ECONOTES 2013-09-17: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region
Featured
- HCFCD restoring 95 acres of Katy prairie to its natural state (Zach Haverkamp – The Rancher, 9/10/2013)
The Harris County Flood Control District embarked late last month on the “Cypress Creek Site Improvements and Wetlands Construction Project,†a 95-acre prairie creation and restoration effort on a divide between the Cypress Creek and Addicks Reservoir watershed, near the intersection of House Hahl and Katy-Hockley roads. In order to recapture the land’s natural contours, the project’s landscape design is based upon aerial photos of the region from the 1930s. The technique has recently come into use by the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife, which has been working in conjunction with the HCFCD.
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/ - Kingwood residents might be stuck with wild hogs eating everything (Carol Christian – Houston Chronicle, 9/12/2013)
Kingwood communities that are battling feral hogs could be in it for the long haul, experts say. The huge, fearless cousins of domestic pigs have been roaming through the affluent northern suburb for at least a month, said Keith Crenshaw, urban biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Texas has the highest concentration of wild feral hogs in the United States, and in Kingwood, the community with the worst problem is Royal Shores, the area closest to Lake Houston, Crenshaw said.
http://www.chron.com/ - Threatened Species a Focus for Energy Industry (Neena Satija – The Texas Tribune, 9/11/2013)
More than 100 species in Texas could be classified as endangered by the federal government in the coming years, potentially choking development for oil and gas companies in the state. And so some of the biggest players in the energy industry —including ExxonMobil, Chevron, Chesapeake Energy, BP and Sandridge Energy — are looking to take a major role in protecting such animals, whether or not they are listed as endangered. Plans are loosely based on the concept of a “wildlife habitat exchange,†in which oil and gas companies that disturb habitat would pay landowners to set aside a certain amount of their own acreage for habitat conservation.
https://www.texastribune.org/
EcoNotes
- 16 September
- Book Excerpt: “Go Get Smart on Wind” (Kate Galbraith and Asher Price – The Texas Tribune)
https://www.texastribune.org/ - In Texas, Fight Over Water Spills Underground (Neena Satija – The Texas Tribune)
https://www.texastribune.org/
- Book Excerpt: “Go Get Smart on Wind” (Kate Galbraith and Asher Price – The Texas Tribune)
- 14 September
- On Guadalupe River, Tubers and Consumers Face Low Flows (Alana Rocha, The Texas Tribune – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/
- On Guadalupe River, Tubers and Consumers Face Low Flows (Alana Rocha, The Texas Tribune – KUHF News)
- 13 September
- Texas Wildlife Rehabilitation Coalition to leave Woodlands community (Woodlands Online)
http://woodlandsonline.com/ - Five Years Later, Lessons Learned From Hurricane Ike (Laurie Johnson – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/ - Group Calls for New Texas Building Code (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
https://www.texastribune.org/ - A New Boom for Oil, but a Bust for State’s Rural Roads (Aman Batheja – The Texas Tribune)
http://www.texastribune.org/ - Supplemental Snapper Season set for Federal Waters (Ken McVay – WMBB News)
http://www.wmbb.com/
- Texas Wildlife Rehabilitation Coalition to leave Woodlands community (Woodlands Online)
- 12 September
- Kingwood residents might be stuck with wild hogs eating everything (Carol Christian – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - Firm Known for Sustainable Landscaping Selected For Memorial Park Restoration (Laurie Johnson – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/ - Prairie power (Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - Galveston Officials: Island Is Doing Better Today Than Before Ike (Florian Martin – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/ - Restoring Power: What Houston Learned From Ike (Dave Fehling – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/
- Kingwood residents might be stuck with wild hogs eating everything (Carol Christian – Houston Chronicle)
- 11 September
- Feral hogs invade Kingwood neighborhood (Click2Houston)
