ECONOTES 2012-11-05: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region

Featured

1. Sugar Land Receives H-GAC’s Top Clean Air Award (Fort Bend News, 10/28/2012)
   The Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) recognized the city of Sugar Land with its “Best All-Around Clean Air Leadership” award for the City’s positive impact on air quality within the Houston region. The award is an acknowledgement of Sugar Land’s extensive efforts to improve air quality, primarily by promoting alternative ways of commuting. Examples of these efforts include: Sugar Land’s first ever Bike to Work Day, proclaiming August as “Commute Solutions Month”, promoting Fort Bend County’s commuter transit services with a “Ride Free Month” offer, and much more.
   http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/
2. Harris County Flood Control District Begins 2012-13 Tree Planting (Guidry News, 10/31/2012)
   The Harris County Flood Control District recently planted 344 oaks, pines, sycamores and other native trees and shrubs along a South Mayde Creek tributary north of Franz Road in northwest Harris County. The Flood Control District’s goal is to plant up to 20,000 trees this tree-planting season, which runs through the end of March. Along with beautifying the sites, the trees provide environmental, structural and economic benefits.
   http://guidrynews.com/
3. Noxious weed fuels green-energy debate (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle, 10/30/2012)
   In the race to convert crops into energy, all eyes are on giant reed, a fast-growing and hardy grass species found throughout Texas and the southern United States. Yet, the very qualities that make the species, also known as arundo donax, attractive to the federal government as a renewable fuel source make it a noxious weed, capable of choking native plants, clogging rivers and streams and draining wetlands.
   http://www.chron.com/

EcoNotes

• 5 November
  • Tree Giveaway To Be Held November 10th (Guidry News)
    http://www.guidrynews.com/
  • JSC Contractor Partnership to host Free Electronic Recycling and Document-Shredding Event (Guidry News)
    http://www.guidrynews.com/
• 2 November
  • Major Renovation Of City’s Oldest Park To Soon Get Underway (Pat Hernandez – KUHF News)
    http://app1.kuhf.org/
  • Latest Recommendation Calls For Less Water for Rice Farmers Next Year (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
• 1 November
  • Cool, Crisp Camping Weather Major Texas State Parks Draw (Texas Parks & Wildlife)
    http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/
  • El Niño Changed His Mind: Cooler, Wetter Winter No Longer Forecast (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  • Readers Respond: The Dove Dinner that Ruffled So Many Feathers (Elizabeth Trovall – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
• 31 October
  • Winter bloomers for hummingbirds? (Houston Chronicle)
    http://blog.chron.com/
  • Harris County Flood Control District Begins 2012-13 Tree Planting (Guidry News)
    http://guidrynews.com/
  • Sandy recalls question Ike prompted: Will climate-change concern grow? (Texas Climate News)
    http://texasclimatenews.org/
  • Will Texas Lawmakers Fund the State Water Plan? (Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  • Luminant Coal Units Get Permission to Mothball This Winter (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  • ERCOT Makes Right Call – Council Will Allow Monticello Coal Plant to Idle (Guidry News)
    http://www.guidrynews.com/
  • TCEQ Approves Fines Totaling $227,878 (TCEQ News)
    http://www.tceq.texas.gov/
• 30 October
  • Keep Houston Beautiful Honors – Mayor’s Proud Partners Award Winners (Guidry News)
    http://www.guidrynews.com/
  • Study: Water takes more electricity than lighting (Matthew Tresaugue – Fuel Fix)
    http://fuelfix.com/
  • Noxious weed fuels green-energy debate (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
    http://www.chron.com/
  • 3 Ways Climate Change Made Hurricane Sandy Worse (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  • State Regulators Stuck Using Outdated Computers as Drilling Surges (Dave Fehling – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
• 29 October
  • Researchers will take a deep look at Gulf seafood safety (Ingrid Lobet – Houston Chronicle)
    http://www.chron.com/
  • Rice, in Texas and around the world, as a microcosm of climate concerns (Texas Climate News)
    http://texasclimatenews.org/
  • Input sought on downtown development (Heather Menzies – The Bay City Tribune)
    http://baycitytribune.com/
  • Utility commissioners decline calls for mandatory solar energy targets (Fuel Fix)
    http://fuelfix.com/
  • County OKs the plans for plaza project (Cody Stark – The Huntsville Item)
    http://itemonline.com/
• 28 October
  • Sugar Land Receives H-GAC’s Top Clean Air Award (Fort Bend News)
    http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/
• 27 October
  • Long-awaited Fannin Co. lake could be near approval (ABC 13 News)
    http://abclocal.go.com/
  • Galveston releases draft of land regulations (Whitney Hodgin – The Daily News)
    http://galvestondailynews.com/
• 26 October
  • Signor becomes first Texas workforce housing facility to recycle graywater (Water World)
    http://www.waterworld.com/
  • Looking at Water From Above: A Conversation With Jay Famiglietti (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
• 25 October
  • Dewhurst says competition fierce for money to fund transportation (Kiah Collier – Houston Chronicle)
    http://www.chron.com/
• 23 October
  • Workshop to encourage people to conserve water (B.J. Pollock – Houston Chronicle)
    http://www.chron.com/
  • The State of Texas Irrigation: More Efficiency Amid Less Water (Elizabeth Trovall – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
• 20 October
  • Gulf Coast joins export coal rush (Ingrid Lobet – Houston Chronicle)
    http://www.chron.com/
• 16 October
  • Aqua Texas to build $3 million wastewater plant (Your Pasadena News)
    http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/