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September 13, 2015

Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region: September 13, 2015

Feaured

  1. Guess who’s taking the LEED in Houston office tower design from downtown to the Galleria (Elizabeth Rhodes – Culture Map Houston, 9/11/2015)
    “Whether you know it or not, we live in one of the Top 5 U.S. cities for the highest percentage of green commercial space in its Central Business District, which is considered to be downtown in Houston. While the city generally ranks quite high for commercial green spaces, Houston really stands out in terms of LEED certified buildings. According to the 2015 Green Building Adoption Index, the city ranks fourth in the nation for the percentage of square feet of LEED certified buildings with just over 32 percent of buildings, 268 total, certified.”
    http://houston.culturemap.com
  2. Monitoring project begins in Galena Park (Adrian Shelley – airCurrent News, 9/9/2015)
    “This week Air Alliance Houston begins a new monitoring project in Galena Park. Together with our partners the Environmental Integrity Project, Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services, and Environmental Defense Fund, we will test the passive sorbent tube monitors that the Environmental Protection Agency has proposed for use in monitoring benzene at the fenceline of oil and gas refineries. We are assisted by the EPA’s Office of Research and Development, which has guided us through the process of developing a monitoring plan.”
    http://airalliancehouston.org
  3. One Deadly Pollutant Persists In A Fast-Growing Houston Suburb (Dave Fehling – Houston Public Media, 9/10/2015)
    “In Fort Bend County, one of the biggest industries is the W.A. Parish Power Plant, owned by NRG. It burns thousands of tons of coal a day to make electricity. The big plant lies eight miles south of Rosenberg which is where Richard Morrison, a Fort Bend County commissioner, was talking to a reporter. He explained that the plant is a benefit for his constituents who are on tight budgets… It’s a health concern because burning coal to make electricity also makes huge amounts of air pollution. The federal Environmental Protection Agency has been after power plants for years to reduce that pollution. And they have. But in a report being released today, the Sierra Club is bringing attention to a pollutant that persists: sulfur dioxide. The environmental group says it used computer models to crunch NRG’s own data and found that the Parish plant is emitting sulfur dioxide in excess of government standards. The group says the plant produces eight times the sulfur dioxide as is generated by all the oil refineries in the Houston area combined.”
    www.houstonpublicmedia.org

EcoNotes

  • 13 September
    • Summer 2015- Big Thicket National Preserve Field Research Station (Thicket of Diversity)
      PR- 2015 ToD
  • 12 September
    • Bird observatory anticipates flurry of activity at Hummingbird Xtravaganza (Ian Goodrum – The Facts)
      http://thefacts.com
  • 11 September
    • Guess who’s taking the LEED in Houston office tower design from downtown to the Galleria (Elizabeth Rhodes – Culture Map Houston)
      http://houston.culturemap.com
    • County’s handling of coyotes upsets some Woodlands’ residents (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
      www.houstonchronicle.com
    • U.S. court finds EPA was wrong to approve Dow pesticide harmful to bees (Carey Gillam – Planet Ark News)
      http://planetark.org
    • Petroleum Industry Agrees to Dismiss Denton Lawsuit (Jordan Rudner – The Texas Tribune)
      www.texastribune.org
    • METRO Wants to Hear From You on HOT/HOV Lane Hours (Guidry News)
      http://guidrynews.com
    • Petroleum Industry Agrees to Dismiss Denton Lawsuit (Jordan Rudner – The Texas Tribune)
      www.texastribune.org
  • 10 September
    • One Deadly Pollutant Persists In A Fast-Growing Houston Suburb (Dave Fehling – Houston Public Media)
      www.houstonpublicmedia.org
    • Examiners: Company Not To Blame For North Texas Quakes (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
      www.texastribune.org
    • The Impact of the Decline in Oil Prices on the Economics, Politic and Oil Industry of Venezuela (Columbia)
      http://energypolicy.columbia.edu
    • House subcommittee OKs crude exports (Jennifer A. Dlouhy – San Antonio Express)
      www.expressnews.com
    • U.S. regulators’ biofuels plan to cost at the pump: industry study (Chris Prentice – Planet Ark News)
      http://planetark.org
  • 9 September
    • Texas toxic air emissions series wins fifth national journalism award (William Gray – The Center for Public Integrity)
      www.publicintegrity.org
    • Monitoring project begins in Galena Park (Adrian Shelley – airCurrent News)
      http://airalliancehouston.org
    • Texas Attorney General asking court to halt new water rule (Anthony J. Garcia – News Channel 25)
      www.kxxv.com
    • Water Board Moves to Resolve Reservoir Conflict (Kiah Collier – The Texas Tribune)
      www.texastribune.org
    • New Law May Not Thwart Hays County Water Project (Kiah Collier – The Texas Tribune)
      www.texastribune.org
    • Researchers Use Phages to Eradicate Disease Caused by Xylella Fastidiosa in Grapevines (Isabel Putinja – Olive Oil Times)
      www.oliveoiltimes.com
    • A 30-Year Quest for Trash-Free Seas (Nicholas Mallos – EarthShare)
      www.earthshare.org
  • 8 September
    • Fine particulate matter associated with slight increased mortality in Houston (Medical Press)
      http://medicalxpress.com
    • West Texas Company Fined in Deadly Oil Rig Explosion (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
      www.texastribune.org
    • Coal-Dependent Power Company Eyes West Texas Sun (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
      www.texastribune.org
    • Studies project soaring heat-index ‘danger days,’ AC demand in Texas (Bill Dawson – Texas Climate News)
      http://texasclimatenews.org
    • Why Fewer Atlantic Hurricanes May Not Lower Risk On Texas Coast (Dave Fehling – Houston Public Media)
      www.houstonpublicmedia.org
  • 5 September
    • Residents of Hill Country town upset about wind farm plan (James Osborne, Dallas Morning News – Houston Chronicle)
      www.houstonchronicle.com
  • 4 September
    • EPA Water Rule Applies to Texas After All (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
      www.texastribune.org
  • 3 September
  • 2 September
    • Well Explosion Could Put Pressure on Texas Regulators (Jim Malewitz – Trib+Water)
      www.texastribune.org
  • 1 September
    • Group Pitches $2.8 Billion Hurricane Protection Plan (Kiah Collier – Trib+Water)
      www.texastribune.org
  • 28 August

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