ECONOTES 2013-10-29: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region
Featured
- Texas industries’ climate-changing pollution far surpasses other states’ (Texas Climate News, 10/25/2013)
Texas industrial facilities led all other states by a huge margin in their release of heat-trapping carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases in 2012, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced this week. The EPA report, based on data provided by about 8,000 facilities across the nation, showed that the ones in Texas said they emitted about 393 million metric tons of greenhouse gases last year – 12.5 percent of the nationwide total of 3.13 billion metric tons.
http://texasclimatenews.org/ - Feds endorse plan to save rare bird (Matthew Tresuague – Houston Chronicle, 10/23/2013)
The lesser prairie chicken might not be listed as threatened if enough energy companies and ranchers voluntarily agree to preserve the football-sized grouse’s habitat in Texas and other states, federal officials said Wednesday. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service endorsed a conservation plan by the five states in the imperiled bird’s habitat as a way to protect it while avoiding the more rigid endangered-species listing, which could put the brakes on oil and gas drilling and other activities in parts of West Texas.
http://www.chron.com/ - Greenways projects underway as capital campaign begins (Jayme Fraser – Houston Chronicle – 10/23/2013) the Houston Parks Board and its public partners hope to revive some of the city’s natural treasures through Bayou Greenways 2020, a 150-mile trail system that, once complete, will wind along the bayous long seen as an interruption to Houston’s urban sprawl. www.houstonchronicle.com
Related:
King: Vision of parks, trails on bayou taking shape (Bill King – Houston Chronicle – 10/24/2013) Â Bill King says the use of a realistic financing system that matches bond money with private donations shows how big ideas can become reality. Bacon, a University of Texas at Austin and Rice University graduate, who started his career with Gerald Hines Real Estate, was a man possessed even back then with the idea of using Houston’s most prominent geographic feature (and we don’t have many) as the backbone for a park system. www.houstonchronicle.com - Water Researchers Mull Over Prop 6 (Christie Post – KEYE TV, 10/22/2013)
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, fall rains continue to ease drought conditions, but our water-supply drought continues. Proposition 6 aims to solve some of these issues. But the question still remains: Will $2 billion in water projects do the trick, or should we simply wait for more rain? Researchers, policy makes, business owners and engineers discussed the answer at a water, technology and policy event at University of Texas.
EcoNotes
- 28 October
- Western Zone to Re-Open to Commercial King Mackerel Fishing (NOAA – The News Herald)
http://www.newsherald.com/ - Would Igloos Lower Risk of Fertilizer Explosions? (Dave Fehling – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/
- Western Zone to Re-Open to Commercial King Mackerel Fishing (NOAA – The News Herald)
- 27 October
- Davis, Abbott Express Support For Proposition 6 (Jay Root, The Texas Tribune – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/
- Davis, Abbott Express Support For Proposition 6 (Jay Root, The Texas Tribune – KUHF News)
- 25 October
- Texas industries’ climate-changing pollution far surpasses other states’ (Texas Climate News)
http://texasclimatenews.org/ - Debate Gets Feisty Between Regulators Over Texas’ Power Supply (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Eight U.S. states band together to promote clean cars (Rory Carroll – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org/ - Texas and Oklahoma May Redraw the Border, Again (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
https://www.texastribune.org/ - Seventh Generation Convenes Panel of Experts to Discuss Urgent Need for Chemical Reform (Morning Star News)
http://news.morningstar.com/ - The Business Journal Interview With Memorial Hermann CEO Dan Wolterman (Bayan Raji – Houston Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/ - Let the good times roll: Texas business climate draws major corporate relocations (Tanya Rutledge – Houston Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/ - SXSW Interactive looks toward a future with Houston (Molly Ryan – Houston Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/
- Texas industries’ climate-changing pollution far surpasses other states’ (Texas Climate News)
- 24 October
- Smoke But No Fire? Report Looks at Smokiest Counties in 2011 (Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Why Electric Cars May Not End Up Stressing the Texas Grid (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - EPA hits the road to seek input on power plant rules (Valerie Volcovici – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org/
- Smoke But No Fire? Report Looks at Smokiest Counties in 2011 (Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
- 23 October
- Feds endorse plan to save rare bird (Matthew Tresuague – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - More than Prayer: How Prop 6 Aims to Improve Water Supplies in Texas (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/
- Feds endorse plan to save rare bird (Matthew Tresuague – Houston Chronicle)
- 22 October
- Water Researchers Mull Over Prop 6 (Christie Post – KEYE TV)
http://www.keyetv.com/ - Tax Credit for Texas Wind Could Lapse (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
https://www.texastribune.org/ - Energy-Related Carbon Emissions Dropped Nearly 4 Percent Last Year (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Report: Eagle Ford and Bakken are fastest-growing producers (Jennifer A. Dlouhy – My SA News)
http://www.mysanantonio.com/ - H-GAC seeks public comment on West Houston Mobility Plan (Alex Endress – The Rancher)
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/ - NOAA seeking comments on on a Cost Sharing Proposal for the Electronic Logbook Program in the Gulf (NOAA – The News Herald)
http://www.newsherald.com/
- Water Researchers Mull Over Prop 6 (Christie Post – KEYE TV)
- 21 October
- $325,000 Fort Worth water study recommends no major changes (Todd Unger – KHOU News)
http://www.khou.com/ - H-GAC seeks public input on 2040 regional plan (Brian Walzel – Community Impact Newspaper)
http://impactnews.com/ - Friendswood ISD setting pace for energy savings (The Friendswood Journal)
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/ - Voters see link between energy and economy (Jennifer A. Dlouhy – Fuel Fix)
http://fuelfix.com/ - Community environmental session set for Nov. 1 (Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/
- $325,000 Fort Worth water study recommends no major changes (Todd Unger – KHOU News)
- 18 October
- Legislators urge voting for water projects funding (Robin Y. Richardson – Marshall News Messenger)
http://www.marshallnewsmessenger.com/
- Legislators urge voting for water projects funding (Robin Y. Richardson – Marshall News Messenger)
- 17 October
- TX Attorney General to Render Opinion on Wilbarger Co. Groundwater Dispute (Texomas News)
http://www.texomashomepage.com/ - Supporters Of Prop. 6 More Worried About Ignorance Than Opposition (Florian Martin – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/ - Aging Dams, Booming Growth, and the Search for Solutions (Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Boiling Hot: How Fracking’s Gusher of Geothermal Energy is Wasted (Dave Fehling – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - LCRA Defers Plans to Cut Off Water to Matagorda Bay (The Texas Tribune)
http://www.texastribune.org/ - Austin mulls increasing some developer fees (Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/
- TX Attorney General to Render Opinion on Wilbarger Co. Groundwater Dispute (Texomas News)
- 14 October
- Industry puts dollars behind water proposition (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.houstonchronicle.com/
- Industry puts dollars behind water proposition (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
- 28 September
- Huffman: Stability in our supply of water is key for new growth (Laura Huffman – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/
- Huffman: Stability in our supply of water is key for new growth (Laura Huffman – Houston Chronicle)