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January 7, 2014

ECONOTES 2014-01-07: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region

Featured

  1. Katy Prairie Conservancy saves a spot in the sprawl for feathered friends (Molly Glentzer – Houston Chronicle, 12/29/2013) Katy Prairie Conservancy supports about 300 species of birds; 110 species of reptiles, mammals and amphibians; and at least 400 species of grasses and wildflowers. The conservancy was designated a Global Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society last month because it has restored habitat for fast-declining grassland birds such as the Eastern meadowlark, Northern bobwhite, long-billed curlew and loggerhead shrike. Since it was founded in 1992, the nonprofit conservancy has protected about 19,000 acres of the prairie that once covered about 750,000 acres. It owns about 13,000 acres but also holds conservation easements (development rights) on private land and manages about 1,200 acres of public park land. However, as the suburbs march ever closer, acquiring land is getting harder. On a map, what the conservancy has cobbled together looks like a patchwork. http://www.houstonchronicle.com/
  2. Texas losing billions of gallons to annual water leaks (Cindy Horswell – Houston Chronicle, 12/23/2013) At a time when the Lone Star State is facing a grave water shortage and its population is expected to double by 2060, billions of gallons are hemorrhaging from Texas’ leaky old pipes. The exact loss is unknown as only 10 percent of the state’s 3,500 utilities were required to report their 2012 losses. But in Houston, enough water seeped from broken pipes to supply 383,000 residents for one year. http://www.houstonchronicle.com/
  3. 2013 Texas Air Quality: Year In Review (Elena Craft – Texas Clean Air Matters, 12/30/2013) Over the past year, Texas wind power continued its promising positive trend, thanks in part to the state’s forward-looking decision to build new high-capacity electricity transmission lines linking the windy plains of West Texas with the state’s cities. The Competitive Renewable Energy Zone (CREZ) transmission project was approved by the state in 2008, and the new power lines are set to come online in a few weeks. The new power lines can carry 18,500 megawatts of electricity—enough to power millions of homes. The CREZ lines will help ensure Texas wind energy continues to expand, offsetting electricity produced from fossil-fuel power plants and reducing pollution. Growth in Texas wind energy has helped make renewable energy inexpensive compared with traditional sources of electricity, like coal-fired power plants. In addition to progress in the area of renewable energy, this year the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released updated national vehicle emissions and fuel standards, commonly referred to as ‘Tier 3.’ While Texas made admirable progress in 2013, the fight for clean air in the state is far from over. http://blogs.edf.org/

EcoNotes