bird’s legacy haven’t swayed them, here’s one more reason for the Texas Transportation Commission to scrap a proposal allowing digital billboards along highways – the cost to taxpayers.

CHAMBERS COUNTY TURNS 150
Baytown Sun 2/12/08
Chambers County residents from both sides of the Trinity River, from young to old, gathered before the steps of the Anahuac courthouse Monday to celebrate the county’s 150th birthday.

ANSWER THE PHONE
River Oaks Examiner 2/12/08
Many are called but few actually answer the phone these days, which is making it tougher – but not impossible – for the much lauded Houston Area Survey to get its data.