ECONOTES 2012-07-02: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region
Featured
- Pastoral neighborhood thrives inside Loop (Nancy Sarnoff – Houston Chronicle, 07/02/2012)
Japhet Community is a small neighborhood inside the Loop, in which all the residents work together to live in a way that is less dependent on the commercial world. Residents tend to embrace the values associated with a more sustainable, self-sufficient lifestyle. People grow their own food and surround themselves with nature, despite being two miles from downtown.
http://www.chron.com/ - Heat, still air cause spike in smog (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle, 06/28/2012)
June 25th qualified as one of the 10 worst smog days in the Houston region over the past decade. The burst of heat and stagnant air pushed ozone levels to 136 parts per billion. The federal limit is 75 ppb.
http://www.chron.com/ - Editorial: An overpass above Hermann Park? No thanks. (Houston Chronicle, 06/27/2012)
Bad ideas are a dime a dozen, but TxDOT’s proposal to connect Highway 288 with the Texas Medical Center by building “flyover” lanes above a portion of Hermann Park rates particular condemnation.
www.chron.com - Texas sets June power record for 2nd straight day (Eileen O’Grady and Scott DiSavino – Planet Ark News, 06/27/2012)
Texas has exceeded the monthly peak-power records in May and June. The grid agency has projected that power use will peak at 67,492 MW this summer, about 1,300 MW above what would be expected in a normal weather scenario. ERCOT has warned that rolling outages could occur this summer given the state’s limited amount of surplus generation.
http://planetark.org/
EcoNotes
- 2 July
- Pastoral neighborhood thrives inside Loop (Nancy Sarnoff – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/
- Pastoral neighborhood thrives inside Loop (Nancy Sarnoff – Houston Chronicle)
- 30 June
- Ex-EPA Director in Texas lands Sierra Club post (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
www.chron.com
- Ex-EPA Director in Texas lands Sierra Club post (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
- 29 June
- Congress passes Restore Act, flood insurance extension in massive transporation bill (Bruce Alpert – Nola News)
http://www.nola.com/ - Life By the Drop: Where Drought Meets the Sea, A Q&A With Leslie Hartman (Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Former top EPA official in Texas joins Sierra Club (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - West’s Wildfires A Preview Of Changed Climate: Scientists (Deborah Zabarenko – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org/ - UT research shows groundwater depletion in Texas, California threatens food security (Conservation Matters)
http://twri.tamu.edu/ - TWRI grant recipient compares water efficiency of various landscapes (Alejandra Arreola-Triana – Conservation Matters)
http://twri.tamu.edu/
- Congress passes Restore Act, flood insurance extension in massive transporation bill (Bruce Alpert – Nola News)
- 28 June
- Heat, still air cause spike in smog (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - Texas beaches aided by drought (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - Weekely Drought Update: With Record Heat, Drought Creeps Back (Daniel Ramirez – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Satellite Telemetry Used To Study BP Oil Spill Effects on Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle (Texas Parks & Wildlife)
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/ - Life By the Drop: Eyes of the Drought (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Life By the Drop: Between Hell and Texas (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Exxon CEO calls climate change engineering problem (Matt Daily – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org/
- Heat, still air cause spike in smog (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
- 27 June
- Area records worst smog level in 8 years (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - Editorial: An overpass above Hermann Park? No thanks (Houston Chronicle)
www.chron.com - Texas sets June power record for 2nd straight day (Eileen O’Grady and Scott DiSavino – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org/ - Trinity River Refuge hosts ribbon cutting July 9 for new paved entrance road (Your Dayton News)
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/ - Rolling Blackouts: a Black Eye For Texas? (Dave Fehling – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - As Drilling Operations Continue, Texas Roads Suffer (Kelly Connelly – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Court upholds EPA’s greenhouse gas rules (Ayesha Rascoe – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org/ - EPA Awards Over $59,000 to Provide Job Training that Revitalizes Urban Waters in New Orleans Lower Ninth Ward (EPA News)
http://yosemite.epa.gov/ - TCEQ Approves Fines Totaling $498,223 (TCEQ News)
http://www.tceq.texas.gov/
- Area records worst smog level in 8 years (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
