EcoNotes

 

ECONOTES 2012-01-18: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region
Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Featured

  1. Half a Percent of Texas is No Longer in Drought (Terrence Henry – State Impact, 01/12/2012)
    Recent rain has helped the drought situation in Texas. Although 25 percent of Texas is still in the most extreme stage of drought, the number has dropped from 32 percent last week and 86 percent in September. Houston even lifted the Stage 2 water restrictions after it received over six inches of rain in one day.
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  2. Tiger Prawns Roar into the Gulf of Mexico (Mose Buchele – StateImpact, 01/06/2012)
    The Asian Tiger Prawn, a non-native species from the Western Pacific Ocean, is overwhelming the Gulf of Mexico. Although the prawn are spreading at an alarming rate, the numbers are not yet extremely high off of the Texas coast. Researchers are now conducting genetic testing to figure out where the prawns came from. Leslie Hartman, the Matagorda Bay Ecosystem leader with Texas Parks and Wildlife, says that figuring out where the prawns came from is the first step in containing them.
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  3. Texas General Land Office Marine Debris Summit (Lynda and Jim Guidry – Guidry News, 01/14/2012)
    The 2012 Marine Debris Summit took place in Galveston on Friday. The conference covered the progress of the Adopt A Beach Program, which has helped to keep Texas beaches cleaner and has also encouraged participation across generations. One major summit topic was exploring solutions about trash left by people on the beach.
    http://www.guidrynews.com/

EcoNotes

ECONOTES 2012-01-11: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region
Posted on Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Featured

  1. Re-Plant Houston Begins Reforestation (Pat Hernandez – KUHF News, 01/06/2012)
    “Re-plant Houston” is a program that will use the help of volunteers to plant over 25,000 trees in four Houston parks: Memorial, Hermann, MacGregor and Mason Parks. These four parks have removed an estimated 10,000 trees due to the drought. The Houston Parks Department has started by replanting a 17-foot live oak at Memorial Park.
    http://app1.kuhf.org/
  2. Endangered Turtles Find New Hope at Texas A&M-Galveston Sea Life Facility (Guidry News, 01/10/2012)
    Texas A&M University at Galveston and its new Sea Life Facility are now providing endangered sea turtles with a place to recover before being released back into the Gulf of Mexico. The Oceans and Coastal Studies building is the only Gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified building on the Gulf coast and is suited for the rescue work. The university has been involved in turtle restoration efforts for many years, and this program provides another opportunity.
    http://guidrynews.com/
  3. Texas Tops List of Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Terrence Henry – StateImpact, 01/11/2012)
    The Environmental Protection Agency has released a new interactive map that shows the greenhouse gas emissions throughout the country for 2010. Texas has the most facilities reporting greenhouse gas emissions with 673 facilities, and it has the most emissions with 294 million metric tons of greenhouse gases emitted in 2010.
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  4. Harris County Among Nation’s Worst Air, Water Polluters (Andrew Schenider – KUHF News, 01/05/2012)
    http://app1.kuhf.org/

EcoNotes

ECONOTES 2012-01-04: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region
Posted on Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Featured

  1. Houston moving forward with longtime Luce Bayou project (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle, 12/26/2011)
    Plans are moving forward with the Luce Bayou project, a nearly $300 million pipeline and canal that will move water from the Trinity River about 30 miles to Lake Houston. This project will help to provide water to the expanding city and suburbs. The Luce Bayou project is a key part of the state’s newly adopted state water plan.
    http://www.chron.com/
  2. The Race to Salvage Millions of Dead Trees in Texas (Dave Fehling – StateImpact, 12/27/2011)
    The Texas Forest Service has estimated that 100-500 million trees statewide have been lost due to the drought, and Houston is one of the hardest hit areas. However, Houston is salvaging the dead trees. The trees are being turned into wood chips that are used to fuel generators to make electricity at a facility in Nacodoches and another facility in Lufkin.
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  3. Following Electronic Waste from Recyclers to Dumps in China (Terrence Henry – StateImpact, 12/28/2011)
    I-Hwa Cheng, a graduate student at the University of Texas, was determined to follow the trail of e-waste from recyclers in Texas to their final destination. Most people who drop their old electronics off at recycling centers do not ask where their old items are going. Cheng found that much of the e-waste ends up in dumping grounds in places such as China, India, and West Africa.
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/

