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June 17, 2014

Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region: June 17, 2014

  1. Fate of endangered Texas sea turtle uncertain

    (Harvey Rice – Houston Chronicle, 6/12/2014)
    A low number of nests laid by the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle on the upper Texas Gulf Coast raises fears that the endangered animal could be facing a setback in its battle to recover from near extinction. That worry was punctuated this week with the discovery of the first nest laid by the Texas sea turtle on Galveston Island. It is only the second nest found on the upper Texas Gulf Coast even though it’s late in the nesting season.There is hope, however, that the delay in nests is merely due to an unseasonably cold winter.
    www.houstonchronicle.com

  2. Rice researchers’ black powder traps greenhouse gas (Ryan Holeywell – Houston Chronicle, 6/10/2014)
    New technology developed by Rice University scientists could help reduce carbon dioxide emissions associated with natural gas production and increase the environmental benefits of the fossil fuel. A material they developed can separate carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, from other components of natural gas using a technique that is more efficient and cheaper than the industry standard, said James Tour, a Rice chemistry professor who helped lead the team.
    www.houstonchronicle.com
  3. What Texas Could Do to Follow Climate Change Rules (Neena Satija and Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune, 6/11/2014)
    To comply with the Obama administration’s recent proposal to combat climate change, Texas must slash carbon emissions from its power plants by as much as 195 billion pounds in the next 18 years — a total more than any other state — according to a Texas Tribune analysis. According to the newly drafted regulations, if Texas were in compliance, its power sector would emit 329 billion pounds of carbon dioxide per year starting around 2030. Compared with the 524 billion pounds that the state’s generating plants spewed out last year, that would be about a 43 percent reduction.
    www.texastribune.org
  4. First take on prioritizing water projects (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle, 6/8/2014)
    Houston and its suburbs consider a mega-plumbing job that would move water from the Trinity River to Lake Houston as a key step in satisfying their growing thirst over the next half-century. But is it a priority? A rough draft of which water-supply projects in the region deserve Texas’ funding suggests others are more worthy. More than 70 strategies rank ahead of the $254 million Luce Bayou project. This project underscores the difficulty in determining how best to invest a $2 billion fund for new water supplies across drought-prone Texas.
    www.houstonchronicle.com

