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February 10, 2014

ECONOTES 2014-02-11: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region

Featured

  1. Texas to take over greenhouse gas permitting from EPA after long, bitter battle with feds (Ramit Plushnick-Masti – Associated Press, 2/4/2014)
    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency gave Texas authority over greenhouse gas permitting on Tuesday, ending a long, often bitter battle between the federal agency and the state. EPA’s administrator in Dallas, Ron Curry, said he signed the paperwork earlier Tuesday delegating authority over the program to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. It comes after months of negotiations concerning what the program would look like. There will be a 30-day public comment period on the program’s outline. Texas, the leading greenhouse gas producer in the U.S., had been the only state in 2010 that refused to meet new federal greenhouse gas emission rules, placing some of the nation’s largest refineries in operational limbo. The EPA, in an effort to ensure those facilities could continue to operate, has been directly issuing permits since 2011, assuming a role that has historically belonged to states. Last year, the Texas Legislature passed a law giving the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality the authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.
    http://hosted.ap.org
  2. Environmentalists to take aim at Exxon in court (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle, 2/7/2014) Frustrated with the regulatory response to Clean Air Act violations at the Baytown complex, Environment Texas and the Sierra Club will urge the court to intervene by ordering the Irving-based oil giant to comply with its permits and issuing stiff penalties. www.houstonchronicle.com
  3. New development, dog waste blamed for excessive bacteria in San Jacinto River (Cindy Horswell – Houston Chronicle, 2/9/2014)
    Many of those frolicking in San Jacinto’s west and east forks and a northern sliver of Lake Houston are unaware that these waterways have exceeded the state standard for bacteria contaminants – namely human and animal feces – since 2006. Environmentalists say the pollution could be a by-product of breakneck development as well as aging sewer pipes and septic systems, many of which may be seeping human waste into the river. Conditions, they add, could get worse before they get better. A new report prepared by the Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research forecasts the watershed’s population will more than double in the next two decades, increasing by nearly a quarter of a million people. Environmentalists say if the problem isn’t addressed, the bacteria count could multiply and spread.
    www.houstonchronicle.com
  4. Three schools receive recognition for energy efficiency (Cypress Creek Mirror, 2/4/2014)
    Three CFISD schools that achieved the greatest percentage of energy use reduction through the American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC) Behavioral Energy Management Program were recognized during the regularly scheduled Board of Trustees meeting on Jan. 21. Cypress Falls High School, Aragon Middle School and Holmsley Elementary School were all recognized for their outstanding energy conservation through identification and modification of behavioral patterns throughout the campuses during the 2012-2013 school year. The pilot program featured seven schools, and resulted in a 6-percent total reduction in energy consumption at 1,128,996 kilowatt hours (kWh) and a net savings of $68,805.
    www.yourhoustonnews.com

EcoNotes

  • 10 February
    • Texans’ Water Conservation Reward: Higher Rates (Neena Satija – The Texas Tribune)
      www.texastribune.org
    • University studies if quakes in North Texas linked to fracking (Jana Pruet – Planet Ark News)
      http://planetark.org
  • 9 February
  • 7 February
  • 6 February
    • Texas Considers “Tax” on Coastal Restoration Projects (Dave Fehling – StateImpact)
      http://stateimpact.npr.org
    • For Clues to Texas’ Climate Future, Scientists Look Deep Underground (Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
      http://stateimpact.npr.org
    • Cold weather prompts call for power conservation in Texas (Don Mason – Fuel Fix)
      http://fuelfix.com
    • Studies prove Texas grid is healthy, commissioner says (Emily Pickrell – Fuel Fix)
      http://fuelfix.com
    • U.S. launches ‘climate hubs’ to help farmers face climate change (Jeff Mason – Planet Ark News)
      http://planetark.org
    • Citgo ordered to pay $2 million for environmental violations in Texas (Carlyn Kolker – Planet Ark)
      http://planetark.org
    • Citing ‘Limitations’ of Natural Gas, ERCOT Urges Conservation (Mose Buchele and Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
      http://stateimpact.npr.org
    • Fee Proposal Prompts Debate Over BP Oil Spill Money (Dave Fehling, KUHF News/StateImpact Texas – The Texas Tribune)
      www.texastribune.org
    • San Antonio Shelves Groundwater Projects (Neena Satija – The Texas Tribune)
      www.texastribune.org
  • 5 February
    • Volunteers needed for Abandoned Crab Trap Program (Dayna Haynes – The Anahuac Progress)
      www.thevindicator.com
    • EPA and TCEQ settle lawsuits over flex permits (Charles Kuffner – Off The Kuff)
      http://offthekuff.com
    • With a Rise in Manmade Quakes, a Search for More Data (Shawna Reding and Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
      http://stateimpact.npr.org
    • Report: Water Availability a Risk for Oil, Gas Drillers (Neena Satija – The Texas Tribune)
      www.texastribune.org
    • New Farm Bill Spells Big Changes for Texas Ag (Neena Satija – The Texas Tribune)
      www.texastribune.org
  • 4 February
    • Texas to take over greenhouse gas permitting from EPA after long, bitter battle with feds (Ramit Plushnick-Masti – The Daily Journal)
      www.dailyjournal.net
    • Three schools receive recognition for energy efficiency (Cypress Creek Mirror)
      www.yourhoustonnews.com
    • Power plants closed for winter enjoy an early spring (Emily Pickrell – Houston Chronicle)
      www.houstonchronicle.com
    • Here’s Who Will Pay You to Use Less Power in Texas (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
      http://stateimpact.npr.org
    • Trees coming to park (Annette Baird – Houston Chronicle)
      www.chron.com
    • A Different Kind of Oil and Gas “Boom” in Texas (Mose Buchele, KUT News/StateImpact Texas – The Texas Tribune)
      www.texastribune.org
    • White House: Obama awaits more Keystone reviews; timing unclear (Thomas Ferraro and Sandra Maler – Planet Ark News)
      http://planetark.org
  • 3 February
    • JOHNSON: Environmental leaders are looking more like scam artists these days (Drew Johnson – Your Houston News)
      www.yourhoustonnews.com
    • Keystone report raises pressure on Obama to approve pipeline (Roberta Rampton and Jeff Mason – Planet Ark News)
      http://planetark.org
    • EPA scrutiny could be linchpin to Keystone review process (Valerie Volcovici – Planet Ark News)
      http://planetark.org
    • Without Keystone, oil trains may cause six deaths per year: U.S. State Department report (Jonathan Leff and Roberta Rampton – Planet Ark News)
      http://planetark.org
    • Why Texans Are Hearing a ‘Loud Boom’ During Earthquakes (Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
      http://stateimpact.npr.org
    • State navigates course on how $2B water fund will be used (Danielle Abril – Houston Business Journal)
      http://www.bizjournals.com
  • 2 February
    • Anti-Regulation Politics May Have Hurt Energy Industry (Neena Satija – The Texas Tribune)
      www.texastribune.org
  • 1 February
  • 31 January
  • 30 January
    • How You Can Ride For The Reforestation Of Houston Parks (Pat Hernandez – KUHF News)
      http://app1.kuhf.org
  • 23 January
    • LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Proposed highway is hardly a ‘low-impact development’ (Bob Honig – Your Fort Bend News)
      www.yourhoustonnews.com