EcoNotes

ECONOTES 2011-12-14: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region
Posted on Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Featured

  1. Tiny Algae Could Be a Big Source of Power (Mose Buchele – StateImpact News, 12/09/2011)
    Dr. Robert Hebner, director of the UT’s Center for Electromechanics and at the forefront of algae research, does not see algae as pond scum but as “fuel, cures for cancer nutricuticals, sources of chemicals that are greener than we’ve ever had before.” Last summer, Hebner produced biofuel from algae that was naturally occurring at a sewage treatment plant outside of Austin. This shows promise in the algae technology. However, at this point in time, it would take a lot of algae to provide for the U.S. fuel needs.
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  2. Texas water plan set for approval but complicated by population growth, reservoir dispute (Kelley Shannon – The Dallas Morning News, 12/04/2011)
    Drafting the state water plan has become even more complicated in the past year. The plan has to take into account the reservoir dispute in northeast Texas, questions about climate change science, and the state’s rapid population growth. The Texas Water Development Board is expected to approve the plan on December 15th. The severe drought this year has increased the importance of the plan to account for such harsh conditions.
    http://www.dallasnews.com/
  3. Scientists working on report card for Gulf’s health (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle, 12/07/2011)
    The Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies in Corpus Christi is currently developing a science-based report card that addresses the health of the Gulf of Mexico. It should include at least 20 key indicators of the Gulf’s well-being, ranging from sea grasses and mangroves to bottle-nose dolphins. The report should influence decision-making on the policies and resources needed to achieve a healthy gulf.
    http://www.chron.com/

EcoNotes

ECONOTES 2011-12-07: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region
Posted on Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Featured

  1. Researchers at Odds with Texas Government Over Rise of the Gulf (Dave Fehling – StateImpact News, 12/05/2011)
    The sea level of Galveston Bay has risen as much as three feet over the past century, and scientists predict it will continue at the same rate. Knowing where and when the water might rise can help city planners determine where to allow construction of new buildings or relocate critical facilities. However, government officials do not seem to be taking the scientific reports into account in their plans.
    http://stateimpact.npr.org/
  2. Texas power grid operator says blackouts possible (Puneet Kollipara – Houston Chronicle, 12/01/2011)
    More blackouts may be expected in the coming year if extreme weather continues to stress the power grid more than normal. The ERCOT President, Trip Doggett, says that the risk is low. However, a 10-year report suggests that the state’s reserve cushion could keep dropping over the next decade without new capacity additions. Doggett does warn that the outages can be expected if plants are shutdown due to EPA rulings.
    http://www.chron.com/
  3. Drought has Christmas tree growers on pins and needles (Cindy Horswell – Houston Chronicle, 12/01/2011)
    An estimation of about fewer than half of the Texas’ 100 Christmas tree farms had watering systems. Even those who irrigated had trees that did not grow as fast or tall as usual. As a result, trees are being shipped from North Carolina, Washington, and Oregon to make up for the loss.
    http://www.chron.com/

EcoNotes

  • 7 December
  • 6 December
    • Lawsuit pits whooping cranes against chemical companies and State of Texas (Jay Blazek Crossley – Houston Tomorrow)
      http://www.houstontomorrow.org/
    • Facing Budget Crunch, Texas Parks and Wildlife Pleads For Help (Kevin Lindsay – KUT News)
      http://www.kutnews.org/
    • Task force calls for BP fees to rebuild Gulf of Mexico ecosystems (Jay Blazek Crossley – Houston Tomorrow)
      http://www.houstontomorrow.org/
    • Cornyn holds out on bill to bring spill money to Gulf region (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
      http://www.chron.com/
    • Ocean Organisms Could Give Clues About Climate Change, Says Texas A&M Prof (Guidry News)
      http://guidrynews.com/
    • EPA Proposes to Remove State Marine of Port Arthur and Palmer Barge Line Superfund Sites from its Superfund List (EPA News)
      http://yosemite.epa.gov/
  • 5 December
    • Researchers at Odds with Texas Government Over Rise of the Gulf (Dave Fehling – StateImpact News)
      http://stateimpact.npr.org/
    • Feds give Gulf plan $50 million boost (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
      http://www.chron.com/
    • Task Force Established by President Obama Releases Final Strategy for Reversing Deterioration of Gulf Ecosystem — USDA $50 million financial assistance for restoration projects announced as Task Force efforts shift from planning to action (EPA News)
      http://yosemite.epa.gov/
    • Strategy for Long Term Gulf Restoration (Pat Hernandez – KUHF News)
      http://app1.kuhf.org/
  • 4 December
  • 3 December
  • 2 December
    • Drought leaving rivers, lakes with more bacteria (Farzad Mashhood – The Statesman)