EcoNotes

  • 15 June
    • As wildlife hits border fence, ranchers and feds team to make a path to survival (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
      www.houstonchronicle.com
  • 12 June
    • Environment Texas launches door-to-door campaign to promote water conservation, wise use of Prop 6 funds (Environment Texas)
      www.environmenttexas.org
  • 11 June
    • Township, bike group question mobility study (Brian Walzel – Community Impact Newspaper)
      http://impactnews.com
    • What Texas Could Do to Follow Climate Change Rules (Neena Satija and Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
      www.texastribune.org
    • As Highland Lakes Near Record Low, Will They Ever Fill Again? (Dylan Baddour – StateImpact)
      http://stateimpact.npr.org
    • The Seismologist: SMU’s Heather DeShon Studies The Shaking In Azle And Reno (Doualy Xaykaothao – KERA News)
      http://keranews.org
    • OFHA to ‘adopt’ Oak Forest Park, spearhead improvements (The Leader)
      www.theleadernews.com
    • Drilling states explore human-made earthquakes (Julie Carr Smyth – Houston Chronicle)
      www.chron.com
    • Food companies work with farmers on sustainability (KHOU News)
      www.khou.com
    • Enterprise to build ethane export facility at Houston Ship Channel (Ryan Holeywell – Fuel Fix)
      http://fuelfix.com
  • 10 June
    • Rice researchers’ black powder traps greenhouse gas (Ryan Holeywell – Houston Chronicle)
      www.houstonchronicle.com
    • Now you have three extra months to tell the EPA what you think of its proposed water rules (Kent Hoover – Houston Business Journal)
      www.bizjournals.com
    • NTSB: Coast Guard Could Have Done More to Prevent Galveston Oil Spill (Dave Fehling – StateImpact)
      http://stateimpact.npr.org
    • The Digger: Reno Mom Helps Neighbors Find Answers About Texas Earthquakes (Doualy Xaykaothao – StateImpact)
      http://keranews.org
    • Animated Growth Maps Help Show Off Houston as ‘The City with No Limits’ (Swamplot)
      http://swamplot.com
  • 9 June
    • Trendmaker Homes Sued by Environmental Group Over Clear Lake Development (Greg Groogan – My Fox Houston)
      www.myfoxhouston.com
    • Supreme Court won’t let BP stop paying settlements for 2010 Gulf spill (Timothy Cama – The Hill)
      http://thehill.com
  • 8 June
    • First take on prioritizing water projects (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
      www.houstonchronicle.com
    • May’s showers repelled drought, not mosquitoes in Houston (Cindy Horswell – Houston Chronicle)
      www.houstonchronicle.com
    • Garden Oaks residents help put drainage project on hold (Michael Sudhalter – The Leader)
      www.theleadernews.com
  • 6 June
  • 5 June
  • 4 June
    • Use a Self-Driving Car With No Wheel? Google Bets You Will (David Brown, Texas Standard – StateImpact)
      https://stateimpact.npr.org
    • More Pipelines in Texas for a Smelly, Deadly Gas (Dave Fehling – StateImpact)
      http://stateimpact.npr.org
    • Texas Game Warden Marine Theft Team Finds Success (Texas Parks & Wildlife)
      www.tpwd.state.tx.us
    • Nation’s biggest carbon emitter is well-positioned to weather EPA rule (E&E Publishing)
      www.eenews.net
  • 3 June
    • Austin’s Rapid Bus Struggles After a Slow Start (Shawna Reding – StateImpact)
      https://stateimpact.npr.org
    • METRO Re-Imagines Commuting for The Energy Corridor (Energy Corridor News)
      www.energycorridor.org
    • Texas Parks & Wildlife Launches First New Conservation License Plate in a Decade (Texas Parks & Wildlife)
      www.tpwd.state.tx.us
    • U.S. unveils sweeping plan to slash power plant pollution (Valerie Volcovici and Jeff Mason – Planet Ark News)
      http://planetark.org
    • What’s in a (hurricane) name? More deaths: study (Sharon Begley – Planet Ark News)
      http://planetark.org
    • Coastal state parks offer myriad ways to enjoy the Texas shores (Rob McCorkle – Texas Parks & Wildlife)
      http://tpwmagazine.com
    • More fish, or just more fish in one place? (Melissa Gaskill – Texas Parks & Wildlife)
      http://tpwmagazine.com
    • Taking the sting out of Texas’ much-maligned scorpions (Dale Weisman – Texas Parks & Wildlife)
      http://tpwmagazine.com
  • 2 June
    • What do new EPA regulations on carbon dioxide emissions mean for Houston (Tom Abrahams – ABC 13 News)
      http://abc13.com
    • EPA aims to slash existing power plants’ CO2 by 30 percent (Bobby Magill, Climate Central – Texas Climate News)
      http://texasclimatenews.org
    • High voltage news for Houston Bicyclists (Swamplot)
      http://swamplot.com
    • Hearings begin on cause of collision, oil spill (Harvey Rice – Houston Chronicle)
      www.houstonchronicle.com
    • Texas Nature Challenge Connects Families With the Outdoors (Texas Parks & Wildlife)
      www.tpwd.state.tx.us
    • New Carbon Rules Could Have Big Impact on Texas (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
      https://stateimpact.npr.org
    • Join Us in Azle June 18 for ‘What’s Behind the North Texas Quakes?’ (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
      https://stateimpact.npr.org
    • GOP blasts power plant carbon rule (Timothy Cama – The Hill)
      http://thehill.com
    • Sweeping plan unveiled to slash U.S. power plant pollution (Jillian Kitchener – Planet Ark News)
      http://planetark.org
    • Higher daily nitrate intake from drinking water during pregnancy associated with birth defects (Rae Lynn Mitchell – Texas A&M HSC News)
      https://news.tamhsc.edu
    • Everybody is talking about it – Is brackish groundwater the most promising “new” water? (Texas Water Resources Institute)
      http://twri.tamu.edu
    • Is it time for Texas to welcome ASR (Texas Water Resources Institute)
      http://twri.tamu.edu
    • Texas Groundwater Administration (Kathy Wythe – Texas Water Resources Institute)
      http://twri.tamu.edu
  • 30 May
    • City strikes deals with CenterPoint for LED lights, bike trails
      By Mike Morris – Houston Chronicle)
      www.houstonchronicle.com
    • Why the EPA’s new power plant rules could be good news for Houston (Jordan Blum – Houston Business Journal)
      www.bizjournals.com
    • Regulators Close Case on Flaming Texas Water, Researcher Says Not So Fast (Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
      http://stateimpact.npr.org
  • 28 May

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