http://www.click2houston.com/ - Don’t Sweat Your Commute: H-GAC Asks Houstonians To Consider Alternatives (Brittanie Shey – Houston Press)
http://blogs.houstonpress.com/ - Threatened Species a Focus for Energy Industry (Neena Satija – The Texas Tribune)
https://www.texastribune.org/ - 5 Grow Your Own tips that will change your life: Make your own super food (Joel Luks – culturemap Houston)
http://houston.culturemap.com/ - Looking at Evacuation Plans Five Years After Ike (Gail Delaughter – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/ - Feds protect two rare East Texas plants (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - Learn about Trees for Houston at St. Paul’s UMC (The Examiner)
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/ - As Drought Continues, Texas Reservoirs Could Hit All-Time Lows (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - U.S. decision on Keystone XL pipeline likely to slip into 2014 (Timothy Gardner – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org/
- Feral hogs invade Kingwood neighborhood (Click2Houston)
- 10 September
- Deer Park Prairie conservationists raise $4 million needed to save land (ABC 13 News)
http://abclocal.go.com/ - Nonprofit’s Recycling Program Seeks To Keep Thousands Of Mattresses Out Of Landfills (Florian Martin – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/ - HCFCD restoring 95 acres of Katy prairie to its natural state (Zach Haverkamp – The Rancher)
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/ - BP heading to court over health claims at Texas City refinery (Harvey Rice – Houston Chronicle)
http://fuelfix.com/ - Event celebrates return of hummingbirds (Alan Nieschwietz – The Facts)
http://thefacts.com/ - Schlumberger gifts $2.3M to university’s energy programs (Zain Shauk – Fuel Fix)
http://fuelfix.com/ - Hyde Park group dives into fountain project (Flori Meeks – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - BP toxic gas trial is first of many (Harvey Rice – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.houstonchronicle.com/ - Why Tesla Lost the Fight to Sell Cars in Texas (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - How the West Texas Drilling Boom Could Go Bust. Again. (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - State water board holds key to Proposition 6 projects (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.houstonchronicle.com/ - UPDATED: LCRA Considers Cutting Off Freshwater to Matagorda Bay (Forrest Wilder – Texas Observer)
http://www.texasobserver.org/ - Infocast Introduces Texas Water Summit, Set for Austin this November (PR Web)
http://www.prweb.com/
- Deer Park Prairie conservationists raise $4 million needed to save land (ABC 13 News)
- 9 September
- Scientists help farmers create greener dairies (M.L. Johnson – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - With a Cooler-than-Normal August, Texas Grid Catches a Break (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Mild August Eases Pressure On Texas Electricity Grid, Power Customers (Andrew Schneider – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/ - Renewable power falls as Texas wind underperforms (Zain Shauk – Fuel Fix)
http://fuelfix.com/ - Switch that can lower electric bills (Emily Pickrell – Fuel Fix)
http://fuelfix.com/ - Texas seismologist: Fracking doesn’t cause earthquakes (Vicki Smith – Fuel Fix)
http://fuelfix.com/ - Wind energy company launches $320 million IPO (Collin Eaton – Fuel Fix)
http://fuelfix.com/
- Scientists help farmers create greener dairies (M.L. Johnson – Houston Chronicle)
- 6 September
- Ups and downs (Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - Playgrounds For All Abilities (Denise Koonce – REACH)
http://www.reachhealthcareservices.com/ - UTSA host Water Institute of Texas symposium on water Issues Oct. 4 (KC Gonzalez – UTSA News)
http://www.utsa.edu/today/
- Ups and downs (Houston Chronicle)
- 5 September
- Local Energy-Water Solutions Should Be A Model For The Nation (Kate Zerrenner – Forbes)
http://www.forbes.com/
- Local Energy-Water Solutions Should Be A Model For The Nation (Kate Zerrenner – Forbes)
- 4 September
- ‘The best is yet to come’: Shale boom to boost overall U.S. economy, study says (Molly Ryan – Houston Business Journals)
http://www.bizjournals.com/
- ‘The best is yet to come’: Shale boom to boost overall U.S. economy, study says (Molly Ryan – Houston Business Journals)