      http://www.statesman.com/

    • Cash for big clunkers – H-GAC can help owner-operators purchase new big rigs (Your Deer Park News)
      http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/
    • Timeline: How The World Discovered Global Warming (Alister Doyle, David Fogarty and David Cutler – Planet Ark News)
      http://planetark.org/
    • Comptroller Combs Lauds 6-Month Extension on Proposed Listing for Dunes Sagebrush Lizard by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Guidry News)
      http://www.guidrynews.com/
  • 1 December
  • 30 November
    • Texas to Enact Five-Year Water Plan (Ian Crawford – KUT News)
      http://kut.org/2011/
    • EPA proposes standards for cleansing ship ballast water, leading pathway for invasive species (The Washington Post)
      http://www.washingtonpost.com/
    • GOP Senators press Obama on pipeline plan (Jennifer A. Dlouhy – Houston Chronicle)
      http://www.chron.com/
    • Sugar Land households get new garbage, recycling carts (Cody Tucker – Ultimate Fort Bend News)
      http://www.ultimatefortbend.com/
    • EPA Proposes Updated Vessel General Permit and Permit for Small Vessels/Action would help protect U.S. water quality and lower invasive species risk (EPA News)
      http://yosemite.epa.gov/
  • 29 November
  • 28 November
ECONOTES 2011-11-30: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region
Posted on Thursday, December 1, 2011

Featured

  1. Near-term and long-term, projections include more dry conditions in Texas (Texas Climate News, 11/28/2011)
    The National Weather Service and the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released reports this month on climate change and extreme weather events. Both reports predicted that very dry conditions are to remain for Texas. Meanwhile, the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map shows that Texas remains in the worst drought conditions. John Nielsen-Gammon, the Texas state climatologist, says that a dry winter won’t be devastating, but it will set the state up for a horrid spring.
    http://texasclimatenews.org/
  2. Desalination a key part of Texas’ water future (Jeannie Kever – My SA News, 11/21/2011)
    As freshwater becomes more scarce, people will be willing to pay more to make any water drinkable. The latest draft of the state water plan predicts that supplies will fall by 10 percent during the next 50 years. Therefore, desalination has become a more favorable option. The The state’s first permanent seawater desalination plant will open on South Padre Island in 2014. Along with many other state permanent desalination plants, a $255 million plant in Freeport is part of the Houston region’s long-range plan, with a potential date of 2050.
    http://www.mysanantonio.com/
  3. Whooping cranes at center of water dispute (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle, 11/28/2011)
    The whooping crane, an endangered species, is returning to the Texas coast in record numbers. However, the severe drought and resulting water disputes could make it a hard winter for the cranes. The drought has reduced the flow of fresh water into the tidal pools and marshes where the tall birds congregate. Therefore, some biologists think this could could mean a deadly winter for them. The Aransas Project, an environmental coalition, has accused the state of putting the endangered species in harm’s way with its management of the fresh water flowing into the birds’ habitat. They are putting together a federal case, which pits local governments and environmentalists against state regulators and water suppliers.
    http://www.chron.com/
  4. Keep the Clean Water Act Strong (William K. Reilly – New York Times Op-ed, 11/28/2011)
    NEXT year will mark the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, a milestone for a series of landmark environmental laws that began with the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970. Those actions set our nation on a course to restore our damaged natural resources, but today, because of political pressures and court rulings, the extent and durability of some of those key protections are at risk.
    www.nytimes.com

EcoNotes

ECONOTES 2011-11-16: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region
Posted on Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Featured