- 26 June
- Life By the Drop: Where Do We Go From Here? (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - H-GAC approves road projects, includes Hermann Park flyover (Jay Blazek Crossley – Houston Tomorrow)
http://www.houstontomorrow.org/ - ERCOT Expects Threat to Grid to Lessen (Dave Fehling – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - EPA Awarding $2.7 Million to Revitalize Urban Waters (EPA News)
http://yosemite.epa.gov/ - EPA wins court test on right to limit greenhouse gases (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - ERCOT grid experiences record June electric use (ERCOT News)
http://www.ercot.com/
- Life By the Drop: Where Do We Go From Here? (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
- 25 June
- Life By the Drop: Dry, the Beloved Country (Emily Donahue and Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Real-time ERCOT prices spike above $100/MWh on heat wave (Platts)
http://www.platts.com/ - USS Texas springs more leaks; 1,500 gallons per minute leaking (Allan Turner – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/
- Life By the Drop: Dry, the Beloved Country (Emily Donahue and Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
- 24 June
- Rare, tiny fish receive big help in survival (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/
- Rare, tiny fish receive big help in survival (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
- 22 June
- With Extreme Weather Coming, ERCOT Says They’re Ready (Robb Jacobson – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Gulf of Mexico ‘dead zone’ may shrink this year, study says (Greg Barr – Houston Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/ - League City pipeline fixed after severe water restrictions (KHOU News)
http://www.khou.com/ - How “Sustainability†Became “Sustained Growth†(George Monbiot – The Guardian)
http://www.monbiot.com/
- With Extreme Weather Coming, ERCOT Says They’re Ready (Robb Jacobson – StateImpact)
- 21 June
- In Drought, Texas is No Longer ‘Exceptional’ (For Now) (Daniel Ramirez – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Houston to receive $15 million TIGER Grant (Matt Dietrichson – Houston Tomorrow)
http://www.houstontomorrow.org/ - Life By the Drop: Rice Farming After the Water is Cut Off (Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - EPA Announces Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grants (EPA News)
http://yosemite.epa.gov/
- In Drought, Texas is No Longer ‘Exceptional’ (For Now) (Daniel Ramirez – StateImpact)
- 20 June
- Annise Parker makes top 10 list of green mayors (Matt Dietrichson – Houston Tomorrow)
http://www.houstontomorrow.org/ - What the Military is Learning About Energy Conservation (Kelly Connelly – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/
- Annise Parker makes top 10 list of green mayors (Matt Dietrichson – Houston Tomorrow)
- 19 June
- The Texas Grid: There’s an App for That (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Lawyers, not lizards, benefit most from taxpayer-funded litigation (Guidry News)
http://www.guidrynews.com/ - Houston developers vow to fight cap on mobility payments (Ren̩e C. Lee РHouston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - Open beaches an issue in Texas Supreme Court race (Harvey Rice – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - Texas A&M Water Project To Be Featured At 2012 Smithsonian Folklife Festival (tamuTimes)
http://tamutimes.tamu.edu/
- The Texas Grid: There’s an App for That (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
- 18 June
- Recurring Theme From Water Symposium: Doing More With Less (Pat Hernandez – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/ - Suit takes on new PVC plant standards (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - Building Green with EarthShare Members (EarthShare)
http://www.earthshare.org/
- Recurring Theme From Water Symposium: Doing More With Less (Pat Hernandez – KUHF News)
- 17 June
- Texas struggles to find water for healthy rivers and bays (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/
- Texas struggles to find water for healthy rivers and bays (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
- 15 June
- Halliburton focuses HQ renovation on sustainability (Deon Daugherty – Houston Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/
- Halliburton focuses HQ renovation on sustainability (Deon Daugherty – Houston Business Journal)
- 12 June
- On Water Conservation, Texas Has Room to Improve (Kate Galbraith – The Texas Tribune)
http://www.texastribune.org/
- On Water Conservation, Texas Has Room to Improve (Kate Galbraith – The Texas Tribune)
- 11 June
- Texas Gets Creative With Recycling Water (Kate Galbraith – The Texas Tribune)
http://www.texastribune.org/
- Texas Gets Creative With Recycling Water (Kate Galbraith – The Texas Tribune)
- 10 June
- Texas’ Water Woes Spark Interest in Desalination (Kate Galbraith – The Texas Tribune)
http://www.texastribune.org/
- Texas’ Water Woes Spark Interest in Desalination (Kate Galbraith – The Texas Tribune)