• 713-524-4CEC (4232)
  • info@cechouston.org
February 24, 2014

ECONOTES 2014-02-25: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region

Featured

  1. Shelley: EPA mandate would benefit the lives of all Houstonians (Adrian Shelley – Houston Chronicle, 2/22/2014)
    We know that ozone pollution is a public health threat in Houston. Now a study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency suggests that threat is greater than previously thought. As a result, the ozone standard is likely to be lowered by the end of the year. Houston has never met an ozone standard, but it is time for us to get serious about protecting our health. The Environmental Protection Agency has been considering lowering the standard since 2008, when President George W. Bush’s EPA revised it to 75 parts per billion. That revision defied an EPA recommendation for a standard as low as 70 parts per billion. Now the agency recommends that 60 parts per billion may be needed to protect public health.
    www.houstonchronicle.com
  2. Houston Receives Bike Friendliness Award While Still Dealing With Recent Hit-And-Run Deaths (Florian Martin – KUHF News, 2/21/2014)
    In Texas, Houston joins Austin, San Antonio and The Woodlands as communities the League of American Bicyclists recognizes as bike-friendly. The city’s sustainability director Laura Spanjian accepted the award during a bike-friendliness workshop at the Westin Memorial City in west Houston. Bill Nesper with the League of American Bicyclists says Houston got a bronze award, which means the city is on the right track, but there is still work to be done. Michael Payne is the director of Bike Houston, a bicycle advocacy group. He says Houston deserves the award, but the city needs to do more specific planning to further improve bike friendliness – and not just for downtown, midtown and the medical center but beyond. One critical point is improving safety.
    http://app1.kuhf.org
  3. As ships spew fumes, regulators move to halt pollution (Ingrid Lobet – Houston Chronicle, 2/15/2014)
    Twenty-two times a day, roughly 8,000 times a year, a vessel glides through Galveston Bay, bends into the Ship Channel, and docks at one of 150 industrial terminals along the 52-mile waterway, engines running. Three stories high, these engines burn a fuel 660 times dirtier than diesel. A single ship can emit more pollution than a refinery, hour for hour. Until recently they actually burned fuel that was even dirtier. New emission rules for ships near shore came into force 18 months ago. Next January ship owners will face even stricter requirements, and the following year, stricter still. The new rules are projected to bring significant health benefits to coastal residents around the country. For Houston these changes come at a critical time. Vessel traffic is increasing, and the ports are in a period of rapid expansion.
    www.houstonchronicle.com

