ECONOTES 2012-08-20: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region

Featured

1. Saving the Prairie, and Planting Some New Ones (Hollie O’Connor – The New York Times, 08/18/2012)
   Jaime González, community education director of the Katy Prairie Conservancy, and other conservators are working to beautify Houston by transplanting wildflower seeds to pocket prairies. Pocket prairies are gardens of native foliage that range from a few feet to several acres. These small prairies replicate the structure and function of native prairies, and additionally benefit the area by bringing in color and wildlife.
   http://www.nytimes.com/
2. Why Dead Fish Are Washing Up on the Beaches of Galveston (Terrence Henry – StateImpact, 08/15/2012)
   The first red tide of the season has hit the gulf, and thousands of dead fish are washing up on the Upper Texas coast. The red tide could have partly been caused by a decrease of fresh water coming into the bay from rivers and streams. As the waters become saltier and the temperatures remain high, algae “blooms,” resulting in a red tide.
   http://stateimpact.npr.org/
3. Could electric cars help supply the power grid? Researchers will use Austin to find out (Laylan Copelin – The Statesman, 08/11/2012)
   The company, OnStar, is looking to become an energy manager for electric vehicles. Even though the electric vehicle market is small right now, some day these cars could potentially serve as a fleet of mobile batteries that could store power until it is needed by a homeowner or grid operators during peak power demands. OnStar will begin test-driving their theories in Austin.
   http://www.statesman.com/

EcoNotes

• 20 August
  • Texas to Investigate Health Risk of Living Near Drilling Sites (Dave Fehling – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/
  • TCEQ accepting applications for school bus retrofits (TCEQ News)
    http://www.tceq.texas.gov/
• 18 August
  • Saving the Prairie, and Planting Some New Ones (Hollie O’Connor – The New York Times)
    http://www.nytimes.com/
• 17 August
  • Red Tide Has Likely Killed a Million Fish in Galveston (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
• 16 August
  • Drought Update: No Improvement Here, But El Nino is Coming (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  • How New Water Projects Could Help Both Rice Farmers and the Highland Lakes (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
• 15 August
  • Why Dead Fish Are Washing Up on the Beaches of Galveston (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  • Review Panel Announced for Controversial Fracking Study (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
• 14 August
  • Red Tide Confirmed along Upper Texas Coast (Texas Parks & Wildlife)
    http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/
  • What’s Texas Losing in its War on the EPA? (Dave Fehling – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
• 13 August
  • Here’s One Solution to Texas’ Power Woes, And it Could Cost You Nothing (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  • Court Faults EPA’s Rejection of Flexible Permits Program (Hollie O’Connor – The Texas Tribune)
    https://www.texastribune.org/
• 11 August
  • Could electric cars help supply the power grid? Researchers will use Austin to find out (Laylan Copelin – The Statesman)
    http://www.statesman.com/
• 9 August
  • Texas Power Plants #1 In US For Mercury Pollution (Carrie Feibel – KUHF News)
    http://app1.kuhf.org/
• 8 August
  • New car in town… Plastic Pollution Texas (Sabine County Reporter Live)
    http://www.sabinecountyreporterlive.com/
  • Why Most Texans Haven’t Turned to Graywater Recycling (Sheyda Aboii – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  • Bolivar wastewater project in the pipeline (Sarah Moore – Beaumont Enterprise)
    http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/