ECONOTES 2013-07-23: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region
Featured
- Interactive: Texas vs. the Federal Government (Becca Aaronson, Alexa Ura, Chris Chang, Ben Hasson and Todd Wiseman – The Texas Tribune, 7/17/2013)
Led by Attorney General Greg Abbott, Texas has fought the federal government for control over various issues, including environmental regulation and oversight of voting laws. This interactive highlights the 18 lawsuits that the state currently has pending against the federal government. The Environmental Protection Agency continues to be Texas’ most frequent opponent in legal battles under Abbott, with 14 active lawsuits.
https://www.texastribune.org/ - Five Ways Climate Change Threatens Energy in Texas (Michael Marks – StateImpact, 7/18/2013)
The Department of Energy released a report recently looking at how climate change and extreme weather could make our power supplies more vulnerable. Given that it’s the nation’s leader in energy production, Texas was prominently featured. The report looks at both current and future threats to the energy sector from climate change. The three major trends include: increasing temperatures of air and water; decreasing water availability in certain regions; and increasing frequency and intensity of storms and flooding.
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Montgomery County shares Greenway with Bayou Land Conservancy (Chris Cotelesse – The Potpourri, 7/21/2013)
An occupancy agreement between the Montgomery County Commissioners and Bayou Land Conservancy will save taxpayers between $80-90,000 annually on staffing the Spring Creek Greenway Nature Center. Montgomery County Commissioner James Noack said his plans for the center’s future funding could save additional revenue. The center will also receive its own line item on the county’s next budget if Noack is successful in funding Greenway with floodplain mitigation credits instead of Precinct 3’s general fund. Those credits are created when protected land is developed for commercial or residential uses. The county must create a new protected area of comparable size, and the developer must pay a fee — part of which could fund Greenway.
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/
EcoNotes
- 22 July
- The TWRC Wildlife Center – Baby Bobcat Found in Montgomery County (The Paper Covering The Woodlands, Spring, Conroe & North Houston, Texas)
http://fatcatwebproductions.com/ - Analysis: Lawyers gear up to lobby, sue as McCarthy heads to EPA (Lawrence Hurley and Valerie Volcovici – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org/
- The TWRC Wildlife Center – Baby Bobcat Found in Montgomery County (The Paper Covering The Woodlands, Spring, Conroe & North Houston, Texas)
- 21 July
- Montgomery County shares Greenway with Bayou Land Conservancy (Chris Cotelesse – The Potpourri)
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/
- Montgomery County shares Greenway with Bayou Land Conservancy (Chris Cotelesse – The Potpourri)
- 19 July
- Counting birds at Port Bolivar backs conservation (Allan Turner – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - In the Garden with Urban Harvest: Planning for fall vegetable garden (Ray Sher – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - Coastal Prairie Chapter to host county ag agent (The Rancher)
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/ - Galveston Street Signs Go High-Tech (Laurie Johnson – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/ - Apache Corporation Plants Seeds of the Future #Hounews (Brent Clanton – News 92 fm)
http://news92fm.com/ - Gulf Coast refiners are primed in anticipation of Keystone XL crude pumped in from Canada — but is it a pipe dream? (Deon Daugherty – Houston Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/ - More Keystone Pipeline Shenanigans: This Time with Canadians and Failed Disclosure (Dianna Wray – Houston Press Blogs)
http://blogs.houstonpress.com/ - Texas Drought Forecast to Continue, Perhaps For Years (Holly Heinrich – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Senate confirms McCarthy as chief environmental regulator (Timothy Gardner – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org/
- Counting birds at Port Bolivar backs conservation (Allan Turner – Houston Chronicle)
- 18 July
- Five Ways Climate Change Threatens Energy in Texas (Michael Marks – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - United We Sweat – Building a fossil fuel resistance (Bill McKibben – Orion Magazine)
http://www.orionmagazine.org/ - United States Reaches an Agreement with XTO Energy to Prevent Waste Spills from Natural Gas Exploration and Production (EPA News)
http://yosemite.epa.gov/ - EPA Debuts Upgraded Energy Star Portfolio Manager Benchmarking Tool (EPA News)
http://yosemite.epa.gov/ - U.S. EPA Announces More Than $880,000 Available in Border Environmental Funding (Newman Ferrara)
http://www.nyrealestatelawblog.com/
- Five Ways Climate Change Threatens Energy in Texas (Michael Marks – StateImpact)
- 17 July
- Testing the Water Before You Bore: Baseline Tests Give Clues About Contamination (Dave Fehling – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/ - Interactive: Texas vs. the Federal Government (Becca Aaronson, Alexa Ura, Chris Chang, Ben Hasson and Todd Wiseman – The Texas Tribune)
https://www.texastribune.org/ - Eminent Domain: How the Courts are Transforming Texas Land Rights (Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Testing the Water Before You Bore: Baseline Tests Give Clues about Contamination (Dave Fehling – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/
- Testing the Water Before You Bore: Baseline Tests Give Clues About Contamination (Dave Fehling – KUHF News)
- 16 July
- How An Overhaul of Eminent Domain Law Failed In Texas (Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Texas Teachers Learn Science From Mining Industry At ‘Coal Camp’ (Laura Isensee – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/ - Environmental Defense Fund Requests Proposals For Marine Port Environmental Recognition Program (Elena Craft – Environmental Defense Fund)
http://blogs.edf.org/ - Valero’s chief wants ethanol rules dumped (Jennifer A. Dlouhy – My SA News)
http://www.mysanantonio.com/
- How An Overhaul of Eminent Domain Law Failed In Texas (Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
- 15 July
- Damaging drought conditions expanding again across the state (Texas Climate News)
http://texasclimatenews.org/
- Damaging drought conditions expanding again across the state (Texas Climate News)
- 13 July
- Road Trip to the Prairie (Katescabinbirdsanctuaryintexas Blog)
http://katescabinbirdsanctuaryintexas.blogspot.com/
- Road Trip to the Prairie (Katescabinbirdsanctuaryintexas Blog)
- 11 July
- Gulf Restoration Network Campaign Organizer Job Announcement (MISA Announcements)
http://misanews.wordpress.com/ - Natural Gas Bill Could Have Big Impact on Texas (Tanya Basu, Medill News Service – The Texas Tribune)
https://www.texastribune.org/
- Gulf Restoration Network Campaign Organizer Job Announcement (MISA Announcements)
- 10 July
- Texas could lose $395 million if Mexico doesn’t honor water treaty (Kevin Lu – NBC Latino)
http://nbclatino.com/
- Texas could lose $395 million if Mexico doesn’t honor water treaty (Kevin Lu – NBC Latino)
- 5 July
- San Marcos Observing System tracks a spring-fed gem in Texas (Jeff Gillies – Environmental Monitor)
http://www.fondriest.com/
- San Marcos Observing System tracks a spring-fed gem in Texas (Jeff Gillies – Environmental Monitor)
- 2 July
- Sizzling Cities ranked – our new Heat Index (Bert Sperling – Best Places)
http://blog.bestplaces.net/
- Sizzling Cities ranked – our new Heat Index (Bert Sperling – Best Places)