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November 30, 2013

ECONOTES 2013-12-03: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region

Featured

  1. If Rains Refill Reservoirs, Can Texas’ Dams Hold Up? (Michael Marks – StateImpact, 11/26/2013)
    Recent rain and snow haven’t been enough to replenish Texas’ water supply. Years of drought have taken their toll on the state’s reservoirs, some of which remain nearly empty. Eventually, the reservoirs should fill back up. But it’s unclear if Texas’ infrastructure will be able to hold back the waters once that happens.
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  2. The Future of Texas State Parks? It’s All About the Money (Mose Buchele – StateImpact, 11/25/2013)
    Texas Parks and Wildlife is the only state agency with a dedicated sales tax. Under state law, a portion of the sales tax on sporting goods is meant to go for parks. But lawmakers consistently divert some of that money to balance the state budget. The situation was even worse for parks a few years back when the department’s budget was slashed along with those of most other state agencies. This year, lawmakers restored much of that money, but came nowhere close to providing enough for park upgrades, to say nothing of acquiring more parkland.
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  3. 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. 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