EcoNotes

  • 24 February
    • Could $25 A Week Meet Your Nutritional Needs? UH Students Take ‘The Food Stamp Challenge’ To Find Out (David Pitman – KUHF News)
      http://app1.kuhf.org
  • 23 February
    • Fed Up With Government, Environmentalists Sue Companies (Neena Satija – The Texas Tribune)
      www.texastribune.org
  • 22 February
  • 21 February
    • Houston area provides an oasis for birds (Gary Clark – Houston Chronicle)
      www.houstonchronicle.com
    • Energy companies play chicken with proposed listing (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
      www.houstonchronicle.com
    • Plants, shrubs and trees provide food and shelter for birds (Kathy Huber – Houston Chronicle)
      www.houstonchronicle.com
    • Houston Receives Bike Friendliness Award While Still Dealing With Recent Hit-And-Run Deaths (Florian Martin – KUHF News)
      http://app1.kuhf.org
    • Stainless steel canoe appears in the trees along Buffalo Bayou (Carol Christian – Houston Chronicle)
      www.chron.com
    • Crab trap removal program begins today (The Arkansas Pass Progress)
      www.aransaspassprogress.com
    • Vegetable gardening classes highlight on weekly calendar (Kathy Huber – Houston Chronicle)
      www.chron.com
    • Ridesharing drivers out selling services, if not taking fares (Dug Begley – Houston Chronicle)
      www.houstonchronicle.com
    • Project could revive a neglected part of downtown (Nancy Sarnoff – Houston Chronicle)
      www.houstonchronicle.com
    • Houston’s Becoming a Biking City (Write On Metro)
      http://blogs.ridemetro.org
    • In Central Texas, Water War Shows No Signs of Drying Up (Terrence Henry and Alex Dropkin – StateImpact)
      http://stateimpact.npr.org
    • Not Even the Head of Exxon Wants Fracking Operations In His Neighborhood (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
      http://stateimpact.npr.org
    • Earth’s green canopy gets an online protector (Marcelo Teixeira – Planet Ark News)
      http://planetark.org
  • 20 February
    • Switch to gas from coal may threaten water supply (Bobby Magill – Texas Climate News)
      http://texasclimatenews.org
    • Cities’ twin heat problems face relief (Tim Radford – Texas Climate News)
      http://texasclimatenews.org
    • From Victorian to Googie, variety rules in 2014 Good Brick Awards (Sarah Rufca – Houston Chronicle)
      www.houstonchronicle.com
    • Tour De Houston cruises through the Bayou City (The Examiner)
      www.yourhoustonnews.com
    • Testimony centers on exposure to toxic mix – Pollutants in Ship Channel have declined in decade, witness says (The Baytown Sun)
      http://baytownsun.com
    • Master Naturalists to lead bird hike at Seabourne Creek Nature Park (Your Sugar Land Sun)
      www.yourhoustonnews.com
    • City Of Houston Will Hear Concerns Over Bike Safety (Gail Delaughter – KUHF News)
      http://app1.kuhf.org
    • From Industry, Hints of Concern Over Use of Acid in Drilling (Dave Fehling, KUHF News/StateImpact Texas – The Texas Tribune)
      www.texastribune.org
    • Watch: Fracking The Eagle Ford Shale – Big Oil And Bad Air On The Texas Prairie (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
      http://stateimpact.npr.org
    • Industry Looks for Safer Ways to Drill with Acid (Dave Fehling – StateImpact)
      http://stateimpact.npr.org
  • 19 February
    • Memorial Park Conservancy gala raises $400,000 (Jody Shmal – Houston Chronicle Blog)
      http://blog.chron.com
    • Raising health and air quality concerns in Texas’ fracking frontier (PBS News Hour)
      www.pbs.org
    • To Adapt to Climate Change in Texas, No ‘One Size Fits All’ Solution (Shawna Reding – StateImpact)
      http://stateimpact.npr.org
    • Could Earthquakes Shake Up the Race for Railroad Commissioner? (Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
      http://stateimpact.npr.org
  • 18 February
    • Visualization: Water for Fracking in Ten Texas Counties (Neena Satija and Becca Aaronson – The Texas Tribune)
      www.texastribune.org
    • Investigation Highlights Toxic Air Emissions In Fracking Fields (Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
      http://stateimpact.npr.org
    • Exploring the Science Behind Manmade Quakes in Texas (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
      http://stateimpact.npr.org
  • 17 February
    • Recycled Wastewater Could Cut Cost Of Hydraulic Fracturing (Andrew Schneider – KUHF News)
      http://app1.kuhf.org
  • 16 February
  • 15 February
  • 14 February
    • Warbler Identification with Gary Clark set for March 1 (Houston Chronicle)
      www.chron.com
    • Wetlands project pioneered at CCISD’s Education Village (Houston Chronicle)
      www.chron.com
    • Katy and Houston Business Leaders Plant Native Texas Trees (Katy Christian Magazine)
      http://katychristianmagazine.com
    • Occidental Petroleum To Relocate To Houston (Andrew Schneider – KUHF News)
      http://app1.kuhf.org
    • Texas rises among largest solar-energy workforces (Collin Eaton – Fuel Fix)
      http://fuelfix.com
  • 13 February
    • Harris County Flood Control District creates, restores wetlands on the Katy Prairie (The Spring Observer)
      www.yourhoustonnews.com
    • Hermann Park receives colorful new mural for 100th year celebration (Larry Seward – KHOU News)
      www.khou.com
    • The Rest of the Best 2014: Houston’s Top 10 Parks (Inside the Loop) (Olivia Flores Alvarez – Houston Press)
      http://blogs.houstonpress.com
    • A tale of two droughts in two states – or is it really one “megadrought”? (Texas Climate News)
      http://texasclimatenews.org
    • Callegari: Texas needs to decide what its water is worth (State Rep. Bill Callegari – Houston Chronicle)
      www.chron.com
  • 12 February
    • Climatologist, Water Development Board see continued drought (Ron Smith – Southwest Farm Press)
      http://southwestfarmpress.com
    • Energy companies accept climate change, argue solutions (Jordan Blum – Houston Business Journal)
      www.bizjournals.com
    • People worry water project, fault line will cause damage in The Woodlands (Jeremy Desel – KHOU News)
      www.khou.com
  • 11 February