ECONOTES 2012-11-26: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region
Featured
- Houston Vies For Bloomberg’s $5 Million To Help Create ‘One Bin For All’ (KUHF News, 11/21/12)
Houston was selected out of 300 U.S. cities to be named as one of 20 finalists for Mayor Bloomberg’s Philanthropies’ Mayors Challenge for the “Total Reuse: One Bin for All”. The idea is there will be one bin where you throw everything: food waste, recyclables, trash and glass. This could improve the rate of recycling from 15% to somewhere between 55% and 75%.
http://app1.kuhf.org/ - Dead fish symptom of ailing bayous (Harvey Rice – Houston Chronicle, 11/18/12)
Fish kills, where thousands of fish die for lack of oxygen in the water, are a symptom of urban encroachment on bayous like Dickinson that lace the Houston region. The urbanized area in the Dickinson Bayou watershed more than doubled between 2002 and 2008. The 27 miles of Dickinson Bayou that snake through Galveston and Brazoria counties are plagued with low oxygen levels that occasionally kill fish. The bayou is filled with bacteria that can cause illness to swimmers and pollutants such as oil, pesticides, human waste from septic tanks and animal waste washed into the bayou through storm drains.
http://www.chron.com/ - Drought drives rainwater collection across Texas (David Barer – The Statesman, 11/23/12)
The recent drought has increased the sales of rainwater collection systems. A system can be anything from a 55-gallon barrel stuck beneath a gutter to a full-roof system with pumps and filtration. Harvesting rainwater is more sustainable than well drilling, although well drilling relieves strain on municipal reservoirs.
http://www.statesman.com/
EcoNotes
- 26 November
- Your Guide to the Sunset Advisory Report on The Texas Railroad Commission (Elizabeth Trovall – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Township board questions park and ride in Town Center (Catherine Dominguez – Your Conroe News)
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/ - Two decades after collection, seeds to finally become trees in Bastrop (Noodls)
http://www.noodls.com/
- Your Guide to the Sunset Advisory Report on The Texas Railroad Commission (Elizabeth Trovall – StateImpact)
- 25 November
- Ike Dike plans aren’t dead yet (Laura Elder – The Daily News)
http://galvestondailynews.com/
- Ike Dike plans aren’t dead yet (Laura Elder – The Daily News)
- 24 November
- Project will create sub-tidal reef (The Bay City Tribune)
http://baycitytribune.com/ - Sandy + election results = re-energized talk of action against climate change (Texas Climate News)
http://texasclimatenews.org/
- Project will create sub-tidal reef (The Bay City Tribune)
- 23 November
- Drought drives rainwater collection across Texas (David Barer – The Statesman)
http://www.statesman.com/ - LCRA Vote Resonates in Spicewood Beach (Filipa Rodrigues – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/
- Drought drives rainwater collection across Texas (David Barer – The Statesman)
- 21 November
- Houston Vies For Bloomberg’s $5 Million To Help Create ‘One Bin For All’ (KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/ - Three quarters of Texas now in a drought, new report shows (Eric Berger – Houston Chronicle Blog)
http://blog.chron.com/ - Winter power plant assessment under way, CREZ development on track for 2013 completion (Guidry News)
http://www.guidrynews.com/ - Community Meeting Scheduled for City’s Next Major Park (Guidry News)
http://guidrynews.com/ - Commission could solve state’s transportation funding problems (Pete Rahn – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - Why Texas Doesn’t Have Subways (Lindsay Patterson – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Sherman OKs change in water tank use (William C. Wadsack – Herald Democrat)
http://heralddemocrat.com/ - TCEQ restricts junior water rights in Upper Brazos (TCEQ News)
http://www.tceq.texas.gov/
- Houston Vies For Bloomberg’s $5 Million To Help Create ‘One Bin For All’ (KUHF News)
- 20 November
- Reminder: Stage 1 Drought Contingency Still in Place (Guidry News)
http://www.guidrynews.com/ - Drought’s back, and it may get worse before it gets better (Houston Chronicle)
http://blog.chron.com/ - BASF to build new plant in Freeport (Your Pearland News)
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/ - Township supports $2.49M Waterway pathway extension (Catherine Dominguez – Your Woodland News)
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/ - Another Small Earthquake Rattles North Texas (Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Where the Country’s Coal is Going (It Might Surprise You) (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/
- Reminder: Stage 1 Drought Contingency Still in Place (Guidry News)
- 19 November
- New Texas Outdoor Recreation Plan Plots Future for Parks, Healthy Lifestyles (Texas Parks & Wildlife)
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/ - Winter Trout Stocking Program Locations Announced (Texas Parks & Wildlife)
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/ - This Week in Drought: Inching Towards the Red (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - USACE Galveston District awards $1.38 million contract for dredging placement area construction (Guidry News)
http://www.guidrynews.com/
- New Texas Outdoor Recreation Plan Plots Future for Parks, Healthy Lifestyles (Texas Parks & Wildlife)
- 18 November
- Dead fish symptom of ailing bayous (Harvey Rice – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/
- Dead fish symptom of ailing bayous (Harvey Rice – Houston Chronicle)
- 17 November
- ERCOT sets new wind power record (Guidry News)
http://guidrynews.com/
- ERCOT sets new wind power record (Guidry News)
- 16 November
- Shell Center to present findings of Houston Sustainability Indicators project Nov. 28 (Amy Hodges – Rice University)
http://news.rice.edu/ - Back in Time for Breakfast: See Sandhill Cranes during Nature Tourism Council Event Dec. 8
http://guidrynews.com/ - Volunteers Participate In Major Tree Plant Effort At MacGregor Park (Pat Hernandez – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/
- Shell Center to present findings of Houston Sustainability Indicators project Nov. 28 (Amy Hodges – Rice University)
- 13 November
- Houston engineers give roads, water lines barely passing grades (Dug Begley – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - Texas Sunset Advisory Commission (Guidry News)
http://guidrynews.com/
- Houston engineers give roads, water lines barely passing grades (Dug Begley – Houston Chronicle)