Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region: October 25, 2015
Featured
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Report: Texas already on path to meeting most Clean Power Plan goals (Jordan Blum – FuelFix, October 14, 2015)
The federal government’s proposed Clean Power Plan would have relatively minimal impacts on Texas because the state is already on track to meet 88 percent of the carbon emission reduction goals by 2030, according to a new study released by the non-profit Environmental Defense Fund.. http://fuelfix.com/
See also:Â ERCOT Report Confirms Texas Well-Positioned to Comply with Clean Power Plan, but Press Release Misleads -
Harris County bond proposals in November impact our trail systems
(Greater Houston Offroad Biking Association}
“This November, voters will have a chance to make a difference in their communities with a bond vote.  Two propositions in particular will impact our natural surface trail systems.
Proposition 1: $700 million for roadway projects, to include roadways and bridges.
Proposition 2: $60 million for parks and trails expansions
Proposition 3: $24 million for a new animal shelter.
Proposition 4: $64 million for Harris County Flood Control projects, including flood mitigation projects and new acquisitions for land, which can be used for parks and trails.” More info on the Bonds: here.
http://ghorba.org/articles/advocacy/harris-county-bond-proposals-november-impact-our-trail-systems - National agreement that climate is changing hits all-time high in UT poll (Texas Climate News, 10/22/2015)
“Federal scientists who track temperature readings announced Wednesday that it’s now all but certain 2015 will end up replacing 2014 as the planet’s hottest year on record – that is, since 1880. Last month was the hottest September in the historical record and this year’s first nine months were the hottest January-to-September period, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration added. The drumbeat of such announcements in recent years may help explain the results of the latest University of Texas Energy Poll, released on Tuesday. The twice-a-year UT Energy Poll’s national findings in September included its highest numbers yet representing public agreement that climate change is occurring – 76 percent said it is, while only 14 said it isn’t. Another 10 percent weren’t sure.”
http://texasclimatenews.org
EcoNotes
- 25 October
- Hurricanes cause more economic havoc as world warms, economists conclude (Tim Radford – Texas Climate News)
http://texasclimatenews.org
- Hurricanes cause more economic havoc as world warms, economists conclude (Tim Radford – Texas Climate News)
- 24 October
- Audio: Fights and Flights Behind the Texas Space Race (Neena Satija – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org
- Audio: Fights and Flights Behind the Texas Space Race (Neena Satija – The Texas Tribune)
- 23 October
- Texas Part of Coalition Suing EPA Over Clean Power Plan (Kiah Collier – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org - Texans to Decide on Transportation Funding with Prop 7 (Lugman Adeniyi – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org - The fights and flights behind the new Texas space race (Julián Aguilar, Bobby Blanchard, and Neena Satija – The Texas Tribune)
http://apps.texastribune.org - 81 Million Reasons METRO Is on Right Track and Easing Commutes (METRO)
http://content.govdelivery.com - EPA Finalizes Clean Power Plan, Clock Starts On Lawsuits (Iris Duncan – Forex Report Daily)
http://forexreportdaily.com - EPA’s clean-power initiative under renewed attack by states (IBJ)
www.ibj.com - U.S. moves ahead with carbon rule as 25 states prepare to sue (Valerie Volcovici – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org - Oil production possibly linked to Oklahoma quakes since 1930s: USGS (Heide Brandes – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org
- Texas Part of Coalition Suing EPA Over Clean Power Plan (Kiah Collier – The Texas Tribune)
- 22 October
- National agreement that climate is changing hits all-time high in UT poll (Texas Climate News)
http://texasclimatenews.org - Pollination Station Arrives (Suzanne Jurek – Houston Zoo)
www.houstonzoo.org - In D.C., Texans Continue to Question Ozone Science (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org - How Dow Protects Its Business Assets Using Nature (Environmental Leader)
www.environmentalleader.com - Senate committee set to examine GMO labeling law (Carey Gillam – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org
- National agreement that climate is changing hits all-time high in UT poll (Texas Climate News)
- 21 October
- Can Houston Preserve Green Space Alongside Rapid Growth? (Syeda Hasan – Houston Public Media)
www.houstonpublicmedia.org - Report: Texas Makes Strides in Energy Efficiency (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org - Texans Seem to be Happier With Electric Companies (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org - Complaining Customers Getting More Refunds From Texas Electricity Retailers (Dave Fehling – Houston Public Media)
www.houstonpublicmedia.org - University of Texas-led team awarded $15m grant for switchgrass biofuel research (Biofuels International)
http://biofuels-news.com - EPA’s final climate rule made compliance easier for some state regulators, harder for others (Elizabeth Harball – E&E Publishing)
www.eenews.net - Can a bankruptcy court cut coal pollution in Texas? Green groups say yes (Mike Lee and Edward Klump – E&E Publishing)
