Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region: November 25, 2014
Featured
- How graywater could be a conservation method for the masses. (But isn’t.) (Fauzeya Rahman – Texas Observer, 11/19/2014)
“…Every time you take a shower, use the bathroom sink or run a load of laundry, the resulting graywater—as distinct from “blackwater,†which has come into contact with human waste—could be diverted to water your lawn or irrigate a tree. A typical household produces 100 gallons of usable graywater per day, enough to replace 10 to 25 percent of potable water use on an average landscape, according to the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center. A statewide effort to retrofit homes with graywater systems could yield savings of up to 390,000 acre-feet of water per year, according to the Texas Water Resources Institute. That’s enough water to supply 130,000 typical households.”
www.texasobserver.org - Pollution eyed in sudden decline of sea turtle (Harvey Rice – Express News, 11/19/2014)
“The sudden decline of Texas’ official sea turtle was unexpected and could be an indication that pollution could be making the Gulf of Mexico a difficult place for species like the Kemp’s ridley to survive, experts said Wednesday… Scientific research presented on the Kemp’s ridley raised the possibility that the 2010 BP oil spill, the largest in U.S. history, might have contributed to the declines of sea turtle nests in 2013 and 2014, which have alarmed scientists. A study released Tuesday found oil in the carapace, or shell, of 29 sea turtles that returned to feed in the spill area in 2011 and 2012.”
www.expressnews.com - Saving the Mona Lisa of Galveston: Island non-profit and Chicago developer conserve ecosystem on West Galveston Island (Guidry News, 11/18/2014)
“Managing member for Galveston Preserve at West Beach Ltd., Darren Sloniger, and Artist Boat’s Executive Director, Karla Klay, agreed over 6 years ago to work together to secure the protection of 360-acres of pristine dune/swale complex on the bayside of Galveston Island’s West End. The long-term vision is to protect barrier island habitats through the formation of a Coastal Heritage Preserve and to build a Gulf Coast Environmental Education Center that exemplifies the best practices in place-based and experiential learning in the coastal zone using the incredible disciplines of the sciences and the arts.”
www.guidrynews.com
EcoNotes
- 24 November
- Local wildlife projects receive millions from BP spill money (John Wayne Ferguson – The Galveston County Daily News)
www.galvestondailynews.com
- Local wildlife projects receive millions from BP spill money (John Wayne Ferguson – The Galveston County Daily News)
- 23 November
- NOAA Seeks Comments on a Proposed Rule to Add Red Snapper Recreational Accountability Measures (Oyster Radio)
http://oysterradio.blogspot.com
- NOAA Seeks Comments on a Proposed Rule to Add Red Snapper Recreational Accountability Measures (Oyster Radio)
- 21 November
- Forgotten Greenway: Shady Acres residents set sights on revitalizing Little Thicket Park (Jonathan Garris – The Leader)
www.theleadernews.com - Listening For The Call Of The Quail (Dave Fehling – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org - Clean Energy And Job Creation Go Hand-In-Hand In San Antonio (Jim Marston – Forbes)
www.forbes.com - Patience runs low as EPA delays fuel rule (Rhiannon Meyers – Houston Chronicle)
www.houstonchronicle.com - Drilling Brings Rise in Health Complaints (Neena Satija – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org - Reaction to Train Plan Less Rosy in Rural Texas (Aman Batheja – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org - EPA Air Regulations: 15% Real-Dollar (35% Nominal-Dollar) Increase in Utility Bills by 2020, Study Finds (GlobalWarming.org)
www.globalwarming.org - U.S. EPA Said to Drop Renewable Fuel Quotas Planned for 2014 ( Mark Drajem and Mario Parker – Bloomberg Businessweek)
www.businessweek.com - AT&T to pay $23.8M settlement over environmental violations (Marlize van Romburgh – Dallas Business Journal)
www.bizjournals.com - Sheldon Lake State Park Hosting Holiday in the Park Saturday December 13th (The Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce)
http://web.lakehoustonareachamber.org - Apache Sells Off $1.4 Billion In Oil And Gas Leases To Pay For New Shale Play Holdings (Andrew Schneider – Houston Public Media)
www.houstonpublicmedia.org - Coming soon: An all new txH2O (Texas Water Resources Institute)
