ENVIRONMENTAL HEADLINES, JULY 26 – AUG 1

MEETINGS WILL EXPLAIN KATY FREEWAY’S NEW TOLL LANES
Houston Chronicle 7/28/08
The Houston-Galveston Area Council will hold five public meetings in August to explain the four new “managed lanes” that will open in October in the middle of the Katy Freeway.

HARRIS COUNTY OFFERS INCENTIVES TO GO GREEN
Baytown Sun 7/31/08
Other jurisdictions may turn to threats and scare tactics to get businesses to go green, but Harris County prefers the carrot to the stick.

REPORT SAYS WATER QUALITY IMPROVED ON TEXAS BEACHES
Houston Chronicle 7/28/08
Water quality at Texas beaches improved in 2007 based on samples collected during peak vacation season, Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson said Monday.

REPORT: BACTERIA RATE NOT HIGH ENOUGH FOR CONCERN

INDUSTRY & ENVIRONMENT IN HARMONY
Baytown Sun 7/31/08
Championing the idea touted by the father of Baytown’s wetlands, Eddie V. Gray, NRG Energy has sought – and found – some harmony between environment and industry.

CREWS BEGIN REMOVING OAKS ALONG KIRBY DRIVE
Houston Chronicle 7/29/08
Some of the live oak trees that lined Kirby Drive were removed overnight as part of a controversial reconstruction project between Westheimer and Richmond.

BIRDS HELPED COAST GUARD FIND MISSING BOATER IN GULF
Houston Chronicle 7/28/08
Matthew Reis has sea birds and an alert Coast Guard helicopter crew to thank for his rescue from an oil platform after the boat he was on capsized in the Gulf of Mexico.

MOSQUITO CONTROL SET TO TAKE FLIGHT
Brazosport Facts 8/1/08
The Brazoria County Mosquito Control District is planning to take to the air Saturday to fight a mosquito population that is booming in the Southern Brazoria County coastal salt marshes, Director Jim Ryan said.

NATURAL ITEMS MAKE BETTER CLEANING PRODUCTS
Galveston County Daily News 8/1/08
Household cleaning products can be hazardous to more than just dirt and germs.