ECONOTES 2010-05-02: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region
Featured
1. Sea Turtle Nesting Season Begins Again on the Texas Coast (Guidry News)
The Kemp’s ridley sea turtle population is continuing to rise as the nesting season began this year on March 15. In 1995, there were only four turtles, whereas there were 197 recorded in 2009. Volunteer organizations have played a major role in the survival of this species as they have patrolled the beaches and protected the turtles and their eggs. The public is asked to be on the lookout for the nests and to avoid disturbing the turtles.
http://www.guidrynews.com/story.aspx?id=1000026057
2. Document: BP Didn’t Plan For Major Oil Spill (Cain Burdeau – Click2Houston)
At least 1.6 million gallons of oil have been spilled so far along the Gulf Coast from an offshore rig that exploded. The oil has seeped into Louisiana’s fishing grounds and nesting areas despite efforts to stop the spill. This is the worst oil spill to happen in many decades as crews have been unable to activate the underwater shutoff valve.
http://www.click2houston.com/green-pages/23316310/detail.html
3. Nearly 7,000 volunteers haul over 131 tons of trash off Texas beaches (Guidry News)
More than 6,700 volunteers cleared more than 131 tons of trash off of the Texas beaches on Saturday for the 24th Annual Texas General Land Office Adopt-A-Beach Spring Cleanup. There was a good turnout of volunteers that helped pick up trash. The Adopt-A-Beach program holds three big cleanup days each year, and since its first cleanup in 1986, volunteers have picked up over 7,700 tons of trash.
http://www.guidrynews.com/story.aspx?id=1000026086
EcoNotes
* 6 April
o Green Power Partnership National Top 50 Green Purchases
http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/toplists/top50.htm
* 21 April
o Different paths to reducing CO2 in the production of electricity (Bill Dawson – TCN Journal)
http://www.texasclimatenews.org/TCNJournal/42110DifferentpathstoreducingCO2/tabid/1668/Default.aspx
* 22 April
o Group honors conservationist (Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/heights/news/6971537.html
o Kroger hosts green contest (Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/heights/news/6971533.html
* 24 April
o Giant salvinia threatens Texas lakes (Bill Miller – Star-Telegram News)
http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/04/24/2140344/giant-salvinia-threatens-texas.html
* 25 April
o Fish kills from algae top 110,000 in 2 Texas lakes (The Dallas Morning News)
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D9FACM601.html
o 518 bypass raises noise, wetland fears (Hayley Kappes – The Galveston County Daily News)
http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=773167dd2fe9cbcb
* 26 April
o League City’s New Bottle and Can Recycling Containers (Guidry News)
http://www.guidrynews.com/story.aspx?id=1000026027
o Turtle advocates urge halt to shrimping (Harvey Rice – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6977060.html
o Ozone Season Comes Late To Houston (David Pitman – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/houston_public_radio-news-display.php?articles_id=1272315810
o Oil Rig Dilemma (Pat Hernandez – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/houston_public_radio-news-display.php?articles_id=1272321968
o BP works to contain oil spill (Houston Business Journal)
http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2010/04/26/daily6.html?surround=lfn
* 27 April
o Rep. Gene Green and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison Introduce Buffalo Bayou National Heritage Act Companion Bills (Guidry News)
http://www.guidrynews.com/story.aspx?id=1000026064
o Sea Turtle Nesting Season Begins Again on the Texas Coast (Guidry News)
http://www.guidrynews.com/story.aspx?id=1000026057
o Underwater Robots Big Part of Gulf Recovery Effort (Jack Williams – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/houston_public_radio-news-display.php?articles_id=1272407953
o Montgomery officials consider economic impact of low lake levels (Brad Meyer – The Montgomery County Courier)
http://www.hcnonline.com/articles/2010/04/27/conroe_courier/news/mocc042910.txt
* 28 April
o City giving residents a chance to mark Arbor Day (Jane Howard Lee – The Baytown Sun)
http://baytownsun.com/story/50827
o Nearly 7,000 volunteers haul over 131 tons of trash off Texas beaches (Guidry News)
