Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region: April 6, 2015
Featured
- HARC launches project to encourage more energy efficiency in buildings (Katie Haugland – HARC, 3/30/2015)
“Texas ranks first among the states as the biggest commercial and residential energy consumer and is outpaced by only other five states per-capita energy consumption, according to federal statistics. At the same time, state policies and programs for energy efficiency receive just middling grades from a leading analyst of such efforts. The nonprofit American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy’s 2014 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard gave Texas a score of 13 out of a possible 50 points, which put it in 34th place among the states. HARC is now poised to help advance energy efficiency in Texas through its leadership of a new initiative to help municipal governments – and ultimately, it’s hoped, private businesses and others – to save energy in building operations, reducing related costs and pollution along the way.”
www.harcresearch.org - Rice News Release: Algae from wastewater solves two problems (Newsroom American, 4/2/2015)
” In one of the first studies to examine the potential for using municipal wastewater as a feedstock for algae-based biofuels, Rice University scientists found they could easily grow high-value strains of oil-rich algae while simultaneously removing more than 90 percent of nitrates and more than 50 percent of phosphorous from wastewater. The findings, which are based on a five-month study at a wastewater treatment facility in Houston, are available online in the journal Algae.”
www.newsroomamerica.com - Your Household’s Garbage And Houston’s Leaking Landfills (Dave Fehling – Houston Public Media, 3/31/2015)
“Next time you take out the trash, think about where it goes. Don’t know? Well, if you are Paloma Gonzalez, you know exactly where garbage goes. What seems like a nearly non-stop flow of trucks brings garbage to a gigantic landfill just east of Bush Intercontinental Airport and less than a mile from Paloma Gonzalez’s subdivision. She says in the eight years she’s lived here, the mountain of garbage has grown and grown. And on a hot summer day, she says the odor is unmistakable… So piles of garbage smell. Not surprising. But it’s not the odors rising up from landfills, but rather what’s happening beneath that’s causing concern statewide. ‘Fifty-five of them are leaking,’ said Smitty Smith, one of the state’s leading environmentalists and Texas director of an industry watchdog group, Public Citizen. Smith gave testimony last month to state lawmakers who are considering a number of bills related to regulating landfills.”
www.houstonpublicmedia.org
EcoNotes
- 3 April
- Five Years After BP Spill, What’s Killing Gulf Dolphins? (Dave Fehling – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org - Supreme Court to Decide Pollution Standards for Black Communities (North Dallas Gazette)
http://northdallasgazette.com - The 8th Wonder, 50 years later: Happy Birthday, Dome. Now what? (Houston Business Journal)
www.bizjournals.com - Houston master-planned communities adopt a more natural look for parks, landscaping (Paul Takahashi – Houston Business Journal)
www.bizjournals.com - Rice U. study: Algae from wastewater solves two problems (Guidry News)
www.guidrynews.com - WV Attorney General asks EPA to withdraw Proposed Rule Limiting Emissions from New Power Plants (FOX 10 News)
www.wdtv.com
- Five Years After BP Spill, What’s Killing Gulf Dolphins? (Dave Fehling – StateImpact)
- 2 April
- Rice News Release: Algae from wastewater solves two problems (Newsroom American)
www.newsroomamerica.com - How Galveston Researchers Are Putting Seaweed To Use (Syeda Hasan – Houston Public Media)
www.houstonpublicmedia.org - Protect Contested Case Hearings at the Texas Legislature (Adrian Shelley – airCurrent News)
http://airalliancehouston.org - Water Ruling Cuts State’s Power in Droughts (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org - Legislation Would Ban Fees for Conserving Electricity (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org - Registration open for 2015 Great American Cleanup, Don’t mess with Texas Trash-Off (The Humble Observer)
www.yourhoustonnews.com - Toyota Texas Bass Classic Announces Final Field for 2015 (Texas Parks & Wildlife)
http://tpwd.texas.gov - Texas A&M Forest Service displays 100 years of service with new museum exhibit (The Gilmer Mirror)
www.gilmermirror.com
- Rice News Release: Algae from wastewater solves two problems (Newsroom American)
- 1 April
- Loss of sight caused photographer Jim Bones to see Big Bend in a different light. (Earl Nottingham – Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine)
http://tpwmagazine.com - Protecting and managing wildlife and habitat in the Big Bend. (Melissa Gaskill – Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine)
http://tpwmagazine.com - Symphony conductor draws on musical skills to beguile spring gobblers. (Mike Cox – Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine)
http://tpwmagazine.com - Ozone Theater Thanks and Reflects on One Amazing School! (Tifani Pust – airCurrent News)
http://airalliancehouston.org - A former EPA lawyer has been tapped to lead U.S. refiners’ top lobbying group (Fuel Fix)
