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February 9, 2015

Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region: February 10, 2015

Featured

  1. Houston area accounts for bulk of state water program requests (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle, 2/5/2015)
    “Houston, unlike other parts of drought-prone Texas, doesn’t appear in need of water. Rainfall is about normal for this time of year, and its reservoirs are full. But good fortune hasn’t stopped the city and its suburbs from making an aggressive push for the first dollars available from the state’s voter-approved fund for new reservoirs, pipelines and other water-supply projects. The Houston metro area accounts for more than half of the $5.5 billion in requests submitted this week to the Texas Water Development Board, the state’s water planning agency. The board has said it intends to provide up to $800 million in financial aid this year.”
    www.houstonchronicle.com
  2. NASA Satellite Will Improve Drought Forecasting With a Little Help From Texas (Philip Issa – StateImpact, 2/2/2015)
    “A satellite launched by NASA over the weekend could help people around the world tackle the challenges of drought. Researchers at the University of Texas will play a part in that mission that could also help forecast flooding and allow officials to better manage reservoir water supplies. The SMAP (Soil Moisture Active Passive) satellite that launched on Saturday will carry two devices to track drought. One to measure heat from the earth’s surface and the other a radar sensor to help pinpoint the location of the land surveyed. Researchers say that by using the two different technologies, they will get a clearer understanding of where the soil is parched and where it is well-saturated around the globe.”
    http://stateimpact.npr.org
  3. Vehicle Registration and Inspection Stickers are Partnering Up in Texas (Big Country News, 2/4/2015)
    “Get ready for a new Texas Two Step. Today the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV), the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) joined State Senator Royce West and county tax assessor-collectors for “Two Steps, One Sticker Day” at the state Capitol in Austin. The event highlighted the state’s transition to having just one sticker for vehicle inspection and registration. Beginning March 1, 2015, the state of Texas will stop issuing vehicle inspection stickers and change to a “Two Steps, One Sticker” inspection and registration program. Under the new system, Texas vehicle owners will need to pass inspection prior to renewing their registration. The familiar blue-bordered registration sticker will serve as proof of both inspection and registration.”
    www.bigcountryhomepage.com

EcoNotes

  • 9 February
  • 6 February
    • Feds intervene in to de-smog Big Bend (Dylan Baddour – Houston Chronicle)
      www.chron.com
    • Where are the Water Projects that Are Asking For $5.5 Billion in State Loans? (Philip Issa and Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
      http://stateimpact.npr.org
    • Texas Justices Skirt Underground Trespassing Question (Jim Malewitz and Neena Satija – The Texas Tribune)
      www.texastribune.org
    • For State’s Seismologist, Quakes Will Be the Easy Part (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
      www.texastribune.org
  • 5 February
    • Houston area accounts for bulk of state water program requests (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
      www.houstonchronicle.com
    • Galveston Bay Foundation launches app for water pollution reporting on Galveston Bay (The Bay Area Citizen)
      www.yourhoustonnews.com
    • Exposure To Air Pollution Linked To Decrease in IQ and Short-Term Memory Among Children, Study Finds (Samantha G – International Business Times)
      http://au.ibtimes.com
    • Air Alliance Houston supports United Steelworkers (Adrian Shelley – airCurrent News)
      http://airalliancehouston.org
    • The Moving Forward Network: What is next on the agenda for the mighty warriors of Environmental Justice? (Bel Vasquez – airCurrent News)
      http://airalliancehouston.org
    • “Fighting for Our Right to Breathe” (Mary Anne Hitt – DK GreenRoots)
      www.dailykos.com
    • Riders Get Your Wheels Turning in Texas State Parks (Texas Parks & Wildlife)
      http://tpwd.texas.gov
    • Design Flaws Led To Poison Gas Leak At DuPont Plant in La Porte (Andrew Schneider – Houston Public Media)
      www.houstonpublicmedia.org
  • 4 February
  • 3 February
    • Recommended Reading for Any Environmentalist (Sara Heald – Earth Day Houston)
      www.earthdayhouston.org
    • There’s more than one player in the Texas high speed rail game (Charles Kuffner – Off the Kuff)
      http://offthekuff.com
    • Permitting, prices holding back new pipelines (Jennifer A. Dlouhy – Fuel Fix)
      http://fuelfix.com
    • Planning a Trip to Big Bend National Park? Thank EPA for the Better View! (Christina Wolfe – EDF News)
      http://blogs.edf.org
    • Obama 2016 budget urges states to cut emissions faster (Jeff Mason and Valerie Volcovici – Planet Ark News)
      http://planetark.org
    • New effort launched to connect US businesses with clean energy (Rory Carroll – Planet Ark News)
      http://planetark.org
    • Gulf Council to Convene Special Council Meeting Via Webinar (Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council)
      http://gulfcouncil.org
  • 2 February
    • Polluted National Parks: Lawmaker Says Texas Has A Bull’s-Eye (Dave Fehling – Houston Public Media)
      www.houstonpublicmedia.org
    • What’s the Reason Behind Texas’ Water Deficit? Satellite Seeks Answers (Marty Schladen, El Paso Times – Emergency Management)
      www.emergencymgmt.com
    • NASA Satellite Will Improve Drought Forecasting With a Little Help From Texas (Philip Issa – StateImpact)
      http://stateimpact.npr.org
    • Asian Ozone Contributes to Western Pollution(Tony Barboza – Sci-Tech Today)
      www.sci-tech-today.com
    • Preserving The Monarch Butterfly’s Migration (Laurie Johnson – Houston Public Media)
      www.houstonpublicmedia.org
    • Commercial King Mackerel Hook-and-Line Fishing Closing In the Southern Subzone (Wakulla News)
      www.wakulla.com
    • Gulf Council to Convene its Standing and Special Reef Fish – Scientific and Statistical Committees (Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council)
      http://gulfcouncil.org
  • 30 January
    • Buffalo Bayou park-goers seek better parking solution (Mark Boyle – Click 2 Houston)
      www.click2houston.com
    • In the post-election climate tussle, polls are giving Obama an edge (Bill Dawson – Texas Climate News)
      http://texasclimatenews.org
    • Texas drought persists through rainy winter (Dylan Baddour – Houston Chronicle)
      www.chron.com
    • Beach campers attract attention in Galveston County (Harvey Rice – Houston Chronicle)
      www.houstonchronicle.com
    • Work to start Feb. 2 on Seymour Lieberman Trail in Memorial Park (Houston Chronicle)
      www.chron.com
  • 29 January
  • 28 January
  • 27 January
    • Public Comment Sought for Water Quality Project in Armand Bayou (Guidry News)
      www.guidrynews.com
    • Texas Lawmakers: Restore Clean Air Funding and Do the Right Thing for Texas (Christina Wolfe – EDF News)
      http://blogs.edf.org
  • 14 January
    • Mayor Parker supports removal of cars from Houston’s bayous (Joel Eisenbaum – Click 2 Houston)
      www.click2houston.com