ECONOTES 2014-03-04: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region
Featured
- Freight route study comes with environmental commitment (Dug Begley – Houston Chronicle, 2/26/2014)
Regional transportation officials Friday approved their part of a $2 million feasibility study for a freight route along the western side of the Houston area, pledging to include environmental groups wary of the road plan in the process. Members of the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s transportation policy board approved spending $500,000 to study the proposed Highway 36A, envisioned to stretch from Port Freeport to Texas 6. Southern stretches of the proposed road would mostly widen existing highways. It is the northern third of the project, which cuts through the Katy Prairie, that has drawn concern from local environmental and preservation groups. The prairie is one of the last pristine natural areas in southeast Texas, and home to significant bird and plant populations. In a nod to the concerns and the prairie, transportation officials in the resolution approving the study funding noted “protection and enhancement of these resources are a necessary outcome in the assessment of feasible transportation alternatives.â€
http://blog.chron.com - Green groups want city to trash recycling plan (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle, 2/25/2014)
Some environmental groups are urging the city to dump the “One Bin for All” plan, which would allow residents to mix trash, recyclables, yard clippings and other waste in one container. The refuse would be sorted automatically at a facility to be built and operated by a private firm as part of a larger effort to divert garbage from landfills. The Texas Campaign for the Environment and other environmental groups say the city’s plan is flawed because the messy mix of waste would contaminate recyclables and diminish their value. Also, the proposed plant potentially would burn waste and harm air quality for neighbors, the groups said. Instead the groups want the city to adopt a zero-waste strategy in which curbside recycling is expanded to all houses, apartment complexes and businesses.
www.chron.com - Map shows areas in Houston with higher risks of cancer (News Fix, 2/26/2014)
The Rice Design Alliance used data from the Environmental Protection Agency to create a map of the areas in Houston with higher risks of developing cancer. The neighborhoods closer to the Ship Channel and downtown are at the top of the list. Houston has a large spot of cancer risk at the 75-150 per million range on the East side of town. Pollution, toxins, and the presence of an industrial complex could be some of the causes.
http://newsfixnow.com
EcoNotes
- 3 March
- Ag Candidates Weigh In on School Lunch Program (Neena Satija – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org
- Ag Candidates Weigh In on School Lunch Program (Neena Satija – The Texas Tribune)
- 1 March
- Residents concerned over mobility issues as study continues (Kimberly Sutton – The Villager)
www.yourhoustonnews.com - Death of visiting fisherman stirs fears, rumors on the lake (Russell Ledbetter – The Montgomery County Courier)
www.yourhoustonnews.com
- Residents concerned over mobility issues as study continues (Kimberly Sutton – The Villager)
- 28 February
- Freight route study comes with environmental commitment (Dug Begley – Houston Chronicle)
http://blog.chron.com - In the Garden With Urban Harvest: Swap out ornamental shrubs for edibles (Suzy Fischer – Houston Chronicle)
www.chron.com - Report showing slower power demand growth lights up debate (Houston Chronicle)
www.houstonchronicle.com - Texas electricity demand growing slower than once thought (Emily Pickrell – Fuel Fix)
http://fuelfix.com - Cold spells bring goldfinches to backyard feeders (Gary Clark – Houston Chronicle)
www.houstonchronicle.com - Mexico energy overhaul could renew interest in green power (Emily Pickrell – Houston Chronicle)
www.houstonchronicle.com - March opens with busy gardening weekend (Kathy Huber – Houston Chronicle)
www.chron.com - BP’s Energy Outlook For 2035 – US Energy Self-Sufficient (Kent Harrington – ChEnected News)
http://chenected.aiche.org - Ask the Candidates: Should Texas Test Groundwater Before Fracking? (Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org - What Do Plane Flights and Wind Farms Have in Common? Turbulence (Shawna Reding – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org - Group offers plan to meet new EPA power plant emission rules (Valerie Volcovici – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org - Ride Sharing Debate, One-Bin Recycling & A Candidate’s Twitter Typo: The Good The Bad & The Ugly of Houston News (Michael Hagerty – Houston Matters)
www.houstonmatters.org
- Freight route study comes with environmental commitment (Dug Begley – Houston Chronicle)
- 27 February
- What has happened to Keep Kingwood Green? (Hal Opperman – The Humble Observer)
www.yourhoustonnews.com
- Hundreds to clean up Collins Park during 21st annual trash bash (The Potpourri Tomball Edition)
www.yourhoustonnews.com - Austin a ‘poster child’ for urban wildfire threat (Texas Climate News)
