ECONOTES 2013-04-29: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region
Featured
- Houston Neighborhoods Are Unique Study Case For Air Pollution (Laurie Johnson – KUHF News, 4/25/13)
A team from Rice University, the University of Houston and the University of Texas Health Science Center will drive around in a mobile lab and measure particulate matter in neighborhoods all over Houston for the next two years. Particulate matter is really tiny — less than 2.5 millionths of a meter in diameter. The tiny bits of pollution can end up in your lungs and bloodstream and cause health issues, including asthma and heart problems.
http://app1.kuhf.org/ - Houston’s Most Polluted Neighborhood Draws the Line at Alberta Tar Sands (Kristin Moe – YES! 4/22/13) If the Keystone XL pipeline is approved, 90 percent of the tar sands crude that flows through it will be processed near an embattled Houston neighborhood called Manchester. Manchester, one of Houston’s oldest neighborhoods, is surrounded by industry on all sides: a Rhodia chemical plant; a car crushing facility; a water treatment plant; a train yard for hazardous cargo; a Goodyear synthetic rubber plant; oil refineries belonging to Lyondell Basell, Valero, and Texas Petro-Chemicals; as well as one of the busiest highways in the city.
http://www.yesmagazine.org/ - What Some Students Did To Reduce The ‘Concrete Jungle’ On Earth Day (Pat Hernandez – KUHF News, 4/22/13)
In honor of Earth Day, Trees for Houston helps students plant trees on the campus of Texas Southern University. The ceremony not only reduces the campus’ concrete jungle, but helps to beautify the earth by cleaning the air and producing oxygen.
http://app1.kuhf.org/
EcoNotes
- 29 April
- Figures Show Houston Can Be A Dangerous Place To Walk (Gail Delaughter – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/ - Plants slow climate change by forming cloud sunshade: study (Alister Doyle – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org/ - Industrialized nations’ greenhouse gas emissions dipped in 2011 (Alister Doyle – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org/ - Electric vehicles provide electricity to the U.S. power grid (Scott DiSavino – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org/
- Figures Show Houston Can Be A Dangerous Place To Walk (Gail Delaughter – KUHF News)
- 28 April
- Cash for Road Repair in Shale Areas Proves Elusive (Aman Batheja, The Texas Tribune – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/
- Cash for Road Repair in Shale Areas Proves Elusive (Aman Batheja, The Texas Tribune – KUHF News)
- 27 April
- What a night for Hermann Park supporters (The Rancher)
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/
- What a night for Hermann Park supporters (The Rancher)
- 26 April
- Harvard Report Gives Failing Grade to FracFocus; Texas Regulators Respond (Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/
- Harvard Report Gives Failing Grade to FracFocus; Texas Regulators Respond (Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
- 25 April
- Houston Neighborhoods Are Unique Study Case For Air Pollution (Laurie Johnson – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/ - With win on development rules, neighborhoods hope for more reforms (Mike Morris – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.houstonchronicle.com/ - Texas GOP pursues 2-pronged strategy against greenhouse-gas permitting (Texas Climate News)
http://texasclimatenews.org/ - 2013 Brings Bad Spring for Some Texas Farmers (Olivia Gordon – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Limiting Environmental Regs Raises Fears of ‘Race to the Bottom’ (Dave Fehling – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - EPA Awards $4 Million to Help Support Cleanup and Reuse of Brownfields Sites Across the Country (EPA News)
http://yosemite.epa.gov/
- Houston Neighborhoods Are Unique Study Case For Air Pollution (Laurie Johnson – KUHF News)
- 24 April
- Bird-calling record to be attempted Saturday (Alyson Ward – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - Join a Guinness World Record attempt (Gary Clark – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - Despite Improvements, Houston Still Has Some Of The Dirtiest Air In The Country (Gail Delaughter – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/ - High-Tech Vending Machines Distributing Healthier Products (Ed Mayberry – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/ - Bills Aim to Ease Prescribed Burns to Prevent Wildfires (Olivia Gordon – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Tesla Has Eyes for Texas, But Will the State Oblige? (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Sunset Bill Packs More Than New Name For Railroad Commission (David Barer – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Supreme Court justices tackle Texas-Oklahoma water fight (Lawrence Hurley – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org/
- Bird-calling record to be attempted Saturday (Alyson Ward – Houston Chronicle)
- 23 April
- Why The ‘Don’t Mess With Texas’ Campaign Has Been Revived (Florian Martin – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/ - Texas asks Supreme Court to block climate rules (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.houstonchronicle.com/ - Senate Backs $5.7 Billion for Roads, Water, Schools (Aman Batheja – The Texas Tribune)
http://www.texastribune.org/ - Senate Makes It Rain (Drizzle, at Least) for Public Education (Forrest Wilder – Texas Observer)
http://www.texasobserver.org/ - Texas Nuclear Reactor Restarts, Four Months After Fire (Kate Galbraith – The Texas Tribune)
http://www.texastribune.org/ - TI joins employers adding electric vehicle charging stations at worksites (Sheryl Jean – The Dallas Morning News)
http://www.dallasnews.com/ - Texas Senate OKs ‘Hotter’ Waste for West Texas (Forrest Wilder – Texas Observer)
http://www.texasobserver.org/ - Texas vs. Oklahoma, This Time at the Supreme Court (David Barer – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - EPA Honors Winners of First-Ever Campus RainWorks Challenge / University of Florida and Illinois Institute of Technology lead in design of green infrastructure on campus (EPA News)
http://yosemite.epa.gov/ - EPA Announces Winner of the Energy Star National Building Competition (EPA News)
http://yosemite.epa.gov/ - EPA Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe, Testimony Before the Senate Appropriations Committee (EPA News)
http://yosemite.epa.gov/ - EPA Holds Hearings to Gather Public Comments on Vehicle and Gasoline Standards (EPA News)
http://yosemite.epa.gov/ - TCEQ Approves Fines Totaling $491,504 (TCEQ News)
http://www.tceq.texas.gov/
- Why The ‘Don’t Mess With Texas’ Campaign Has Been Revived (Florian Martin – KUHF News)
- 22 April
- Houston’s Most Polluted Neighborhood Draws the Line at Alberta Tar Sands (Kristin Moe – YES!)
http://www.yesmagazine.org/ - What Some Students Did To Reduce The ‘Concrete Jungle’ On Earth Day (Pat Hernandez – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/ - What to Watch For at the Texas Legislature This Week (David Barer – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Oil Boom Raises Electric Rates in Parts of Texas (Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - EPA Commemorates Earth Day, Continues Conversation on Climate Change (EPA News)
http://yosemite.epa.gov/
- Houston’s Most Polluted Neighborhood Draws the Line at Alberta Tar Sands (Kristin Moe – YES!)