Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region: November 8, 2015
Featured
- New Texas House Committee to Examine EPA Rules (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune, 11/5/2015)
“A new Texas House committee will investigate how federal environmental rules affect the state and its economy. House Speaker Joe Straus on Thursday announced that the House Committee on Federal Environmental Regulation will examine a litany of new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency efforts that have roiled Texas leaders and industry. The rules include: the ‘Clean Power Plan,’ an effort to clarify the ‘Waters of the United States,’ a standard for smog-forming ozone and a crackdown on methane that wafts from oil and gas equipment.”
www.texastribune.org - Obama Rejects the Keystone XL Pipeline—And Secures His Environmental Legacy (Rebecca Leber – New Republic, 11/6/2015)
“President Barack Obama’s environmental legacy will be remembered for its series of firsts. He is the first president to limit carbon pollution from power plants, curb methane emissions, and broker a climate deal with China. But none of these achievements ever captured the public’s imagination like the Keystone XL pipeline. Obama secured his reputation as an environmentalist on Friday, announcing that his administration has officially rejected the Keystone XL pipeline.”
www.newrepublic.com - FEMA Sends Funds To Harris County For Better Flood Maps (Dave Fehling – Houston Public Media, 11/4/2015)
“Harris County Flood Control is among agencies in Texas getting a $200,000 share of $3 million in federal funds to update flood mapping. The online maps allow you to enter your address and see if you’re living in a flood zone. ‘By doing the mapping they can see that and can make a good decision on whether they might need flood insurance or not,’ said Terri Romine-Ortega, a public affairs official at FEMA’s office in Denton. With severe flooding having hit Texas over the Memorial Day holiday and again last weekend, she says it’s a reminder to think twice when neighbors say “don’t worry, we’ve never flooded before.'”
www.houstonpublicmedia.org
EcoNotes
- 6 November
- Obama Rejects the Keystone XL Pipeline—And Secures His Environmental Legacy (Rebecca Leber – New Republic)
www.newrepublic.com - Video: Obama Says Pipeline Not In US Interests (Andrew Schneider – Houston Public Media)
www.houstonpublicmedia.org - Roundup: HERO, Quakes and “In God We Trust” (Alana Rocha and Justin Dehn – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org - Feds Worry Power Giant Will Ditch Mine Cleanup (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org - Southwest Houston Residents Use Photography To Express Public Health Concerns (Syeda Hasan – Houston Public Media)
www.houstonpublicmedia.org - 44 states take sides in Clean Power Plan legal melee (Robert Walton – Utility Dive)
www.utilitydive.com - Texans Celebrate Arbor Day at Bush Presidential Library and Museum (KBTX)
www.kbtx.com - USDA dedicates $30mn to improve water quality (Argus)
www.argusmedia.com - New York investigating Exxon over climate statements: source (Natalie Grover, Sudarshan Varadhan, and Anna Driver – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org
- Obama Rejects the Keystone XL Pipeline—And Secures His Environmental Legacy (Rebecca Leber – New Republic)
- 5 November
- New Texas House Committee to Examine EPA Rules (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org - Texas cattle, land, forests also part of Paris conference climate agenda (Randy Lee Loftis – Texas Climate News)
http://texasclimatenews.org - TPW Commission Adopts Interim Deer Breeder Movement Rules (Texas Parks & Wildlife)
http://tpwd.texas.gov - Texas Game Warden Named Texas Wildlife Officer of the Year (Texas Parks & Wildlife)
http://tpwd.texas.gov - Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush Recognizes Texas Game Warden with OSPRA Award (Texas Parks & Wildlife)
http://tpwd.texas.gov - “Abandoned” by EPA: Landowners Demand Inclusion in EPA National Fracking Study (Sharon Kelly, DeSmogBlog – Truth-Out)
www.truth-out.org
- New Texas House Committee to Examine EPA Rules (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
- 4 November
- Texas Emissions Reduction Plan accepting grant applications (TCEQ News)
www.tceq.state.tx.us - Dangerous Ammonium Nitrate Fertilizer Losing Favor In Texas (Dave Fehling – StateImpact)
https://stateimpact.npr.org - FEMA Sends Funds To Harris County For Better Flood Maps (Dave Fehling – Houston Public Media)
www.houstonpublicmedia.org - Hidden Pines Fire Impacts Buescher and Bastrop State Parks (Texas Parks & Wildlife)
http://tpwd.texas.gov - TCEQ Approves Fines Totaling $749,544 (TCEQ News)
www.tceq.state.tx.us - Texas’ Attorney General, Governor Could Learn from Fellow Republicans on Clean Power Plan (Jim Marston – EDF)