http://www.guidrynews.com/story.aspx?id=1000026086
o Coast Guard: Spill could be one of most significant in U.S. history (Houston Business Journal)
http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2010/04/26/daily22.html?surround=lfn
o Coast Guard to begin fires in Gulf of Mexico (Christine Hall – Houston Business Journal)
http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2010/04/26/daily32.html?surround=lfn
o Whole Foods Market Partners with EPA to Fight Climate Change (EPA News)
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/1E2B428CE68825F985257711006A0D4A
* 29 April
o Hurricane workshop a chance to prepare early (Shannon Daughtry – The Baytown Sun)
http://baytownsun.com/story/50840
o Spill in 1979 was bigger but not necessarily worse (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/deepwaterhorizon/6976966.html
o Spill is near endangered species, fisheries (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/deepwaterhorizon/6978806.html
o Well springs third leak; officials raise spill estimate (Brett Clanton, Matthew Tresaugue, and Monica Hatcher – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/deepwaterhorizon/6979467.html
o Coast Guard: Oil spill ‘a serious situation’ (Houston Business Journal)
http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2010/04/26/daily36.html?surround=lfn
o Houston among most polluted cities, lung association says (Houston Business Journal)
http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2010/04/26/daily33.html?surround=lfn
o Houston-area Volcano Expert Offers Insight On Eyjafjallajökull Volcano Eruption (Guidry News)
http://www.guidrynews.com/story.aspx?id=1000026106
o Oil Spill Update from the Transocean Deepwater Horizon Drilling Rig (Guidry News)
http://www.guidrynews.com/story.aspx?id=1000026080
o Leaking Oil Threatens Gulf Coast Delicacy (Kevin McGill – Click2Houston)
http://www.click2houston.com/green-pages/23300879/detail.html
o The story of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill (Grist News)
http://www.grist.org/article/2010-04-29-gulf-of-mexico-oil-spill-bp-2010-slideshow/P1
o OTC Global forms environmental subsidiary (Ford Gunter – Houston Business Journal)
http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2010/04/26/daily42.html?surround=lfn
o Report: BP to study use of chemicals to break up oil under water (Christine Hall – Houston Business Journal)
http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2010/04/26/daily48.html?surround=lfn
* 30 April
o Gulf Coast Lawmakers Mixed on Suspending Drilling (KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/houston_public_radio-news-display.php?articles_id=1272662385
o Gov’t steps up role in Gulf rig disaster as companies’ stocks take a hit (Ford Gunter – Houston Business Journal)
http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2010/04/26/daily60.html
o Document: BP Didn’t Plan For Major Oil Spill (Cain Burdeau – Click2Houston)
http://www.click2houston.com/green-pages/23316310/detail.html
o Oil Rig Has Long History Of Spills (Frank Jordans – Click2Houston)
http://www.click2houston.com/green-pages/23324142/detail.html
o Obama: New Oil Leases Will Need Safeguards (H. Josef Hebert)
http://www.click2houston.com/green-pages/23316741/detail.html
o Rig Explosion Dirties BP’s Green Image (Click2Houston)
http://www.click2houston.com/green-pages/23316178/detail.html
o IBM: Office buildings can be more efficient (Houston Business Journal)
http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2010/04/26/daily50.html?surround=lfn
o BP CEO on oil spill: ‘We are determined to succeed’ (Houston Business Journal)
http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2010/04/26/daily53.html?surround=lfn
* 2 May
o College Graduation Gowns Going Green (Holly Ramer – Click2Houston)
http://www.click2houston.com/green-pages/23415409/detail.html
o 20 Sea Turtles Found Dead Along Miss. Beaches (Brian Skoloff – Click2Houston)
http://www.click2houston.com/green-pages/23423410/detail.html
o 10,000 Gallons Of Oil Removed From Alaska Shipwreck (Click2Houston)
http://www.click2houston.com/green-pages/23421719/detail.html
o Obama Says Stopping Oil Spill Could Take Many Days (Robert Burns – Click2Houston)
http://www.click2houston.com/green-pages/23407808/detail.html
o Best Case: Another Week Of Unabated Oil Geyser (Cain Burdeau – Click2Houston)
http://www.click2houston.com/green-pages/23406544/detail.html