ECONOTES 2012-07-23: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region

Featured

1. Changing the plans – America’s oil capital is throwing up a few environmental surprises (The Economist, 07/14/2012)
   Houston has come a long way in a few years, transforming slowly into a more environmentally-conscious city. More than half the cars in the official city fleet are hybrid or electric; a bike-sharing program began in May; and about a third of Houston’s power comes Texan wind farms.
   http://www.economist.com/
2. Sarnoff: Green houses for less green inside Loop (Nancy Sarnoff – Houston Chronicle, 07/20/2012)
   Avenue Community Development Corp., a nonprofit specializing in affordable housing, is developing a collection of energy-efficient homes in the near north side priced between $166,000 and $185,000 – arguably a bargain inside the Loop. The homes are expected to receive certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Homes program.
   http://www.chron.com/
3. Students Build Bat House To Combat Mosquitoes In Green And Efficient Way (Pat Hernandez – KUHF News, 07/17/2012)
   Recent rains and high temperatures have brought a lot of mosquitoes. College interns at the Houston Zoo have found an environmentally-friendly way to reduce the mosquito population: build a bat house. In addition to eating large numbers of mosquitoes each night, bats act as pollinators.
   http://app1.kuhf.org/

EcoNotes

• 23 July
  • The Drought Killed Texas Trees, But Not How You Might Think (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  • EPA to review mercury rule on new power plants (Timothy Gardner – Planet Ark News)
    http://planetark.org/
• 20 July
  • Let’s make the switch to natural gas (T. Boone Pickens – Houston Chronicle)
    http://www.chron.com/
  • Please Welcome Our New Algae Overlords (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  • Texas drought update: not out of the woods yet (Danielle Kalisek – Texas Water Resources Institute)
    http://twri.tamu.edu/
  • Water conservation tips can save homeowners water and money (Alejandra Arreola-Triana – Texas Water Resources Institute)
    http://twri.tamu.edu/
  •  Local water suppliers continue to deal with drought consequences (Kathy Wythe – Texas Water Resources Institute)
    http://twri.tamu.edu/
  • ‘Why Do You Hate Jobs?’ Stephen Colbert Grills the EPA (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
• 19 July
  • A View From the Tipping Point: The ‘Switch’ for Energy’s Future (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  • Greenpeace Ad (Guidry News)
    http://www.guidrynews.com/
  • Drought Update: The Week the Rains Came to Texas (Daniel Ramirez – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  • EPA Provides $950,000 to Improve Water Quality Using Green Infrastructure in 17 Communities (EPA News)
    http://yosemite.epa.gov/
  • Pay increase approved for one county employee (Amber Gonzales – The Sealy News)
    http://www.sealynews.com/
• 18 July
  • Editorial: Buffalo Bayou Park should be easier to get to (Houston Chronicle)
    http://www.chron.com/
  • Climate change link to 2011 drought, heat? 3 studies say yes in mixed verdict (Texas Climate News)
    http://texasclimatenews.org/
  • Environmental Groups Pitch $500M Recovery Plan For Gulf Oil Spill (Andrew Schneider – KUHF News)
    http://app1.kuhf.org/
  • How to Score a Free Toilet in Texas: The Water Rebate Round-Up (Daniel Ramirez – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  • Railroad Commission Takes a Step Towards Closing the Revolving Door (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  • Manvel Council hears about recycling program (Judy Zavalla – Alvin Sun Advertiser)
    http://alvinsun.net/
• 17 July
  • Students Build Bat House To Combat Mosquitoes In Green And Efficient Way (Pat Hernandez – KuHF News)
    http://app1.kuhf.org/
  • Not Enough: Even Higher Price for Electricity Urged for Texas (Dave Fehling – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  • What We Learned About Water in Texas at the ‘Life By the Drop’ Panel (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
• 16 July
  • Why a Bunch of Kids Are Suing the TCEQ (Sheyda Aboii)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  • Austin’s Green Building Incubator: A Look at the Pecan Street Project (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  • Natural gas glut a dilemma for Obama (Jennifer A. Dlouhy – Houston Chronicle)
    http://www.chron.com/
• 15 July
  • Growing water needs pit agriculture against recreation (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
    http://www.chron.com/
• 14 July
  • Changing the plans – America’s oil capital is throwing up a few environmental surprises (The Economist)
    http://www.economist.com/
• 13 July
  • How Parks and Green Infrastructure Protect Public Health (The Trust for Public Land)
    http://www.tpl.org/
  • City to look at expanding water supply (Mike Morris – Houston Chronicle)
    http://www.chron.com/
  • Texas judge backs environmentalists on “Public Trust Doctrine” and climate (Texas Climate News)
    http://texasclimatenews.org/
• 8 July
  • Sarnoff: Green houses for less green inside Loop (Nancy Sarnoff – Houston Chronicle)
    http://www.chron.com/
  • Texas Seeks New Water Supplies Amid Drought (John Burnett – NPR)
    https://www.npr.org/
  • South Texas farmers hobbled by lack of rain (William Pack – Houston Chronicle)
    http://www.chron.com/