ECONOTES 2011-09-21: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region
Featured
- Green Groups Add Muscle in Texas, Gird for Uphill Battles (Nathanial Gronewold – The New York Times, 09/14/2011)
The Green Movement is expanding in Texas as environmental organizations are spreading their influence across the state. Texas has been known for being a pro-development, pro-business state where oil is king. Now many companies are concentrating on the renewable energy industry, and environmental groups are pushing to make the state greener. One such group, The Sierra Club, is fighting to keep coal-fired plants from coming online.
http://www.nytimes.com/ - Rice wins grant to develop CO2 capture technology (Guidry News, 09/20/2011)
A Rice University research team has been awarded a grant by the Department of Energy to develop technology that can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions by capturing carbon dioxide from power plants. Coal and natural gas fired power plants account for about half of the carbon dioxide that humans add to the atmosphere each year. The research team would like to curb this by creating less-costly technology that separates CO2 from flue gas at normal air pressure. The goal is to have a full-scale test of the technology within three years.
http://www.guidrynews.com/ - To make it to 2060, water plan needed (Chris Paschenko – The Galveston County Daily News, 09/18/2011)
This may become Texas’ worst year of drought. The impact on agricultural losses is already $52 billion. Discussions at the Harris Galveston Subsidence District conference covered the water needs projected through 2060. The Texas population is expected to increase from 25 million (today) to 45 million in 2060, which will spike the water demand. When projecting how to meet the state’s water needs through 2060, the board expects 34 percent to come from surface water, 17 percent to come from major reservoirs, 17 percent to come from irrigation conservation, 9 percent to come from groundwater, and 3.4 percent to come from desalination.
http://galvestondailynews.com/
EcoNotes
- 21 September
- Trees And Power Lines Caused Major Texas Fire (Jim Forsyth – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org/ - Water proposal could devastate Texas rice industry (April Castro – Forbes)
http://www.forbes.com/ - 20 September
- Rice wins grant to develop CO2 capture technology (Guidry News)
http://www.guidrynews.com/ - Rice researchers work to curb power plant emissions (Houston Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/ - Internal documents dispute Corps finding that SH 99 impacts are ‘acceptable’ (David Crossley – Houston Tomorrow)
http://www.houstontomorrow.org/ - AgriLife Extension land steward programs to focus on Trinity River Basin (Paul Schattenberg – AgriLife Today)
http://agrilife.org/today/ - Neartown residents want walkability, light rail (Jay Blazek Crossley – Houston Tomorrow)
http://www.houstontomorrow.org/ - EPA Recognizes 52 Organizations for Environmental Stewardship (EPA News)
http://yosemite.epa.gov/ - Historic Alabama Theater may become Trader Joe’s grocery store (Houston Tomorrow)
http://www.houstontomorrow.org/ - 19 September
- After A Weekend Of Rain, Experts Say More Needed (Bill Stamps – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/articles/ - FFA, 4-H launch Texas Proud of Texas Agriculture website (Guidry News)
http://guidrynews.com/ - Activists, Company Spar Over Oil Pipeline (Click2Houston)
http://www.click2houston.com/ - Five Texas cities make Newsweek ‘can-do’ list (David Crossley – Houston Tomorrow)
http://www.houstontomorrow.org/ - EPA Recognizes Supermarkets for Environmental Achievement (EPA News)
http://yosemite.epa.gov/ - 18 September
- Drought proves mixed blessing for Texas wineries (Sarah Bahari – Star-Telegram)
http://www.star-telegram.com/ - To make it to 2060, water plan needed (Chris Paschenko – The Galveston County Daily News)
http://galvestondailynews.com/ - 16 September
- Galveston Beaches Begin New Recycling Program Thanks to “Keep America Beautiful†Award (Guidry News)
http://www.guidrynews.com/ - Galveston votes funds for Livable Communities (David Crossley – Houston Tomorrow)
http://www.houstontomorrow.org/ - Wetland mitigation gets boost from oil and gas (Melissa McEver – Houston Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/ - Rare minnows rescued from Texas river amid drought (Angela K. Brown – Google News)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ - 15 September
- Pasadena site to be on Superfund list (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/news/ - Texas power plants’ deadline corrected (Puneet Kollipara – My SA News)
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/ - EPA Region 6 Updates Its National Priorities List of Superfund Sites – Two Sites Added and One Proposed (EPA News)
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/ - TCEQ response to EPA statements (TCEQ News)
http://www.tceq.texas.gov/ - 14 September
- ConocoPhillips launches natural gas campaign (Jennifer A. Dlouhy – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/business/ - Power generation and consumers feel the effects of drought (Danielle Kalisek – Texas Water Resources Institute)
http://twri.tamu.edu/ - Green Groups Add Muscle in Texas, Gird for Uphill Battles (Nathanial Gronewold – The New York Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/ - Shell planning new Texas-Louisiana pipeline (Houston Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/ - Tips for power and water consumers during drought (Danielle Kalisek – Texas Water Resources Institute)
http://twri.tamu.edu/ - Drought Preparedness Council works to protect Texas (Texas Water Resources Institute)
http://twri.tamu.edu/ - Texas forests face record-breaking danger (Kathy Wythe – Texas Water Resources Institute)
http://twri.tamu.edu/ - 13 September
- Regulator confronts critics in oil industry (Jennifer A. Dlouhy – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/business/ - In Texas, drought feels like another Dust Bowl (Rick Jervis – USA Today)
http://www.usatoday.com/ - 12 September
- Tips for Stopping the Spread and Establishment of Exotic Aquatic Species (Texas Parks & Wildlife News)
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/ - Luminant sues EPA, says it will shut two coal units, cut 500 jobs (Tom Fowler – Fuel Fix)
http://fuelfix.com/blog/ - 10 September
- Rick Perry’s Air War (Coral Davenport – National Journal)
http://www.nationaljournal.com/