Corps revises coastal barrier proposal, addressing environmental concerns

(Houston Chronicle, Nick Powell, Updated 08/19/19. Photo by Guiseppe Barranco.)

“A more environmentally-friendly gate across the mouth of Galveston Bay and a new alignment for a “ring barrier” protecting Galveston are among several revisions made by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to a coastal barrier proposal for the Houston-Galveston region. Some environmentalists are skeptical of the Corps’ estimated water flow reduction from the new gate design …

The transparent, incremental approach has pleased coastal residents, particularly after the initial backlash to the Corps’ original proposal last year. “

houstonchronicle.com

Doctors unaware of where their patients live impacts care

(Houston Chronicle, Todd Ackerman, Updated 08/13/19. Photo by Brett Coomer.)

“Family physicians have little idea where their patients actually live, according to a new study, and that’s a major shortcoming given recent evidence showing the health impact of a person’s environment.

“The idea of thinking about where patients live is radical because we’re not trained to ask for that information,” Dr. Winston Liaw, chair of the department of health systems and population health at UH’s College of Medicine,  said in a statement. “We need to get providers to integrate geography into their practice data and get them thinking about the health needs of specific communities,” Liaw said. “

houstonchronicle.com

Industry-led initiative’s data shows progress in tackling emissions

(Houston Chronicle, Matthew Todd and Vanessa Ryan, Updated 08/15/19. Photo by Carolyn Van Houten .)

“America’s natural gas and oil companies are executing multiple initiatives to reduce our environmental footprint while meeting demand for affordable energy. The trends are positive … In Texas, methane emissions relative to production in the Eagle Ford basin have been reduced by 65 percent while production has increased 130 percent …

The Environmental Partnership, launched one year ago, harnesses those individual environmental efforts into one groundbreaking collaborative project.

…”

houstonchronicle.com