http://twri.tamu.edu - TWRI requests graduate student research proposals (Texas Water Resources Institute)
http://twri.tamu.edu - IRNR part of TAMU team receiving $1.4 million grant for woodland encroachment research (Texas Water Resources Institute)
http://twri.tamu.edu/publications - Meet a scientist: Gretchen Miller (Sara Carney – Texas Water Resources Institute)
http://twri.tamu.edu - How much water does the U.S. use? (Texas Water Resources Institute)
http://twri.tamu.edu - Texas Water Development Board adopts SWIFT rules (Texas Water Resources Institute)
http://twri.tamu.edu - Free soil testing available to Lower Rio Grande Valley producers (Texas Water Resources Institute)
http://twri.tamu.edu - Urban Riparian Symposium coming to Austin in February (Texas Water Resources Institute)
http://twri.tamu.edu - New Panhandle wildlife management area approved (Texas Water Resources Institute)
http://twri.tamu.edu - AgriLife Research study: Drought-tolerant corn taps deeper soil profile (Texas Water Resources Institute)
http://twri.tamu.edu - Public comments invited on USDA Conservation Stewardship Program interim rule (Texas Water Resources Institute)
http://twri.tamu.edu
- Forgotten Greenway: Shady Acres residents set sights on revitalizing Little Thicket Park (Jonathan Garris – The Leader)
- 20 November
- Mark Oldham – First Eagle Scout Project at Deer Park Prairie (HNPAT News)
hnpat.wordpress.com - Keystone XL or Not, Canadian Crude Already Shipping Out From U.S. (Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org - DuPont Tragedy One of Many Toxic Gas Releases (Neena Satija, Jim Malewitz and Marcos Vanetta – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org - Report: Solar Power Should Be One-Fifth Of All Energy In Texas By 2025 (Florian Martin – Houston Public Media)
www.houstonpublicmedia.org - Listening For The Call Of The Quail (Dave Quail – Houston Public Media)
www.houstonpublicmedia.org - U.S. EPA Crowns 2014 Green Power Leaders (North American Wind Power)
www.nawindpower.com - U.S. farmers set to get huge government payouts despite bumper harvest (Ros Krasny and Christine Stebbins – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org - NOAA Fisheries Approves Final Rule to Modify Catch Limits for Spanish Mackerel in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic (Oyster Radio)
http://oysterradio.blogspot.com
- Mark Oldham – First Eagle Scout Project at Deer Park Prairie (HNPAT News)
- 19 November
- How graywater could be a conservation method for the masses. (But isn’t.) (Fauzeya Rahman – Texas Observer)
www.texasobserver.org - Pollution eyed in sudden decline of sea turtle (Harvey Rice – Express News)
www.expressnews.com - New Houston location chosen for Energy Institute High School (Jordan Blum – Houston Business Journal)
www.bizjournals.com - Early birds e-cycle in Energy Corridor district last Saturday (Jocelyn Kerr – The Examiner)
www.yourhoustonnews.com - EPA Recognizes City of Houston for Reduction in Energy Consumption (EPA News)
http://yosemite.epa.gov - Data App: Track Texas Reservoir Levels (Ryan Murphy and Kate Galbraith – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org - Cold Snap Raises Concern: How will the monarchs fare? (HMNS Blog)
https://blog.hmns.org - Oil & Gas Executives Bullish On Future (Dave Fehling – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org
- How graywater could be a conservation method for the masses. (But isn’t.) (Fauzeya Rahman – Texas Observer)
- 18 November
- Fears confirmed: Texas turtle in trouble (Harvey Rice – Houston Chronicle)
www.houstonchronicle.com - Experts gather to understand setback to turtle effort (Harvey Rice – Houston Chronicle)
www.houstonchronicle.com - Saving the Mona Lisa of Galveston: Island non-profit and Chicago developer conserve ecosystem on West Galveston Island (Guidry News)
www.guidrynews.com - Another magazine honors Texas Tech’s Hayhoe: “Leading global thinker†(Texas Climate News)
http://texasclimatenews.org - Texas to receive $13.2 million for Gulf restoration projects (Conor Harrison – Lonestar Outdoor News)
www.lsonews.com - Disappearing Rio Grande Expedition Recap (Colin McDonald and Jessi Loerch – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org - Texas Butterfly Festival beats the storm (Progress Times)
www.progresstimes.net - Leading Environmental Services Company Exhibiting and Sponsoring at the 2014 CLEAN GULF Conference & Exhibition in San Antonio, Texas (WRBL)
