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April 17, 2016

Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region: April 17, 2015

Featured

  1. Texans in Congress Largely Silent on Hurricane Protection (Neena Satija and Kiah Collier – The Texas Tribune, 4/17/2016)
    “After nearly a decade of bickering and finger pointing, Texas scientists and lawmakers finally seem to agree that building some version of a ‘coastal spine’ — a massive seawall and floodgate system — would best help protect the Houston region from a devastating hurricane. But with a price tag sure to reach into the billions, the spine will almost certainly require a massive infusion of federal money, state officials agree. Whether Texas’ congressional delegation has the political backbone to deliver the cash remains to be seen.”
    www.texastribune.org
  2. TPWD to Standardize Zebra Mussel Classification System (Texas Parks & Wildlife, 4/11/2016)
    “Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is updating its system of classifying zebra mussel presence in lakes to better describe the level of impact and align with standards used by other state and federal agencies. The new standards classify lakes as: 1) Suspect if there is one verified detection of zebra mussels; 2) Positive if there are multiple or repeated detections; and 3) Infested if the water body has an established, reproducing population. Currently, six Texas lakes are classified as infested with zebra mussels: Texoma, Ray Roberts, Lewisville, Bridgeport, Dean Gilbert (a small lake in Sherman) and Belton. Lakes Waco and Lavon, which were previously classified as infested due to repeated detection of zebra mussels or their larvae, have been reclassified as positive under the new system because there is no evidence of a reproducing population.”
    http://tpwd.texas.gov
  3. Big Sit! an Easy, Fun Way to Participate in the Great Texas Birding Classic (Texas Parks & Wildlife, 4/14/2016)
    “The 20th annual Great Texas Birding Classic kicks off this Friday, April 15. If you missed signing up this year, you still have a chance to participate by joining a Big Sit! team at one of twenty-two birding sites near you. Often called a ‘tailgate party for birders,’ the Big Sit! is one of eleven different categories within the Birding Classic tournament. Teams participating in the Big Sit! watch and listen over a 24-hour period to identify bird species while remaining within a 17-foot diameter circle. All of the sites listed below are hosting Big Sit! teams and have invited the public to join them, giving them extra eyes and ears in the field looking for birds to list.”
    http://tpwd.texas.gov

For a list of some of the exciting news articles in the past week, read on!

EcoNotes

  • 17 April
    • Texans in Congress Largely Silent on Hurricane Protection (Neena Satija and Kiah Collier – The Texas Tribune)
      www.texastribune.org
  • 15 April
    • Environmental Professionals Hear How Over-Compliance Costs Industry Millions (Texas Environmental News)
      www.texasenvironmentalnews.com
    • The outcry over EPA’s proposed racing ban (Jim Motavalli – Mother Nature Network)
      www.mnn.com
    • Energy Resource Technology: Three years probation, $4 million fine for safety and environmental breaches (Nicolas Torres – Petro Global News)
      http://petroglobalnews.com
    • NWCG meets at TFS to discuss future of wildland fire leadership (Texas A&M Forest Service)
      http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu
  • 14 April
    • Big Sit! an Easy, Fun Way to Participate in the Great Texas Birding Classic (Texas Parks & Wildlife)
      http://tpwd.texas.gov
    • Texas Game Wardens Honored at Annual Law Enforcement Awards (Texas Parks & Wildlife)
      http://tpwd.texas.gov
    • Lake Alan Henry Breaks ShareLunker Drought (Texas Parks & Wildlife)
      http://tpwd.texas.gov
    • In Texas Drilling Country, Oil Plunge Means Too Many Rooms at the Inn (Jim Malewitz and Lauren Flannery – The Texas Tribune)
      www.texastribune.org
    • 10 Billion Pounds of Chemicals Injected Underground in Texas for Fracking (Environment Texas)
      www.environmenttexas.org
    • Fracking by the numbers – The Damage to Our Water, Land and Climate from a Decade of Dirty Drilling (Environment Texas)
      www.environmenttexas.org
    • Fracking’s Total Environmental Impact Is Staggering, Report Finds (Samantha Page – Climate Progress)
      http://thinkprogress.org
    • Feds: EPA failing to protect water (Daily Journal of Commerce)
      www.djc.com
    • NOAA Fisheries Seeks Public Comment on a Proposed Extension of the Gulf of Mexico Commercial Shrimp Permit Moratorium (Southeast Fishery Bulletin)
      http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov
  • 13 April
    • Study: Oil Activity May Be Cause of East Texas Quakes (Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune)
      www.texastribune.org
    • Environmental excellence awards announced in Texas (Environ.BLR.com)
      http://enviro.blr.com
    • Environmental groups file lawsuit over pollution from U.S. aircraft (Valerie Volcovici – Planet Ark News)
      http://planetark.org
    • 2 Workers Killed, 1 Hurt In South Texas Pipeline Accident (Houston Public Media)
      www.houstonpublicmedia.org
  • 12 April
  • 11 April
    • Researchers Study Smart Water Use Through New Garden (Carlos E. Morales – KWBU News)
      http://kwbu.org
    • TPWD to Standardize Zebra Mussel Classification System (Texas Parks & Wildlife)
      http://tpwd.texas.gov
    • Toyota Texas Bass Classic Announces 2016 Angler Field (Texas Parks & Wildlife)
      http://tpwd.texas.gov
  • 8 April
    • Environmentalists: Saturated markets can’t sustain more LNG export terminals (San Antonio Business Journal)
      www.bizjournals.com
    • 35 countries cutting the link between economic growth and emissions (Sophie Yeo and Simon Evans – Texas Climate News)
      http://texasclimatenews.org
  • 7 April
    • Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board to enhance and restore Monarch Butterfly habitat (The Potpourri)
      www.yourhoustonnews.com
  • 6 April
    • Polls yield more signs that Republican opinions on climate are shifting (Bill Dawson – Texas Climate News)
      http://texasclimatenews.org
  • 24 February
    • Innovative Irrigation Saves Water, Boosts Yields in Ogallala Aquifer Region (USDA News)
      http://blogs.usda.gov