ECONOTES 2013-11-26: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region
Featured
- SIERRA CLUB: Shell Deer Park, Chevron Phillips Cedar Bayou cut major ‘upset’ emissions by 95 percent (The Pasadena Citizen, 11/23/2013)
Sierra Club and Environment Texas announced that Shell Oil Company and Chevron Phillips Chemical Company have each cut illegal air pollution from major “upset†events at their Gulf Coast plants by about 95 percent. Those reductions are even more than was required by their settlements of federal Clean Air Act lawsuits brought by the environmental groups, and have contributed to recent efforts to improve air quality in the Houston metropolitan area.
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/ - Sugar Land making great strides in residential and commercial recycling (Zach Haverkamp – Your Fort Bend News, 11/22/2013)
Since embarking on an aggressive recycling campaign two years ago, the City of Sugar Land has more than tripled the rate of residential waste that it diverts from landfills, from 10 percent prior to the campaign’s start to more than 35 percent today. As this Recycling Awareness Month ends, the city is aiming to top the progress it’s already made over the past 24 months, by boosting its diversion rate firmly to 40 percent within the next year, beginning work towards raising the diversion rate of its commercial waste and more.
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/ - Drought relief isn’t likely to last through winter, forecasters warn (Texas Climate News, 11/22/2013)
Texas’ long-running drought has eased considerably because of recent rains, but don’t count on that relief continuing through the upcoming months, federal forecasters warned Thursday. In its annual Winter Outlook for climate conditions across the country, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said drought will probably make a comeback in Texas and neighboring areas.
http://texasclimatenews.org/
EcoNotes
- 25 November
- U.S. May Be Producing 50 Percent More Methane Than EPA Thinks (Christopher Joyce, NPR – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/ - Fast Track to Sustainability: Learning from Nature (CLEAN News)
http://www.cleanhouston.org/ - Smithsonian Science, a Thought Experiment, and a Citizen Science Challenge (Lilu Bio – PLOS Blog)
http://blogs.plos.org/ - Analysis: U.S. air pollution authority faces Supreme Court tests (Lawrence Hurley and Valerie Volcovici – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org/ - Analysis: Still-pricey ethanol credits show risk of EPA rule challenge (Cezary Podkul – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org/ - Xeros Joins Sustainable Apparel Coalition (Yahoo News)
http://finance.yahoo.com/
- U.S. May Be Producing 50 Percent More Methane Than EPA Thinks (Christopher Joyce, NPR – KUHF News)
- 24 November
- Greenbuild 2013: Hillary Clinton Delivers Keynote Address (Green Sight)
http://www.greensight.com/ - Grid plan could overload power bills (Emily Pickrell – Fuel Fix)
http://fuelfix.com/
- Greenbuild 2013: Hillary Clinton Delivers Keynote Address (Green Sight)
- 23 November
- SIERRA CLUB: Shell Deer Park, Chevron Phillips Cedar Bayou cut major ‘upset’ emissions by 95 percent (The Pasadena Citizen)
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/ - Water Recycling Minimal But Growing On Texas Oilfields (Neena Satija and Jim Malewitz, The Texas Tribune – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/ - Montie Beach president looks to preserve neighborhood (Michael Sudhalter – The Leader)
http://www.theleadernews.com/ - Forbes names Houston one of best cities in job creation, economic strength (The Examiner)
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/ - Modest deal breaks deadlock at UN climate talks (Karl Ritter – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/
- SIERRA CLUB: Shell Deer Park, Chevron Phillips Cedar Bayou cut major ‘upset’ emissions by 95 percent (The Pasadena Citizen)
- 22 November
- Sugar Land making great strides in residential and commercial recycling (Zach Haverkamp – Your Fort Bend News)
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/ - Project to make dog park official-and better (Lindsay Peyton – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - Drought relief isn’t likely to last through winter, forecasters warn (Texas Climate News)
http://texasclimatenews.org/ - League City, Dickinson accept traffic report (Pat Hughes – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - Learn about rain gardens and nature ponds at Houston Arboretum (Kathy Huber – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - Regal sandhill cranes grace Texas prairies (Houston Chronicle)