www.wrbl.com - Texas Grid Operator Says Clean Energy Plan Could Raise Bills and Lead to Blackouts (Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org
- Fears confirmed: Texas turtle in trouble (Harvey Rice – Houston Chronicle)
- 17 November
- Messing with city’s trees can be expensive (Mike Morris – Houston Chronicle)
www.houstonchronicle.com - Groundwater study set for Montgomery County (John D. Harden – Houston Chronicle)
www.chron.com - BP money benefits Coastal Bend conservation projects (David Sikes – The Corpus Christi Caller Times)
www.caller.com - Texas Warns EPA Power Plant Regulations Will Cost Houston (Dave Fehling – Houston Public Media)
www.houstonpublicmedia.org - DuPont plant remains closed as search for answers begins (Mark Collette, Matthew Tresaugue, and Lise Olsen – Houston Chronicle)
www.houstonchronicle.com - Texas power grid chiefs say EPA’s CO2 plan would raise costs, might threaten reliability (Randy Lee Loftis – Dallas News)
http://bizbeatblog.dallasnews.com - NFWF Announces $13.2 Million for Gulf Restoration Projects in Texas (Texas Parks & Wildlife)
www.tpwd.state.tx.us - TWDB: Level playing field given in water funds prioritization (Monique Ching – Go San Angelo Standard Times)
www.gosanangelo.com - The Woodlands continues to attract major energy players (Emily Wilkinson – Houston Business Journal)
www.bizjournals.com
- Messing with city’s trees can be expensive (Mike Morris – Houston Chronicle)
- 16 November
- Plant Where Workers Died Reported Recent Violations (Neena Satija – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org
- Plant Where Workers Died Reported Recent Violations (Neena Satija – The Texas Tribune)
- 14 November
- Was Harris County’s high-stakes pollution fight worth it? (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
www.houstonchronicle.com - Verdict In Waste Pits Trial Rejects County, But One Defendant To Pay $29.2 Million (Dave Fehling – Houston Public Media)
www.houstonpublicmedia.org
- Was Harris County’s high-stakes pollution fight worth it? (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
- 13 November
- Rayburn: New plan needed to restore Buffalo Bayou (Robert Rayburn – Houston Chronicle)
www.chron.com - UH Chemists Develop Porous Molecules that Bind Greenhouse Gases (Lisa Merkl – University of Houston)
www.uh.edu - UH Students Compete for Best Environmental Design Ideas (University of Houston)
www.uh.edu - Courts Will Take Up Case of Fracking v. Drilling (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org - Keystone XL, entangled in Senate race, to get congressional votes (Jennifer A. Dlouhy – Express News)
www.expressnews.com
- Rayburn: New plan needed to restore Buffalo Bayou (Robert Rayburn – Houston Chronicle)
- 12 November
- Unlocking Your Potential for Clean Energy (Andrea Hauser – Sustainable City Network)
www.sustainablecitynetwork.com - Denton voters’ decision to ban fracking: Harbinger or isolated event? (Bill Dawson – Texas Climate News)
http://texasclimatenews.org
- Unlocking Your Potential for Clean Energy (Andrea Hauser – Sustainable City Network)
- 7 November
- UH Moment: Zipcars Give UH Students Access to Affordable Rental Cars (University of Houston)
www.uh.edu
- UH Moment: Zipcars Give UH Students Access to Affordable Rental Cars (University of Houston)
- 6 November
- Water Project Funds Ready to Flow — Almost (Neena Satija – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org
- Water Project Funds Ready to Flow — Almost (Neena Satija – The Texas Tribune)
- 5 November
- UH Projects Earn Kudos for Enhancing City’s Landscape (Mike Emery – University of Houston)
www.uh.edu
- UH Projects Earn Kudos for Enhancing City’s Landscape (Mike Emery – University of Houston)
- 4 November
- Water Bottle Filling Stations a Hit as Usage Surpasses Million Mark (Richard Zagrzecki – University of Houston)
www.uh.edu
- Water Bottle Filling Stations a Hit as Usage Surpasses Million Mark (Richard Zagrzecki – University of Houston)
- 3 November
- Researchers find world’s wetlands play key role as carbon sinks (Tim Radford – Texas Climate News)
http://texasclimatenews.org
- Researchers find world’s wetlands play key role as carbon sinks (Tim Radford – Texas Climate News)
- 30 October
- An architect’s perspective on HARC’s new building (HARC News)
www.harcresearch.org
- An architect’s perspective on HARC’s new building (HARC News)
- 29 October
- A new home for HARC: Continuing George Mitchell’s sustainability legacy (HARC News)
www.harcresearch.org
- A new home for HARC: Continuing George Mitchell’s sustainability legacy (HARC News)