  1. Health of Galveston Bay in jeopardy (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle, 11/13/2011)
    There are regulations that set aside water in a river for the benefit of the environment. Concerns have grown that these regulations for the Trinity and San Jacinto rivers are not strong enough to ensure the protection of Galveston Bay. With less water flowing into the bay, the water is becoming saltier. This situation is made worse by the current drought affecting the area. There is question as to whether Galveston Bay will be healthy and productive in future years.
    http://www.chron.com/
  2. Texas water supply for the future is uncertain (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle, 11/13,2011)
    Current water sources for the major Texas cities are not able to meet water demands, causing a major problem in the years to come. As a result lawmakers are making a plan to build more reservoirs, desalination plants and pipelines, among other projects. However, there is no room for new reservoirs in the Trinity basin, so water managers will have to rely more on conservation and recycled water.
    http://www.chron.com/
  3. Oklahoma earthquake propels debate of gas drilling’s unwanted effects (Texas Climate News, 11/10/2011)
    The controversy around fracking mostly focuses on water and air pollution. Now, however, there are questions as to whether fracking’s injection of fluids including water and chemicals into shale formations deep underground can result in earthquakes. Fracking has been linked in some studies to smaller tremors, and now some wonder if it is linked to the earthquake in Oklahoma on November 5th.
    http://texasclimatenews.org/

EcoNotes

ECONOTES 2011-11-09: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region
Posted on Thursday, November 10, 2011

Featured

  1. Polls find renewable energy enjoys public favor despite criticism, problems (Texas Climate News, 11/02/2011)
    Two recent national polls – one by a solar trade organization and one by the University of Texas – show that the public favor for renewable energy remains strong. Respondents favored wind and solar energy while voicing dissatisfaction with nuclear and fossil-fuel companies’ performance. The most negative attitude toward energy producers was for oil and gas companies.
    http://texasclimatenews.org/
  2. Building foundations crack as Texas drought shifts soil (Gail Burkhardt – The Monitor, 11/06/2011)
    The drought has been causing a lot of problems, one of which is cracking building foundations. Bureaus in Texas have reported up to 75 percent increases on calls about foundation repairs from last year. Soil shrinks and expands, causing foundations to shift and crack. The drought has severely dried out soil, causing it to shrink and pull down on the foundation.
    http://www.themonitor.com/
  3. Harris County Calls TCEQ ‘Offensive,’ Plans to Sue Polluters (Dave Fehling – KUHF News, 11/08/2011)
    Some industrial polluters have repeatedly violated federal clean air standards, and a concentration of them are petro-chemical plants in the Houston area. Nineteen plants in Houston are listed with violations that have gone un-addressed, some for over eight years. Many people are unhappy with the TCEQ as they have not addressed this.
    http://app1.kuhf.org/

Econotes

ECONOTES 2011-10-26: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region
Posted on Thursday, October 27, 2011

Featured

  1. A drought for the centuries: It hasn’t been this dry in Texas since 1789 (Texas Climate News, 10/23/2011)
    Scientists at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory analyzed tree-ring data to calculate how drought conditions dating back hundreds of years (to 1550 in Texas) ranked on the standard Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). According to their findings, 1789 was the only year that Texas’ PDSI number was as low as it was this summer. However, the current drought has brought new challenges included the record-low precipitation, the extreme summer heat, and the enormous wildfires.
    http://texasclimatenews.org/
  2. Ideology trumped science at Texas agency, two lawmakers say (Erin Mulvaney – Yahoo! News, 10/19/2011)
    Two Democratic state senators have spoken out against TCEQ for deleting information about the implications of global warming from “The State of the Bay 2010″ report by John Anderson. TCEQ stated the organization did not want to include controversial implications about global warming in the report. The deletions were deemed “scientific censorship.”

    http://old.news.yahoo.com/

  3. Get leaner and greener with homegrown food (Barbara Kessler – ABC13 News, 10/24/2011)
    Homegrown food can help you save money by cutting down your food bill as well as naturally broaden the amount of vegetables at your disposal. This could help many Americans get the amount and variety of vegetables needed for a healthy diet. It will also discourage wasting food as people will most likely be less willing to simply toss the food they have grown.
    http://www.greenrightnow.com/

EcoNotes

ECONOTES 2011-10-19: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region
Posted on Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Featured

