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March 16, 2011

ECONOTES 2011-03-16: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region

Featured

  1. A fear of fracking may slow natural gas trend (Jennifer A. Dlouhy – Houston Chronicle, 03/09/2011)
    Fracking has conservationists and environmentalists concerned about the water demand associated with the process as well as the possibility of natural gas escaping from the wells and chemicals tainting nearby water sources. These risks may hurt the industry as the opposition grows. Horizontal drilling techniques and the hydraulic fracturing process can now be used to extract previously unrecoverable natural gas from shale formations.
    http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/7464943.html
  2. Researchers studying ways to address PCBs in Trinity River (Bill Hanna – Star-Telegram, 03/08/2011)
    Researchers are studying wheter activated carbon can reduce the polychlorinated biphenyls in waterways. The study will look at the Trinity River and other areas, including the Houston Ship Channel. So far, there have been no options for displacing PCBs in waterways, other than dredging, which causes as many problems as it solves. There is no quick fix, but the state would like to reduce the high level of contaminants in the water.
    http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/03/08/2906680/researchers-studying-ways-to-address.html
  3. AIR POLLUTION: Texas power plant violated Clean Air Act, enviros say in suit (Greenwire, 03/08/2011)
    Recently, three environmental groups filed a lawsuit against a Texas coal-fired power plant. They claim that the 1,760-megawatt Fayette Power Project near Houston has violated the Clean Air Act for nearly a decade. It lacks modern pollution control equipment and has been responsible for the release of massive amounts of soot that can cause lung damage and premature death.
    http://www.elp.com/index/from-the-wires/wire_news_display/1374227675.html

EcoNotes