http://fuelfix.com - CenterPoint Energy Wants Rate Hikes For Electricity And Gas (Dave Fehling – Houston Public Media)
www.houstonpublicmedia.org - What Does Declining Monarch Butterfly Population Mean? (Syeda Hasan – Houston Public Media)
www.houstonpublicmedia.org - EPA will require weed-resistance restrictions on glyphosate herbicide (Carey Gillam – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org
- Loss of sight caused photographer Jim Bones to see Big Bend in a different light. (Earl Nottingham – Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine)
- 31 March
- Your Household’s Garbage And Houston’s Leaking Landfills (Dave Fehling – Houston Public Media)
www.houstonpublicmedia.org - COAL: Edwards plant improves but still pollutes (Bill Knight – The Community Word)
http://thecommunityword.com - Texas lawmakers want to ban fracking bans (Dylan Baddour – Houston Chronicle)
www.chron.com - Environmentalists question objectivity of firm conducting pipeline study (Eagle Ford Texas)
http://eaglefordtexas.com - This Conservative Texas Town Is Proving Green Energy Isn’t Just For Liberals (Mic News)
http://mic.com - Contracting Overhaul Sails Through Senate (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org - U.S. to submit plans to fight global warming; most others delay (Alister Doyle and Valerie Volcovici – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org - Environmental group seeks greater protection for USDA scientists (Carey Gillam – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org - Legislation Aims to Boost Electricity Conservation (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org - Better method for forecasting hurricane season (Science News)
http://esciencenews.com
- Your Household’s Garbage And Houston’s Leaking Landfills (Dave Fehling – Houston Public Media)
- 30 March
- HARC launches project to encourage more energy efficiency in buildings (Katie Haugland – HARC)
www.harcresearch.org - Five Years After BP Spill, What’s Killing Gulf Dolphins? (Dave Fehling – Houston Public Media)
www.houstonpublicmedia.org - BP says paying a fraction of oil spill bill could put its U.S. unit in trouble (Collin Eaton – Fuel Fix)
http://fuelfix.com - Shrinking of ice shelves raises sea-level concerns (Texas Climate News)
http://texasclimatenews.org - Boaters push Senate bill removing corn-ethanol mandate (Todd Masson – My SA News)
www.mysanantonio.com - House Committee Passes Compromise on Drilling Rules (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org - Rainfall drops Texas drought ratings below 40 percent (Ron Smith – Southwest Farm Press)
http://southwestfarmpress.com
- HARC launches project to encourage more energy efficiency in buildings (Katie Haugland – HARC)
- 29 March
- City’s One Bin proposals raise financial, technology concerns (Katherine Driessen – Houston Chronicle)
www.houstonchronicle.com - Texas Scientists Find Antibiotic Resistance Blowing in Wind (Eva Hershaw – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org
- City’s One Bin proposals raise financial, technology concerns (Katherine Driessen – Houston Chronicle)
- 28 March
- Wellinghoff: Texas Needn’t Fret Over Climate Rules (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org
- Wellinghoff: Texas Needn’t Fret Over Climate Rules (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
- 27 March
- U.S. should move to tap Arctic reserves, panel concludes (Jennifer A. Dlouhy, Washington Bureau – San Antonio Express-News)
www.expressnews.com - Cedar Bayou flowing like it should (Conor Harrison – Lones Star Outdoor News)
www.lsonews.com - Parras: Trains carrying oil an accident waiting to happen (Juan Parras – Houston Chronicle)
www.chron.com - Education for Tomorrow Alliance celebrates 25 years with a sterling example (J. Werner – Woodlands Online)
www.woodlandsonline.com
- U.S. should move to tap Arctic reserves, panel concludes (Jennifer A. Dlouhy, Washington Bureau – San Antonio Express-News)
- 26 March
- International Children & Nature Conference Brings Thought Leaders to Austin (Texas Parks & Wildlife)
http://tpwd.texas.gov - Mule Deer Relocated in West Texas to Help Boost Population (Texas Parks & Wildlife)
http://tpwd.texas.gov - Why zero growth is best for Houston energy companies (Jordan Blum – Houston Business Journal)
www.bizjournals.com - Excessive rain has good and bad effects on East Texas vegetation (April Barbe – Jacksonville Progress)
www.jacksonvilleprogress.com - It could be a historically wet spring season in Southwest (Logan Hawkes – Southwest Farm Press)
http://southwestfarmpress.com
- International Children & Nature Conference Brings Thought Leaders to Austin (Texas Parks & Wildlife)
- 23 March
- Houston energy companies launch new pipeline plans (Jordan Blum – Houston Business Journal)
www.bizjournals.com
- Houston energy companies launch new pipeline plans (Jordan Blum – Houston Business Journal)
- 4 March
- Report says incentives make going green easier for commercial landlords (Erin Mulvaney – Houston Chronicle)
www.houstonchronicle.com
- Report says incentives make going green easier for commercial landlords (Erin Mulvaney – Houston Chronicle)
- 3 March
- Montgomery County applies for more law enforcement cameras (Brandon K. Scott – The Courier of Montgomery County)
www.yourhoustonnews.com
- Montgomery County applies for more law enforcement cameras (Brandon K. Scott – The Courier of Montgomery County)