  1. Drought causing unusual aquatic behavior in bay (Shannon Tompkins – Houston Chronicle, 10/17/2011)
    The Texas drought has had a major impact on coastal marine environment. The drought has caused an outbreak of red tide along the coast. Red tides most often occurs along the Texas coast when environmental conditions combine to bring together high water temperatures, high salinity levels and little water movement. These red tides have been occurring for more than two weeks, killing many species of fish.
    http://www.chron.com/
  2. Texas sun may soon heat up solar power (Jack Z. Smith – Star-Telegram, 10/16/2011)
    Solar-power accounts for a fraction of 1 percent of the state’s electric power generation, but industry professionals and advocates of renewable energy believe that Texas could soon become the top generator of solar power in the U.S. within several years. Sheer size, wide-open spaces, sunshine and a large, fast-growing population give Texas its potential to further the solar power industry.
    http://www.star-telegram.com/
  3. Houston taking more water from Lake Conroe (Purva Patel – Houston Chronicle, 10/16/2011)
    The demands for water have increased once again. The City of Houston started taking 15 million more gallons a day from Lake Conroe this weekend to help meet water demands. The San Jacinto River Authority estimates Lake Conroe’s levels will drop by up to 1.5-feet a month. City officials predict that the higher release will likely be in effect through the end of the year.
    http://www.chron.com/news/

EcoNotes

ECONOTES 2011-10-12: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region
Posted on Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Featured

  1. We must protect our prairie potholes (Bob Stokes – Houston Chronicle, 09/23/2011)
    In April, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Corps of Engineers issued issued draft guidance for determining whether a waterway, water body or wetland is protected by the Clean Water Act (CWA). This wetlands guidance is important because several recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings have removed certain critical waters and wetlands from protection under the CWA. Galveston Bay needs this protection as its wetlands are crucial to the longterm health of the bay, and therefore, quality of life and the local economy.
    http://www.chron.com/
  2. Professor says state agency censored article (Harvey Rice – Houston Chronicle, 10/10/2011)
    A Rice University professor, John Anderson, has accused the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality of deleting all references to climate change and sea-level rise from an article he wrote about changes in Galveston Bay. Anderson believes that the changes are all about politics. He said TCEQ will not publish the article without the deletions, and he will not accept the changes. As a result, the publication of The State of the Bay has been delayed.
    http://www.chron.com/
    Update: Rice professor accepts Gulf article’s fate (Harvey Rice – Houston Chronicle, 10/11/2011)
    John Anderson has accepted TCEQ’s decision to kill the article. “I’m willing to live with not having it published,” John Anderson said Tuesday. “I refuse to have it published with their deletions.”
    http://www.chron.com/
  3. Scuba diving at Flower Garden rivals more exotic locales (Pam LeBlanc – Houston Chronicle, 09/29/2011)
    Just 115 miles south of the Texas-Louisiana border, the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary offers a similar experience to other exotic locales. Flower Garden is two huge coral-covered salt domes that rise from the sea floor and cover several hundred acres. The brightly colored marine garden is home to stingrays, porcupine fish, lobster, eels, file fish, and many more. Visitors can dive among the sanctuary to observe the wildlife and view the lush coral.
    http://www.chron.com/

EcoNotes

ECONOTES 2011-10-05: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region
Posted on Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Featured

  1. In new stance, water board advises on planning for risks of climate change (Bill Dawson – Texas Climate News, 09/27/2011)
    This year, the State Water Plan includes a detailed discussion of manmade climate change. The current drought has put more pressure on the Water Development Board to address projected water shortages. The plan recommends 562 supply projects to meet extra needs during a drought, which would cumulatively provide 9.0 million acre-feet of water by 2060 – about eight percent more than the projected shortfall.
    http://texasclimatenews.org
  2. Environment Enhanced Learning at the Monarch School (Vicki Wolf – Clean, 09/30/2011)
    The Monarch School uses the outdoor environment to provide a place to learn, relax, and gain composure for individuals, age 3 to 29, with neurological differences. Nature provides a place to be physically active for students who have difficulty sitting still indoors. The students have planted more than 100 trees, as well as vegetable and flower gardens. They have observed birds nesting and participated in installing three bee hives. Even indoors, students are encouraged to be environmentally conscious. In math class, students monitor peaks and valleys of energy consumption throughout the day.
    http://www.cleanhouston.org/
  3. Public Housing Development Goes Green to the Max (Ned Hibberd – My FOX Houston, 9/26/2011)
    Cypresswood Estates, a north Harris County public housing development for seniors, has achieved LEED Platinum certification. LEED Platinum is the highest possible certification for energy efficiency. Some of the development’s green features include thick insulation that saves electricity, solar panels that power six electric vehicle charging stations on the property, and a hidden storage tank that conserves water. Developers say Cypresswood Estates is the only complex of its kind in America.
    http://www.myfoxhouston.com/