www.eenews.net
- Can Houston Preserve Green Space Alongside Rapid Growth? (Syeda Hasan – Houston Public Media)
- 20 October
- Tours of four homes to tout solar power (Annette Baird – Houston Chronicle)
http://m.chron.com - Planned Pollution: LyondellBasell schedules maintenance, and air pollution, in Pasadena (Adrian Shelley – airCurrent News)
http://airalliancehouston.org - New state plan looks at Texas security dangers (Matthew Waller – Times Record News)
www.timesrecordnews.com - Doubled Capacity and Plan for New Grand Parkway Garage Readied by METRO (Jo-Carolyn Goode – Houston Style Magazine)
http://stylemagazine.com - Central Texas Fire Evacuees Allowed Back Home (Ed Mayberry – Houston Public Media)
www.houstonpublicmedia.org - Plenty Of Oil And Gas Flows In Texas Pipelines, But Money For Safety Research? (Dave Fehling – Houston Public Media)
www.houstonpublicmedia.org - Majority of Texans support local control of fracking, UT poll shows (Star-Telegram)
www.star-telegram.com - How we are all contributing to the destruction of coral reefs: Sunscreen (Darryl Fears – The Washington Post)
www.washingtonpost.com - Construction finally getting underway on I-45 HOV lanes to Conroe (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
www.houstonchronicle.com - Railroads asking for more time to adopt a key safety measure (Jennifer A. Dlouhy, Hearst Washington Bureau – San Antonio Express-News)
www.expressnews.com - NOAA Seeks Comments on Rule to Withhold Gulf Commercial Red Snapper Quota (The Fishing Wire)
www.thefishingwire.com
- Tours of four homes to tout solar power (Annette Baird – Houston Chronicle)
- 19 October
- Harris County to Paxton: We’re Still Suing Volkswagen (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org - Texas A&M Forest Service Celebrates 100 Years of Service with 100 Trees to 100 Communities (Texas A&M AgriLife)
http://agrilife.org - The Growth of the Water Beat (Circle of Blue)
www.circleofblue.org - Researchers accidently find industrial waste, orange peel material sucks mercury out of water (Lucy Carter – ABC News)
www.abc.net.au - State Pulls Together To Fight Bastrop County’s Hidden Pines Fire (Ed Mayberry – Houston Public Media)
www.houstonpublicmedia.org - On Edge Of Houston, Underground Caverns Store Huge Quantities Of Natural Gas Liquids (Dave Fehling – Houston Public Media)
www.houstonpublicmedia.org - A Case Study of Climate Change vs. Human Activity (Sindya N. Bhanoo – The New York Times)
www.nytimes.com - Creating corals that can survive climate change (Dennis Hollier – The Washington Post)
www.washingtonpost.com
- Harris County to Paxton: We’re Still Suing Volkswagen (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
- 16 October
- Interest Builds In Giving Farmers Credit For Growing Green (Grant Gerlock – WAMU 88.5)
https://wamu.org - Sustainability Fest Adding Several New Features This Year (Richard Zagrzecki – University of Houston)
www.uh.edu - Can Cities Stop Runaway Climate Change? (Jen Kinney – Next City)
https://nextcity.org
- Interest Builds In Giving Farmers Credit For Growing Green (Grant Gerlock – WAMU 88.5)
- 15 October
- This bikini will clean up any toxic chemicals you happen to swim through (Katie Herzog – Grist)
http://grist.org - This new biosensor can detect water contamination as it happens (David Nield – Science Alert)
www.sciencealert.com - Analysts warn ending crude ban may not change much (Jennifer A. Dlouhy, Washington Bureau – San Antonio Express-News)
www.expressnews.com
- This bikini will clean up any toxic chemicals you happen to swim through (Katie Herzog – Grist)
- 14 October
- Texas can easily meet EPA’s CO2 rules — and cash in, too, EDF report says (Texas Climate News)
http://texasclimatenews.org - Houston Tomorrow honors leaders working toward making this area a better place to live (Shelby Hodge – Culture Map Houston)
http://houston.culturemap.com - High Court Might Clarify Water and Surface Rights (Kiah Collier – Trib+Water)
www.texastribune.org - New Questions Face San Antonio Water Pipeline (Neena Satija and Kiah Collier – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org - Amendment aims to boost transportation funding statewide (Shawn Arrajj – Community Impact)
https://communityimpact.com - How Autonomous Vehicles Will Change the Built Environment (Jared Green – The Dirt)
http://dirt.asla.org
- Texas can easily meet EPA’s CO2 rules — and cash in, too, EDF report says (Texas Climate News)
- 13 October
- EPA Recognizes Texas A&M Agrilife (Sustainable City Network)
www.sustainablecitynetwork.com
- EPA Recognizes Texas A&M Agrilife (Sustainable City Network)
- 12 October
- UH Launches Program to Promote Energy Intelligence (University of Houston)
www.uh.edu
- UH Launches Program to Promote Energy Intelligence (University of Houston)
- 9 October
- To Paxton’s Cheers, Court Blocks EPA Clean Water Rule (Jim Malewitz and Kiah Collier – Trib+Water)
www.texastribune.org
- To Paxton’s Cheers, Court Blocks EPA Clean Water Rule (Jim Malewitz and Kiah Collier – Trib+Water)
- 1 October
- Adorable baby bobcats returned to wild near Houston (Dylan Baddour – Houston Chronicle)
www.chron.com
- Adorable baby bobcats returned to wild near Houston (Dylan Baddour – Houston Chronicle)
- 29 September
- Styrofoam-Eating Mealworms Could Happily Dispose of Plastic Waste (Devin Coldewey – NBC News)
www.nbcnews.com
- Styrofoam-Eating Mealworms Could Happily Dispose of Plastic Waste (Devin Coldewey – NBC News)