http://blogs.edf.org - Air Liquide Breaks Ground for New Air Separation Unit in Beaumont, Texas (Nasdaq Globe Newswire)
http://globenewswire.com - The huge paradox at the heart of how people think about environmental risks (Chelsea Harvey – The Washington Post)
www.washingtonpost.com
- Texas Emissions Reduction Plan accepting grant applications (TCEQ News)
- 3 November
- Record Rainfall in Texas Results in Widespread Flooding and Property Damage (WebWire)
www.webwire.com - Road bond OK’d on 3rd try (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
www.houstonchronicle.com - Montgomery County road bond leading early (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
www.chron.com - ERCOT Expects To Meet Peak Winter Electric Demands (Ed Mayberry – Houston Public Media)
www.houstonpublicmedia.org - Equity Summit 2015 (airCurrent News)
http://airalliancehouston.org - Pasadena Mapping Workshop Continues (Adrian Shelley – airCurrent News)
http://airalliancehouston.org - Dangerous Ammonium Nitrate Fertilizer Losing Favor In Texas (Dave Fehling – Houston Public Media)
www.houstonpublicmedia.org - Drought declines to 15 percent in Texas: region receives significant rainfall (Ron Smith – Southwest Farm Press)
http://southwestfarmpress.com - NASA finds new way to track ocean currents from space (Carol Rasmussen – Phys.org)
http://phys.org - Porsche and Audi pulled into VW emissions scandal (Patrick Rucker and Timothy Gardner – Planet Ark News)
http://planetark.org - Senate blocks legislation undercutting clean water rules (Mary Clare Jalonick – The Orange County Register)
www.ocregister.com - The construction of the most contested oil pipeline between Canada and the US just got delayed again (Reuters and Jeremy Berke – Business Insider)
www.businessinsider.com
- Record Rainfall in Texas Results in Widespread Flooding and Property Damage (WebWire)
- 2 November
- Bayou activists decry overflows of sewage (Doug Miller – KHOU News)
www.khou.com - If There Is Water on Mars, Who Gets to Use It? (Rhett Larson – Slate)
www.slate.com - Cracking the problem of river growth (Jennifer Chu – MIT News)
http://news.mit.edu
- Bayou activists decry overflows of sewage (Doug Miller – KHOU News)
- 1 November
- In Red River Dispute, “A Cloud Over This Land” (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org - Sam Houston Trails Coalition awarded matching funds for sustainable trail maintenance (David Renninger – The Huntsville Item)
www.itemonline.com - This is what El Ni̱o will do to the global economy (Ben Moshinsky РBusiness Insider)
www.businessinsider.com
- In Red River Dispute, “A Cloud Over This Land” (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
- 31 October
- Environmental groups, city officials battle over proposed Buffalo Bayou project (Jonathan Garris – The Leader News)
http://theleadernews.com
- Environmental groups, city officials battle over proposed Buffalo Bayou project (Jonathan Garris – The Leader News)
- 30 October
- Trails to be expanded, improved in Sam Houston National Forest (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
www.chron.com - Texas congressman in standoff with NOAA over subpoenaed climate records (Texas Climate News)
http://texasclimatenews.org - Texas Bans Oyster Harvesting On Gulf Coast (Ed Mayberry – Houston Public Media)
www.houstonpublicmedia.org - USGS Crews Measure Record Flooding in Central Texas (USGS)
www.usgs.gov - Texas congressman in standoff with NOAA over subpoenaed climate records (Texas Climate News)
http://texasclimatenews.org - There are probably tiny pieces of plastic waste in your table salt (Richard Macauley – Quartz)
http://qz.com
- Trails to be expanded, improved in Sam Houston National Forest (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
- 29 October
- Environmental Consultant Gets More Work from Texas (Neena Satija – Trib+Water)
www.texastribune.org - On Quakes, Regulator Sides with Energy Companies (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
www.texastribune.org - Port of Houston Authority announces 45-foot deep-draft container terminal (Guidry News)
www.guidrynews.com
- Environmental Consultant Gets More Work from Texas (Neena Satija – Trib+Water)
- 26 October
- Texas wind, showcased in Obama’s business climate pledge, reaches milestone (Texas Climate News)
http://texasclimatenews.org
- Texas wind, showcased in Obama’s business climate pledge, reaches milestone (Texas Climate News)
- 21 October
- Riders hopeful for bike-friendly West Alabama (Andrew Kragie – Houston Chronicle)
www.chron.com - Coffee with Impact: Transportation Officials – Local leaders discuss bonds, projects (Christopher Shelton – Community Impact Newspaper)
http://communityimpact.com
- Riders hopeful for bike-friendly West Alabama (Andrew Kragie – Houston Chronicle)