In the weeks after Hurricane Harvey’s catastrophic sweep through the Houston area, fifteen hundred miles west in the high desert city of Palmdale, NASA scientists were preparing to fly a DC-8, equipped with the world’s most sophisticated air samplers over the hurricane zone to monitor pollution levels. However, when both the state of Texas and the EPA told the scientists to stay away, they were stunned as many of them had flown similar missions in the past, including over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. latimes.com

“The National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas, encompasses 100 acres of subtropical bushlands along the banks of the Rio Grande. It’s a refuge for more than 200 species of pollinating butterflies, as well as thousands of other species – flowers, birds, mammals and countless other insects. The administration’s plan to build a border wall through the sanctuary will effectively destroy it.” houstonchronicle.com

“The ink already spilled over the Green New Deal from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey is enough to make your head spin. The resolution itself tries to address many issues: not just climate change, but also concerns about income inequality, jobs, health care, minority communities, labor rights, other environmental concerns and infrastructure. These other issues aside, the climate goals in the resolution are pointed in the right direction, not just for the nation as a whole, but for Houston, as well. In fact, with one minor tweak, the Green New Deal could help spur growth and innovation in the energy industry that calls Houston home.” houstonchronicle.com