EcoNotes

ECONOTES 2011-09-21: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region
Posted on Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Featured

  1. It’s Time to Set Uniform Algae Feedstock Standards (Algae Industry Magazine, 09/21/2011)
    Algae oil is gearing up to industrial scale production. Algae oil is a distinctive biofeedstock that generates abundant energy. Currently, multiple standards are being devised in order to enable blending, common refining, transportation and distribution. The trust and support of the public and regulators is important in the ability to achieve wide acceptance of industry standards for algae applications in just a few, critical years.
    http://www.algaeindustrymagazine.com
  2. MSUSA Announces Houston-Area Wetland Mitigation Credits Now Available (Market Watch, 09/21/2011)
    MSUSA Wetland credits are now available for a seven-county service area, which includes Harris and Montgomery counties. These credits will help to offset the impacts that businesses have on wetlands or streams. By offering these credits, MSUSA is furthering resource and urban development, which is tied to strengthening the Houston economy, while mitigating the environmental impact.
    http://www.marketwatch.com/
  3. Piranhas, other dangerous exotic species found in Texas’ waterways (Shannon Tompkins – Houston Chronicle, 09/27/2011)
    A red-bellied piranha, a native of the Amazon basin, was found in the 23-acre lake in Tom Bass Park. The discovery of this piranha supports the suspicion that exotic species, which have the potential to do great harm to native fish and the ecosystems, are increasing in the area. The exotic species may outcompete, prey on or otherwise overwhelm native species.
    http://www.chron.com/

EcoNotes

ECONOTES 2011-09-21: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region
Posted on Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Featured

  1. Green Groups Add Muscle in Texas, Gird for Uphill Battles (Nathanial Gronewold – The New York Times, 09/14/2011)
    The Green Movement is expanding in Texas as environmental organizations are spreading their influence across the state. Texas has been known for being a pro-development, pro-business state where oil is king. Now many companies are concentrating on the renewable energy industry, and environmental groups are pushing to make the state greener. One such group, The Sierra Club, is fighting to keep coal-fired plants from coming online.
    http://www.nytimes.com/
  2. Rice wins grant to develop CO2 capture technology (Guidry News, 09/20/2011)
    A Rice University research team has been awarded a grant by the Department of Energy to develop technology that can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions by capturing carbon dioxide from power plants. Coal and natural gas fired power plants account for about half of the carbon dioxide that humans add to the atmosphere each year. The research team would like to curb this by creating less-costly technology that separates CO2 from flue gas at normal air pressure. The goal is to have a full-scale test of the technology within three years.
    http://www.guidrynews.com/
  3. To make it to 2060, water plan needed (Chris Paschenko – The Galveston County Daily News, 09/18/2011)
    This may become Texas’ worst year of drought. The impact on agricultural losses is already $52 billion. Discussions at the Harris Galveston Subsidence District conference covered the water needs projected through 2060. The Texas population is expected to increase from 25 million (today) to 45 million in 2060, which will spike the water demand. When projecting how to meet the state’s water needs through 2060, the board expects 34 percent to come from surface water, 17 percent to come from major reservoirs, 17 percent to come from irrigation conservation, 9 percent to come from groundwater, and 3.4 percent to come from desalination.
    http://galvestondailynews.com/

EcoNotes

ECONOTES 2011-09-14: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region
Posted on Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Featured

