ENVIRONMENTAL HEADLINES, JUNE 10 – 16

TXDOT CHANGES TTC COURSE
Fort Bend Herald and Texas Coaster 6/11/08
Opponents of a proposed superhighway that would slice its way through private property across east Texas to Mexico rejoiced over Tuesday’s announcement that state officials have decided to ditch that plan and use only existing roadways instead.

FEDS MUST GREEN-LIGHT CHANGES IN I-69 ROUTE PLAN

CONCERN FOR BUSINESSES PROMPTS CITY’S DELAY IN RAIL VOTE
Houston Chronicle 6/12/08
The City Council on Wednesday delayed a scheduled vote on an agreement setting conditions for the Metropolitan Transit Authority to build five light rail lines on Houston streets.

CITY COUNCIL SUBMITS ITS 2009 BUDGET WISH LIST
Houston Chronicle 6/12/08
What’s on the wish list of a public servant? A four-day workweek at City Hall. Two hundred more red-light cameras. More cops. More playground equipment. More. More. More.

PORT ARTHUR INCINERATOR SET TO BURN TOXIC PCBS
Houston Chronicle 6/13/08
The west end of this Gulf Coast refinery town is a weedy pocket of poverty, with blocks of shuttered storefronts and blue tarps still covering the rooftops of houses damaged by Hurricane Rita nearly three years ago.

MASS TRANSIT, MASS APPEAL
Baytown Sun 6/13/08
Take notice when you pass one of the 40 orange-flagged wooden stakes that will be poking out along the roadsides. Those flags will denote the spots where you will be able to catch the bus.

CITY GETS EARFUL ON RECYCLING
Baytown Sun 6/14/08
About two weeks into the City of Baytown’s new recycling program, some residents still have a bit of a stick in their craw.

LEVEE DISTRICTS TO ADDRESS FEMA CONCERNS
Fort Bend Herald and Texas Coaster 6/11/08
A group of levee districts representing some of the county’s biggest neighborhoods have contracted with an engineering firm to evaluate their flood control measures, thanks to a vote Tuesday by the Fort Bend County Commissioners Court.

GROUP WANTS BRAZOS TO FLOW FOR LONG TIME
Bryan College Station Eagle 6/12/08
The Brazos River is a precious resource that should be preserved for future farming and fishing uses, a crowd told state officials at a public hearing Wednesday in Bryan.

DRAINAGE DISTRICT SETTLES SPRAYING ISSUE
Brazosport Facts 6/12/08
The votes of three new members of the West Brazoria County Drainage District board mean the way its chemical and spraying contract is awarded will stay the same.

ORGANIC HERBICIDES TOUGH ON WEEDS, SOME SAY

MOSQUITO-EATING FISH THRIVE IN FORECLOSED US POOLS

TEXAS: RARE BEACH NESTING FOR TURTLE
New York Times 6/13/08
For the first time since the 1930s, federal biologists confirmed that a leatherback sea turtle has nested on a Texas beach, at the Padre Island National Seashore near Corpus Christi.

LENGTHY PROCESS IN FDA RECALL OF TOMATOES, OTHER FOODS
Houston Chronicle 6/14/08
Last week, federal officials were bombarded with questions about an outbreak of potentially deadly salmonella poisoning from tomatoes.

TYNAN TAKES ON Q&A ON TANK-LESS WATER HEATERS
Houston Community News 6/9/08
Some people call them “On-Demand,” some people call them “Instant water heaters,” whatever you call them, the reality is they are here to stay.