http://www.houstonchronicle.com/ - Honda Accord named Green Car of Year at L.A. Auto Show (Nichola Groom – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org/ - Why It Takes a Lot of Snow To Equal a Small Amount of Rain (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - North Texas feeling the natural gas pinch (Nicholas Sakelaris – Houston Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/
- Sugar Land making great strides in residential and commercial recycling (Zach Haverkamp – Your Fort Bend News)
- 21 November
- How a Respite in the Drought Has Brought Fall Colors to Central Texas (Matthew Alvarez, KUT News – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Fog stops ships on Houston Channel: U.S. Coast Guard (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/ - Goodbye to the Horny Toad? (Greg Harman – Texas Observer)
http://www.texasobserver.org/
- How a Respite in the Drought Has Brought Fall Colors to Central Texas (Matthew Alvarez, KUT News – StateImpact)
- 20 November
- U.S. court orders government to stop collecting nuclear waste fees (Lawrence Hurley – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org/ - Mapped: The Latest Earthquake Swarm in Texas (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Why Flood Insurance Is Likely Going to Cost More in Texas (Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Feds collect $14.2B from energy development (Jennifer A. Dlouhy – My SA News)
http://www.mysanantonio.com/ - House passes bill to thwart federal fracturing regs (Jennifer A. Dlouhy – MySA News)
http://www.mysanantonio.com/ - CREW releases new export exposing influence of fracking industry (Citizens For Ethics)
http://www.citizensforethics.org/
- U.S. court orders government to stop collecting nuclear waste fees (Lawrence Hurley – Planet Ark News)
- 19 November
- River authority plan could cut off farmers (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - Texans Look Beneath the Surface for Water (Neena Satija – The Texas Tribune)
http://www.texastribune.org/ - Texas rice farmers may go 3rd year without water (Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - Oft-criticized water district hires ethics expert (Gordon Dickson – Star-Telegram)
http://www.star-telegram.com/ - Should Texas Ranchers Worry About Anthrax? (Michael Marks – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Technology helps recycle Texas fracking flowback, produced water (WaterWorld News)
http://www.waterworld.com/
- River authority plan could cut off farmers (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
- 18 November
- Salinization of groundwater resources in Texas is a growing concern (Kay Ledbetter – Phys Org)
http://phys.org/ - The Lowlands Nature Trail and Boardwalks opens for the community (Kingwood Online)
http://www.kingwoodonline.com/ - How Austin Lost Two Flood Gauges When It Needed Them Most (Kate McGee, KUT News – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Report: Solar Can Cut Summer Peak Power Demand in Half in Texas (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - EPA says it will reduce renewable fuels mandates, bowing to refiner complaints (Sanford Nowlin – Houston Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/
- Salinization of groundwater resources in Texas is a growing concern (Kay Ledbetter – Phys Org)
- 17 November
- Reshaping city’s riverfront areas (Paul Wyche – The Journal Gazette)
http://www.journalgazette.net/
- Reshaping city’s riverfront areas (Paul Wyche – The Journal Gazette)
- 16 November
- Despite Rains, Many Reservoirs Remain Critically Low (Coleman News)
http://www.colemannews.com/ - Before the Tap Runs Dry (Kathy Wythe – Texas Water Resources Instrument)
http://twri.tamu.edu/
- Despite Rains, Many Reservoirs Remain Critically Low (Coleman News)
- 15 November
- Gulf states get first $113M from oil spill fines (Jeff Amy – Bloomberg Businessweek)
http://www.businessweek.com/
- Gulf states get first $113M from oil spill fines (Jeff Amy – Bloomberg Businessweek)
- 13 November
- With Prop 6 Approved, Plans Remain Uncertain (Neena Satija – The Texas Tribune)
http://www.texastribune.org/ - Bellaire eyes timeline to plan new facilities (Robin Foster – The Examiner)
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/
- With Prop 6 Approved, Plans Remain Uncertain (Neena Satija – The Texas Tribune)
- 12 November
- Down to the Last Drop – Wasting Water Endangers Texas’ Rivers, Fish and Wildlife (Environment Texas)
http://www.environmenttexas.org/
- Down to the Last Drop – Wasting Water Endangers Texas’ Rivers, Fish and Wildlife (Environment Texas)
- 11 November
- Clear Lake’s Exploration Green gets award from Keep Houston Beautiful (Your Bay Area News)
http://m.yourhoustonnews.com/
- Clear Lake’s Exploration Green gets award from Keep Houston Beautiful (Your Bay Area News)