  1. Too wacky? Moving water from flood to drought (Seth Borenstein – Yahoo! News, 09/09/2011)
    The East has been inundated with rain, while Texas remains dangerously dry. This has brought up previous tempting visions of installing pipelines to carry water across the nation. This would help out both regions with their water problems. Unfortunately, moving vast quantities of water is not simple or cheap, and thus not realistic. The distance is too great and it would cost too much money. There doesn’t seem to be a shortage of water, just an unequal distribution of it.
    http://news.yahoo.com/
  2. Houston’s Electric Vehicle Initiative (Pat Hernandez – KUHF News, 09/08/2011)
    The City of Houston has launched its comprehensive, city-wide electric vehicle program called Houston Drives Electric. This program is designed to implement clean and economic driving alternatives. The first public electric vehicle charging station, the Freedom Station, was installed at the HEB Buffalo Market in SW Houston. 28 additional stations are planned to be built at city libraries and parks.
    http://app1.kuhf.org/
  3. A tenth of extra summer heat due to emissions growth, state climatologist says (Texas Climate News, 09/12/2011)
    Climatologist, Nielsen-Gammon, says 9 percent of summer’s extra heat (that is, about 0.5 degree of the 5.4 degrees F in extra heat from previous summers) was caused by increasing greenhouse gas emissions. The La Niña weather pattern is the main reason for the drought, but man-made global warming has exaggerated its effects. The extra degrees in temperature increased the rate of evaporation, making groundwater more scarce.
    http://texasclimatenews.org/

EcoNotes

ECONOTES 2011-09-07: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region
Posted on Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Featured

  1. Reusing Air Conditioning Condensation To Save Water (Pat Hernandez – KUHF News, 09/01/2011)
    Rice University has found a new way to save water. The University’s Department of Facilities, Engineering and Planning is capturing the condensate that forms when warm air is cooled by an air conditioning system. On a nice humid day, one building on campus can collect about 15 gallons per minute of water. The collected water is already pure, distilled, and cold.
    http://app1.kuhf.org/
  2. Aquifer an option for water in county (Nicklaus Lovelady – Houston Chronicle, 09/07/2011)
    Montgomery County may be able to soon rely on the Catahoula Aquifer as the newest groundwater source, which could reduce the demand on Lake Conroe. The Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District has been conducting a study on the Catahoula Aquifer to determine if it was a viable water source. Early indications seem to be positive.
    http://www.chron.com/
  3. Businesses join push to conserve water (Ronnie Crocker – Houston Chronicle, 09/03/2011)
    Many businesses across the state are changing their habits to help conserve water. The Houston-based Bubbles car-wash chain has begun equipping its express locations with new machinery that mixes and sprays soap and water more efficiently so that less falls unused to the floor. The 5-star Four Seasons Hotel recently began furnishing rooms with a ceramic boot that guests place on their beds if they are willing to forgo having the linens changed for up to three days to save water for laundry. Many more steps are being taken as small efforts in conservation add up quickly.
    http://www.chron.com/

EcoNotes

ECONOTES 2011-08-31: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region
Posted on Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Featured

  1. Water Conservation is key to accommodating growth (John Jacob – Houston Chronicle, 08/24/2011)
    Houston has been forced to enact mandatory water conservation due to scarce resources, and the city is expected to grow by 4 million people in the next three to four decades. The state-mandated Region H water-planning group believes that there is more than enough water to accommodate the expected growth, although many area scientists do not agree. Water conservation will remain a big topic in the upcoming years.

    http://www.chron.com/

  2. State officials still weighing how to deal with climate change in water plan (Texas Climate News, 08/30/2011)
    Five years ago, state officials controversially chose not to factor man-made global warming into the Texas State Water Plan. The Plan is set to be updated in four months and the agency is still deciding how to address human-caused climate change. The current record-setting drought has been attributed by experts to La Niña, but they also say that man-made global warming has made the situation worse.
    http://texasclimatenews.org/
  3. Offshore wind Texas-style: fast and big (Melissa Mehony – Smart Planet News, 08/18/2011)
    Coastal Point Energy has a goal to get a single 3-megawatt wind turbine built and running off Galveston by the end of the year. This would be the country’s first offshore wind farm. Baryonyx Corporation also has plans for turbines off the coast of Texas, near Corpus Christi and South Padre Island. These could take huge strides in the energy industry. The Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club has not yet taken a stance on the projects, as the effect the wind farms might have on populations of migratory birds, fish and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles is unknown.
    http://www.smartplanet.com/

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