http://texasclimatenews.org - High-Level Nuclear Waste Could One Day Come to Texas, But It’s a Long Road (Alex Dropkin – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org - Researchers: Natural gas vehicles will see rapid rise globally through 2023 (Simone Sebastian – Fuel Fix)
http://fuelfix.com - Ask the Candidates: Should Railroad Commission Do More to Protect Property Rights? (Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org - Automated meters research could save consumers water and money (Kathy Wythe – Conservation Matters February 2014)
http://twri.tamu.edu - IRNR researchers begin statewide quail decline modeling project (Leslie Lee – Conservation Matters February 2014)
http://twri.tamu.edu - Saltcedar leaf beetles prove vital control to invasive tree (Katie Heinrich – Conservation Matters February 2014)
http://twri.tamu.edu - Earth-Kind landscaping school draws variety of green industry, other professionals (Conservation Matters February 2014)
http://twri.tamu.edu - EPA WaterSense launches H2Otel Challenge to encourage conservation (Conservation Matters February 2014)
http://twri.tamu.edu - Proposed US energy rules would shield whales (Steve Szkotak – Houston Chronicle)
www.chron.com
- What has happened to Keep Kingwood Green? (Hal Opperman – The Humble Observer)
- 26 February
- Map shows areas in Houston with higher risks of cancer (News Fix)
http://newsfixnow.com - Environmental Justice: Healthy Places for All (Earth Share)
www.earthshare.org - Collaboration on Environmental Justice Issues Lead to Stronger, More Inclusive Action (Moms Clean Aire Force)
www.momscleanairforce.org - Study: Huge wind turbine farm could cut hurricane wind and storm surge damage (Carol Christian – Houston Chronicle)
www.chron.com - Fewer Women Farmers in U.S., but More in Texas (Corrie MacLaggan and Neena Satija – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org - Irrigation Water Cut, but Central Texans Worry Over Supply (Neena Satija – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org - Ask the Candidates: What Can the Railroad Commission Do About Manmade Quakes? (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org - Tornado Torn City to Receive Free Trees (Texas A&M Forest Service)
http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu - Gulf Council to Convene Shrimp, Red Drum, Statistical Committees (The Fishing Wire)
www.thefishingwire.com - Gulf Council to Convene a Meeting of its Law Enforcement Advisory Panel (The Outdoor Wire)
www.theoutdoorwire.com
- Map shows areas in Houston with higher risks of cancer (News Fix)
- 25 February
- Green groups want city to trash recycling plan (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
www.chron.com - Water conservation practices stressed in Galveston County (Lindsay Peyton – Houston Chronicle)
www.chron.com - Texas At Center of Conflicting Pollution Lawsuits (KTRH News)
www.ktrh.com - Oak Forest Elementary fifth graders plant new Oak tree (Jennifer Summer – The Atascocita Observer)
www.yourhoustonnews.com - EPA chief says new US carbon standards will be ‘tough but flexible’ (Ed King – RTCC News)
www.rtcc.org - Ask the Candidates: Should the Railroad Commission Be Reformed? (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org
- Green groups want city to trash recycling plan (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
- 24 February
- State water board forming project list, critics say to include small towns (Josie Musico – Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)
http://lubbockonline.com - Latest Texas-EPA Battle Goes Before U.S. Supreme Court (Neena Satija – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org - Ask the Candidates: Should the Railroad Commission Change Its Name? (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org - Why You Should Pay Attention to the Race for Railroad Commission (Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org
- State water board forming project list, critics say to include small towns (Josie Musico – Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)
- 21 February
- Not Even the Head of Exxon Wants Fracking Operations In His Neighborhood (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org - Fednav and NAMEPA receive environment award at Houston function (Maritime Trade Intelligence News)
http://maritimeintel.com
- Not Even the Head of Exxon Wants Fracking Operations In His Neighborhood (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
- 20 February
- Nebraska judge strikes down Keystone Pipeline law (Mark Yost – Houston Business Journal)
www.bizjournals.com - Switch to gas from coal may threaten water supply (Bobby Magill – Texas Climate News)
http://texasclimatenews.org
- Nebraska judge strikes down Keystone Pipeline law (Mark Yost – Houston Business Journal)
- 19 February
- The New American Environmentalists (EarthShare)
www.earthshare.org
- The New American Environmentalists (EarthShare)
- 12 February
- TCEQ Defers Decision on Colorado River Rice Farmers (Neena Satija – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org
- TCEQ Defers Decision on Colorado River Rice Farmers (Neena Satija – The Texas Tribune)
- 17 January
- USACE Galveston District begins repair work at Addicks and Barker dams; stresses public safety (US Army Corps of Engineers)
www.swg.usace.army.mil
- USACE Galveston District begins repair work at Addicks and Barker dams; stresses public safety (US Army Corps of Engineers)