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June 8, 2015

Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region: June 8, 2015

Featured

  1. Houston’s Population Growth Could Mean An Increase In Extreme Heat (Dave Fehling – Houston Public Media, 6/8/2015)
    “Our story starts not in Houston but in Phoenix. It’s where the American Meteorological Society held its annual meeting earlier this year. Public health researcher Kathryn Conlon told an audience about a project funded by NASA that looked at Houston. Conlon found that in coming decades, Houston might see far more days when that heat and humidity could combine to drive the so-called “heat index” to the danger level of 108 degrees or higher… ‘We found that the combined effect of both land use and climate change will affect how populations are exposed to heat in Houston,’ Conlon said. Here’s what she’s talking about: as one of the fastest growing cities in the nation, thousands of acres of what had been tree or brush covered land continues to be cleared — especially on the fringe of Harris County — to make way for new homes, commercial buildings and parking lots. All these things heat up more under the sun than fields and forests.”
    www.houstonpublicmedia.org
  2. After years of drought, farmers now hit by heavy rains (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle, 6/3/2015)
    “Heavy rain, which produced the state’s wettest month on record, created a new problem for farmers. Many of their fields flooded, threatening their crops. Again… The recent soaking is the latest sharp turn in an all-or-nothing decade for water, leading farmers to wonder if there is such a thing as normal weather, especially when it comes to precipitation. Just four years ago Texas had its driest year in history — a statewide drought that caused a record $7.6 billion in agricultural losses and led then-Gov. Rick Perry to ask Texans to pray for rain.”
    www.chron.com
  3. Texas floods highlight need to reform key insurance program (James P. Howard, II – The Conversation, 64/2015)
    “Torrential storms have been coursing through much of Texas in recent days, prompting massive flash flooding that has swept away entire homes and left wakes of devastation. Floodwaters continue to rise, so it will be days if not weeks before we can calculate the final costs, both in terms of life and property. But regardless, many will be turning to the federal government’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for help – it’s the only way to insure a property against damage from flooding. Unfortunately, it’s broke – and its very nature encourages development that makes each flood more damaging than the last. While that doesn’t mean residents of Texas and elsewhere suffering from flood-related damages won’t get assistance, it does show that a reckoning is coming – either for policyholders or taxpayers.”
    http://theconversation.com

EcoNotes

  • 8 June
    • Houston’s Population Growth Could Mean An Increase In Extreme Heat (Dave Fehling – Houston Public Media)
      www.houstonpublicmedia.org
    • In a major reversal, Shell, BP, 4 other oil majors ask for a price on carbon (Brian Kahn – Texas Climate News)
      http://texasclimatenews.org
    • 5 things to know in Texas energy this week (Suzanne Edwards – Houston Business Journal)
      www.bizjournals.com
  • 5 June
    • Trouble looms as warmer oceans push marine life toward the poles (Will Dunham – Planet Ark News)
      http://planetark.org
    • Fracking not a ‘widespread risk’ to drinking water: U.S. EPA (Valerie Volcovici and Timothy Gardner – Planet Ark News)
      http://planetark.org
  • 4 June
    • EPA Finds No “Widespread” Fracking Effects on Water (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
      www.texastribune.org
    • EPA: Fracking Not Widespread Threat to Groundwater (Dave Fehling – Houston Public Media)
      www.houstonpublicmedia.org
    • Texas Water Symposium to Feature Regional Water Experts, June 18 in Fredericksburg (Hill Country Alliance)
      www.hillcountryalliance.org
  • 3 June
    • After years of drought, farmers now hit by heavy rains (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
      www.chron.com
    • One Intern’s Reflections on Earth Day Houston (airCurrent News)
      http://airalliancehouston.org
    • COLUMN-U.S. renewable fuels move forward (James Stock – Reuters)
      www.reuters.com
    • U.S. may take first step to curb airline emissions this week: sources (Valerie Volcovici – Planet Ark News)
      http://planetark.org
    • Data App: Track Texas Reservoir Levels (Ryan Murphy and Kate Galbraith – The Texas Tribune)
      www.texastribune.org
    • Flood Control: Confronting a Houston area reality (Jung Jang – The Friendswood Journal)
      www.yourhoustonnews.com
    • Reducing Drilling Pollution—Wyoming Did It, No Big Deal. Will Texas? (Colin Leyden – EDF)
      http://blogs.edf.org
  • 2 June
    • Texas floods highlight need to reform key insurance program (James P. Howard, II – The Conversation)
      http://theconversation.com
    • Biking To Work (Especially From Montrose) Is Easier Than You Think (Amber Ambrose – Montrose District)
      http://montrosedistrict.org
    • Grading the Response to Houston’s Flood (Michael Hagerty – Houston Matters)
      www.houstonmatters.org
    • Texas Politicians Question Stricter Flood Control Standards (Noreen O’Donnell – NBC DFW)
      www.nbcdfw.com
    • Once-Rural Communities Try to Hang Onto Their Identities, Despite Houston Sprawl (Michael Hagerty – Houston Matters)
      www.houstonmatters.org
    • Exxon CEO touts climate benefits of shale gas (Fuel Fix)
      http://fuelfix.com
    • Environmental Justice Leaders Call for Zero-Emission Strategies at Ports (Marcelo Norsworthy – EDF)
      http://blogs.edf.org
    • Appeals court sides with EPA on air pollution limits (My Fox Houston)
      www.myfoxhouston.com
    • EPA announces its Clean Water Rule (Dana Cole – San Pedro Valley Benson News)
      www.bensonnews-sun.com
    • 84th Legislative Session Recap (Adrian Shelley – airCurrent News)
      http://airalliancehouston.org
  • 1 June
    • Re-enactors bring the past to life (Texas Parks & Wildlife)
      http://tpwmagazine.com
    • A Neighborhood Apart: A Corpus Christi highway project threatens to sever a community already devastated by industry. (Priscila Mosqueda – Texas Observer)
      www.texasobserver.org
    • Anglers satisfy an innate urge to hit targets while sight-casting for redfish (David Sikes – Texas Parks & Wildlife)
      http://tpwmagazine.com
    • United States, Mexico and Cuba collaborate on marine life issues. (Texas Parks & Wildlife)
      http://tpwmagazine.com
    • From the Pen of Carter P. Smith (Texas Parks & Wildlife)
      http://tpwmagazine.com
    • Anheuser-Busch halts beer production to package water for Texas flood victims (Meghan Giannotta – Newsday)
      www.newsday.com
    • Water recycling costs coming down in South Texas (Jennifer Hiller – Fuel Fix)
      http://fuelfix.com
    • EPA announces $54.3 million in Brownfields grants (Industry News)
      http://news.thomasnet.com
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