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April 3, 2016

Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region: April 3, 2015

Featured

  1. The Way We Currently Monitor Air Pollution Near the Ship Channel Sucks, Researchers Say (Dianna Wray – Houston Press, 3/28/2016)
    “Houston is the petrochemical epicenter of the United States, possibly the world. Yet we have no idea what chemicals the people who live near the industrial tangle of pipelines, train tracks, refineries and chemical plants along the Houston Ship Channel have to breathe in every day, according to new research from the Houston Advanced Research Center. For years, people have said that Houston, one of the most heavily polluted cities in the United States, is also one of the cities with the heaviest monitoring of air quality in the country. Between the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, local governments and private industry, there are supposed to be more than 140 different kinds of air pollution monitors measuring the amounts of different chemicals wafting through the air all over the city, according to a recent study. (Private companies are allowed to self-report their emissions levels.) In fact, it’s claimed that Houston has more air pollution monitors than any other city in the United States and possibly the world, according to one study published in January 2015. But despite what industry and government officials say, we know very little about what’s being emitted in the neighborhoods around refineries, according  to Jay Olaguer, the program director for air quality science at HARC.”
    www.houstonpress.com
  2. Harris County Builds Basins Along Greens Bayou For Flood Prevention (Al Ortiz – Houston Public Media, 4/1/2016)
    “The Greens Bayou Corridor Coalition held its annual meeting this week in Houston. Several projects are under way to protect people and property near that waterway, which has been historically prone to floods. One of the worst floods happened in 2001 during Tropical Storm Allison. Twenty two people died in Houston and the storm caused more than $5 billion in property damage, mostly in southeast Texas and southern Louisiana. That’s why detention basins are useful, and the Greens Bayou Corridor Coalition has been advocating for them for several years. Its efforts are having results. Currently, the federal government is building a basin close to the section of the bayou that runs along West Greens Road, in north Houston.”
    www.houstonpublicmedia.org
  3. What do low oil prices mean for the climate? It’s not a simple question (Randy Lee Loftis – Texas Climate News, 3/28/2016)
    “When oil prices go down, climate questions come up. Some people ask if cheaper oil means more driving and more emissions of climate-warming carbon dioxide. Others want to know if it means the magic is fading from our century-long affair with gasoline. Still others wonder whether seemingly mysterious hikes and dips in oil prices mean much of anything over decades of climate concerns. In Texas, some intriguing numbers on gasoline and driving might challenge some assumptions.”
    http://texasclimatenews.org

EcoNotes

  • 1 April
    • Harris County Builds Basins Along Greens Bayou For Flood Prevention (Al Ortiz – Houston Public Media)
      www.houstonpublicmedia.org
  • 31 March
    • Two Texas A&M-led projects selected as part of White House Water Summit (Texas Water Resources Institute)
      http://twri.tamu.edu
    • Campana discusses water management approaches at Texas A&M Water Daze (Leslie Lee – Texas Water Resources Institute)
      http://twri.tamu.edu
    • Texas A&M Science to Induct Three into Academy of Distinguished Former Students (Texas A&M University)
      www.science.tamu.edu
    • In South Texas County, an Investment in Survival (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
      www.texastribune.org
    • Texas girl, 11, signs sweet deal with Whole Foods to sell her lemonade brand (Molly Crane-Newman – Daily News)
      www.nydailynews.com
    • Supreme Court sympathetic to property owner in wetlands dispute (Lawrence Hurley – Planet Ark News)
      http://planetark.org
    • METRO is Your Best Shot for NCAA Final Four Events (METRO)
      https://content.govdelivery.com
  • 30 March
    • House Select Committee on Federal Environmental Regulation meets (Adrian Shelley – airCurrent News)
      http://airalliancehouston.org
    • Federal disaster recovery centers open after Texas flooding (News Channel 10)
      www.newschannel10.com
    • Mysterious Death Uncovers Risk In Federal Oil Field Rules (Emily Guerin – Houston Public Media)
      www.houstonpublicmedia.org
    • EPA recognizes Boma International with 2016 Energy Star Parnter of the Year Sustained Excellence Award (Real Estate Rama)
      www.realestaterama.com
    • U.S. FTC sues Volkswagen over diesel advertising claims (Davi Shepardson – Planet Ark News)
      http://planetark.org
    • Probe of Exxon’s climate change disclosures expands (Sarah N. Lynch and Valerie Volcovici – Planet Ark News)
      http://planetark.org
    • Terminix to pay $10 million for pesticide misuse: Justice Department (Eric Beech – Planet Ark News)
      http://planetark.org
    • Natural Gas: The Next Great Energy-Efficiency Opportunity (Robert Fares – Scientific American)
      http://blogs.scientificamerican.com
  • 29 March
    • Even Fracking Fans Wonder Why the Feds Would Allow Drilling Under This Lake (Amy Martyn – Motherboard)
      http://motherboard.vice.com
    • Lawmakers Mull Tweaks to Eminent Domain Law to Favor Landowners (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
      www.texastribune.org
    • First, The EPA Came For The Navajo; Next, They’re Coming For Everyone (Chuck DeVore – The Federalist)
      http://thefederalist.com
    • USGS revises seismic risk map to include quakes caused by humans (Liz Hampton in Houston, Valerie Volcovici Washington, and Jessica Resnick-Ault in New York – Planet Ark News)
      http://planetark.org
    • GMO labels spread as U.S. congressional effort to halt them fades (Lisa Baertlein – Planet Ark News)
      http://planetark.org
  • 28 March
    • The Way We Currently Monitor Air Pollution Near the Ship Channel Sucks, Researchers Say (Dianna Wray – Houston Press)
      www.houstonpress.com
    • What do low oil prices mean for the climate? It’s not a simple question (Randy Lee Loftis – Texas Climate News)
      http://texasclimatenews.org
    • Texas Considers Scrapping ‘Power To Choose’ Website Some Say Is Deceptive (Dave Fehling – Houston Public Media)
      www.houstonpublicmedia.org
    • A Paradigm Shift in Environmental Legal Services (Texas Environmental News)
      www.texasenvironmentalnews.com
    • Wild Sea Turtles Receive Care at Houston Zoo Vet Clinic (Houston Zoo Blog)
      www.houstonzoo.org
    • Do energy-efficient LED lights cause unexpected ecological damage? (Alexandra (Sasha) Wright – Phys.org)
      http://phys.org
    • EPA Honors DIRECTV with 2 ENERGY STAR® Awards (Houston Business Journal)
      www.bizjournals.com
    • Electric Car and Plug-In Hybrid Incentives in the USA – A Quick Guide (Sebastian Toma – Autoevolution)
      www.autoevolution.com
    • 5 things to know in Texas energy this week (Suzanne Edwards – Houston Business Journal)
      www.bizjournals.com
  • 25 March
  • 23 March
    • Furr students join hands-on effort to study waterfowl (Shannon Tompkins – Houston Chronicle)
      www.houstonchronicle.com
    • Schools compete to raise funds for pocket prairies (Lindsey Peyton – Houston Chronicle)
      www.chron.com
    • “Hotter, wetter, drier” – Scientists say temp records a view of the future (Bill Dawson – Texas Climate News)
      http://texasclimatenews.org
    • Houston Recycling Industry Concerned About Losing Curbside Glass Pickup (Florian Martin – Houston Public Media)
      www.houstonpublicmedia.org
  • 22 March
    • The scientist who first warned of climate change says it’s much worse than we thought (Amelia Urry – Grist)
      http://grist.org
  • 21 March
  • 17 March