ECONOTES 2012-10-29: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region

Featured

1. Midtown to get a new park while losing two nightclubs: It’s full speed ahead on the Superblock (Tyler Rudick – Houston CultureMap, 10/22/2012)
   Midtown Superblock, an urban renewal project, is underway. Groundbreaking is tentatively set for fall 2013. As part of the project, Camden Property Trust and the Midtown Redevelopment Authority (MRA) will create a six-acre development that includes a public park and retail space on the northern half and a seven-story apartment building on the southern portion.
   http://houston.culturemap.com/
2. Bryan Parras – Facilitating Conversations and Action for a Healthy Future (Vicki Wolf – CLEAN, 10/25/2012)
   Bryan Parras, co-founder of Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services (T.E.J.A.S.), is working on a five-year study with The University of Texas Medial Branch in Galveston (UTMB) examining the impacts of the BP Deep Horizon drilling disaster on the seafood and public health. This study will help Gulf Coast communities know what they are facing with the pollution that keeps washing up on their shores.
   http://www.cleanhouston.org/
3. The road does not go on forever (Bill Hammond – Your Pasadena News, 10/23/2012)
   Texas is facing a transportation crisis, as funds for new roads will be exhausted by this time next year. Major funding sources for highway development – the gas tax and vehicle registration fees – can no longer keep pace with our transportation needs. The Texas Society of Civil Engineers has given Texas infrastructure an unacceptable and unsustainable grade of C-.
   http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/

EcoNotes

• 28 October
  • Texas Regulators Double Cap for Electricity Prices (Kate Galbraith – KUHF News)
    http://app1.kuhf.org/
  • The Science Behind Hurricane Sandy: Climate Change or Freak Storm? (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
• 26 October
  • Looking at Water From Above: A Conversation With Jay Famiglietti (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  • Shale booms deepen Houston’s water treatment industry (Deon Daugherty – Houston Business Journal)
    http://www.bizjournals.com/
  • How One Food Blogger Caused a Firestorm For Texas Parks and Wildlife (Elizabeth Trovall – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  • Texas PUC Considers Doubling Wholesale Price Caps for Electricity, Denies Petition to Implement Job Creating Clean Energy Law (Guidry News)
    http://www.guidrynews.com/
• 25 October
  • Higher Wholesale Power Prices Approved By Public Utility Commission (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  • In the Face of Rapid Consolidation, Rural Water Customers Plead their Case (Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  • Clock is Ticking: Grassroots working against time to prevent worst climate change scenarios (Vicki Wolf – CLEAN)
    http://www.cleanhouston.org/
  • Bryan Parras – Facilitating Conversations and Action for a Healthy Future (Vicki Wolf – CLEAN)
    http://www.cleanhouston.org/
• 24 October
  • Why a Truly ‘Green’ Car Race Might Not Be Possible for Formula One (Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  • USGBC Statement in Response to USA Today News Article
    http://www.usgbchouston.org/
  • Sierra Club Offers Five Point Plan for Energy Security in Texas (Guidry News)
    http://www.guidrynews.com/
  • Where the money is going on the county’s Exxon-area deal (Houston Chronicle)
    http://blog.chron.com/
  • Cleaning up coal in West Texas expected to help fuel SA and wring out the oil patch (Greg Harman – The Current)
    http://sacurrent.com/
• 23 October
  • Is it Really Environmental Regulations versus the Economy? (Air Alliance Houston)
    http://airalliancehouston.org/
  • Some Good News For the Texas Grid: We’ve Got a Few More Years Until Things Get Dicey (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  • The State of Texas Irrigation: More Efficiency Amid Less Water (Elizabeth Trovall – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  • City should release documents (Land Development Regulations) to public (Heber Taylor – The Daily News)
    http://galvestondailynews.com/
  • The road does not go on forever (Bill Hammond – Your Pasadena News)
    http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/
  • Pearland partners with Harris County, GCC, to offer $1 rides (Your Pearland News)
    http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/
  • Why Texas Rice Farmers May Get Water Next Year (Terrence Henry and Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
• 22 October
  • Midtown to get a new park while losing two nightclubs: It’s full speed ahead on the Superblock (Tyler Rudick – Houston CultureMap)
    http://houston.culturemap.com/
  • 2012 Rice Design Alliance Gala: 100 100 40 30
    http://ricedesignalliance.org/
  • Keystone pipeline would be very costly (Lee Moore – My SA News)
    http://www.mysanantonio.com/
• 21 October
  • Whooping Crane Migration Watch Gets Under Way (Guidry News)
    http://guidrynews.com/
  • Water supply topic of concern (Shannon Daughtry – The Facts Covering Brazoria County)
    http://thefacts.com/
• 20 October
  • Gulf Coast joins export coal rush (Ingrid Lobet – Houston Chronicle)
    http://www.chron.com/
• 19 October
  • Doug McLeod to Help Lead Lone Star Coastal National Recreation Area Partners Coalition (Guidry News)
    http://guidrynews.com/
  • Report: South Texas Project faces flood risk (Jennifer Hiller – Fuel Fix)
    http://fuelfix.com/
  • Standing and Special Reef Fish Scientific and Statistical Committees (SSCs) (Guidry News)
    http://www.guidrynews.com/
• 18 October
  • App lets user check water’s cleanliness first (Todd Sperry – Click 2 Houston)
    http://www.click2houston.com/
  • Houston-Galveston residents asked for input on region’s future (Ultimate Clear Lake)
    http://www.ultimateclearlake.com/
• 17 October
  • Want to save energy? Yup, there’s an app for that (ABC 13 News)
    http://www.greenrightnow.com/
• 12 October
  • Last-Ditch Bid in Texas to Try to Stop Oil Pipeline (Dan Frosch – The New York Times)
    http://www.nytimes.com/