ECONOTES 2010-04-07: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region
Featured
- Incentive to Recycle (KUHFÂ News – Laurie Johnson)
Houston has expanded its recycling program to more households and has provided larger containers to hold the recyclable products. There is a new system called RecycleBank that offers points in exchange of recyclables. The points cand be redeemed for gift cards and products. This system has already prevented 4.4 million pounds of recyclables from being added to landfills.
http://app1.kuhf.org/houston_public_radio-news-display.php?articles_id=1270248554 - 2010 may be a deadly year for monarch butterflies (Eric Berger - Houston Chronicle)
Butterfly experts are estimating a smaller number of monarch butterflies flying through Texas this spring. The butterflies, which spend their winters in reserves in Mexico, had to endure a very wet and cold winter as well as illegal logging in the area. As a result, the population may have declined by up to 60 percent.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6928853.html - Ships to go greener closer to shore (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
The International Maritime Organization, which regulates shipping and pollution from ships, has ruled that ships must switch to cleaner low-sulfur fuel when operating within 230 miles of the coast. This should greatly affect Houston, which has some of the nation’s most polluted air. The thousands of ships that visit the Port of Houston each year should hopefully not have as damaging impact on the environment as the visits have in previous years.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/biz/6932549.html
Econotes
- 16 March
- Comptroller awards grants for renewable energy projects (The Pasadena Citizen)
http://www.hcnonline.com/articles/2010/03/25//pasadena_citizen/news//031710_comptroller_grants.txt
- Comptroller awards grants for renewable energy projects (The Pasadena Citizen)
- 17 March
- Coalition studying ‘Ike Dike’ alternatives (Betty L. Martin -The Bellaire Examiner)
http://www.hcnonline.com/articles/2010/03/19/bellaire_examiner/news/be_braysbayou_blackburn.txt
- Coalition studying ‘Ike Dike’ alternatives (Betty L. Martin -The Bellaire Examiner)
- 22 March
- EPA Administrator Jackson Outlines New Vision for Clean, Safe Drinking Water (EPA News)
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/sdwa/dwstrategy.html - Investing in Energy Efficiency (Kate Galbraith – Texas Tribune)
http://www.texastribune.org/stories/2010/mar/22/push-saving-energy/ - Officials plead for international action on curbing pollution from ships (Anne Mcilhany – The Humble Tribune)
http://www.ourtribune.com/article.php?id=9603
- EPA Administrator Jackson Outlines New Vision for Clean, Safe Drinking Water (EPA News)
- 23 March
- Houston ranks 6th on the list of top 25 cities with Energy Star labeled buildings (EPA News)
http://www.energystar.gov/ia/business/downloads/2009_Top_25_cities_chart.pdf - Memo to TECQ: Don’t mess with Texas rivers (Thomas O. Mcgarity – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/6927090.html
- Houston ranks 6th on the list of top 25 cities with Energy Star labeled buildings (EPA News)
- 24 March
- City to look at conservation water rates (Nancy Flake – The Conroe Courier)
http://www.hcnonline.com/articles/2010/03/24/conroe_courier/news/conroe032510.txt - 2010 may be a deadly year for monarch butterflies (Eric Berger – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6928853.html - Trash Bash 2010 gears up for waterway cleanup (The Kingwood Observer)
http://www.hcnonline.com/articles/2010/03/24/kingwood_observer/news/12kotrashbashmr.txt - Trash Bash 2010 gears up for 17th annual waterway cleanup (The Humble Observer)
http://www.hcnonline.com/articles/2010/03/26/humble_observer/news/12hotrashbashmr.txt
- City to look at conservation water rates (Nancy Flake – The Conroe Courier)
- 26 March
- Emission Control Area designated for North American waters (EPA News)
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/oceanvessels.htm - Ships to go greener closer to shore (Matthew Tresaugue - Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/biz/6932549.html
- Emission Control Area designated for North American waters (EPA News)
- 28 March
- Across Texas, more colleges focus on teaching sustainability in a range of fields (Jeannie Kever – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6933310.html
- Across Texas, more colleges focus on teaching sustainability in a range of fields (Jeannie Kever – Houston Chronicle)
- 29 March
- H-GAC Transportation Policy Committee Tweaks Transportation Improvement Program (Guidry News Gazette)
http://www.guidrynews.com/10Gazette/08810March29Gazette.pdf
- H-GAC Transportation Policy Committee Tweaks Transportation Improvement Program (Guidry News Gazette)
- 30 March
- Hundreds come clean for the sake of nature (Travers La ville - Baytown Sun)
http://baytownsun.com/story/50402 - Two chicks captivate birdwatchers (Shannon Daughtry – Baytown Sun)
http://baytownsun.com/story/50405 - TCEQ approves rules proposal for qualified facilities air permit program (TCEQ News)
http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/comm_exec/communication/media/033010QualifiedFacilities - Trade up to energy efficient appliances, get a rebate (Sharon Hong – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/6936911.html
- Hundreds come clean for the sake of nature (Travers La ville - Baytown Sun)
- 31 March
- EPA Disapproves Air Permitting Exemption Program in Texas (EPA News Release)
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/e8f4ff7f7970934e8525735900400c2e/ae60de3ef044c1a8852576f70055162f!OpenDocument - EPA rejects Texas pollution permit process (Matthew Tresaugue - Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/breaking/6938581.html - Retrofitting suburbia: The contest (Mike Snyder – Houston Chronicle)
http://blogs.chron.com/primeproperty/2010/03/retrofitting_suburbia_the_contest.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+houstonchronicle%2Fprimeproperty+%28Prime+Property%29 - Record number of volunteers turn out for Trash Bash on Buffalo Bayou (Memorial Examiner)
http://www.hcnonline.com/articles/2010/03/31/memorial_examiner/news/me_trashbash.txt - Trash Bash volunteers clean up Collins Park (The Spring Observer)
http://www.hcnonline.com/articles/2010/04/03/spring_observer/news/14sotrashbash.txt - Hispanic Activists Cry Foul Over New EPA Rules (Sara Sciammacco – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/houston_public_radio-news-display.php?articles_id=1270002222
- EPA Disapproves Air Permitting Exemption Program in Texas (EPA News Release)
- 1 April
- Proposed changes to air quality permits announced (TCEQ News)
http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/comm_exec/communication/media/040110PBRThermoresin - Cash for Clunker-Dishwashers (Melissa Galvez – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/houston_public_radio-news-display.php?articles_id=1270162595&background=hilite_rebate_lg.gif
- Proposed changes to air quality permits announced (TCEQ News)
- 2 April
- Texas green appliance rebate is delayed (Houston Business Journal)
http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2010/03/29/daily58.html - Incentive to Recycle (KUHFÂ News – Laurie Johnson)
http://app1.kuhf.org/houston_public_radio-news-display.php?articles_id=1270248554
- Texas green appliance rebate is delayed (Houston Business Journal)
- 3 April
- Wetlands center offers ‘Flower Power’ camp (Baytown Sun)
http://baytownsun.com/story/50475
- Wetlands center offers ‘Flower Power’ camp (Baytown Sun)