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Environmental News Update 3/9/01 COALITION NOTES Trees For Houston wins Arbor Day Award Trees For Houston has won a 2001 National Arbor Day Foundation Education Award for their Trees for Schools project. Through the Trees for Schools program 3,381 trees have been planted on 175 Houston school campuses. Trees For Houston also brings educational programs to Houston area elementary schools designed to demonstrate the benefits of preservation and the basic physiology of our urban trees. http://www.arborday.org/programs/Awards.html March Mart Plant Sale The Mercer Society, the nonprofit arm of Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens, will host March Mart on Friday and Saturday, March 23 and 24 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. A large selection of annuals and perennials, shade plants, herbs, native plants, trees and shrubs, vines, old roses, daylilies, tropical plants, gingers, and Louisiana iris will be available for purchase. A plant sale preview program will also be held Saturday, March 17 from 10:00 a.m. to noon. For more information, call 281-443-8731. LOCAL Information on Greens Bayou Watershed Sought The Harris County Flood District is in the process of identifying known environmentally sensitive or unique areas within the Greens Bayou Watershed to assist in the planning of future projects. The Flood Control District has hired Berg-Oliver Associates to coordinate with key agencies and environmental groups to identify areas of special interest in the watershed. If your organization would like to contribute to this process, contact Katie Anne Hall at Berg-Oliver at 281-589-0898. Smoke from Agricultural Burning Headed for Region The Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) is closely watching smoke from seasonal agricultural burning in Louisiana. Satellite images have shown smoke in the Gulf of Mexico moving into Houston-Galveston area. The smoke contains very small particles known as fine particulate matter. If irritation from the smoke occurs in persons with respiratory conditions and heart disease, the elderly, or children, they should avoid outdoor activity, according to TNRCC. http://www.tnrcc.state.tx.us/exec/media/press/03-01smoke.html STATE Scenic Quality Bill Introduced This week, Texas Senator David Bernsen and Representative Garnet Coleman joined together to introduce companion bills, House Bill 2512 and Senate Bill 1128, that address the scenic quality of our state today. Pursuant of the Construction Landscape Program begun administratively by TxDOT in 1985, the proposed legislation requires that 1 percent of TxDOT's budget for the construction, reconstruction, and expansion of roadways be expended on landscaping using low maintenance, native trees and other plant materials. The proposed legislation allows private funding for installation and maintenance of roadway landscaping, and provides for context sensitive design of highways. In addition, the proposed legislation stops the construction of new billboards statewide. For more information contact Shirley Platt at SCENIC HOUSTON at 713-629-0481. TNRCC and Airlines Strike Deal The Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) and the Air Transport Association of America announced agreements to reduce ozone-producing emissions from Dallas-Fort Worth area airports. Parties involved in the agreements include American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines, DFW International Airport, the City of Dallas, and the City of Fort Worth. According to the agreements, collectively the parties will reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) - a main precursor to ground-level ozone - emissions attributable to ground support equipment (GSE) by 90 percent by 2005, with major airlines contributing a 75 percent reduction and airport operators making up the difference. In exchange, the TNRCC will propose repeal of a rule that requires each airline to reduce GSE emissions by 90 percent. http://www.tnrcc.state.tx.us/exec/media/press/03-01delta.html NATIONAL North Carolina Power Plant Report Available Environmental Defense recently released the North Carolina Clean Smokestacks Plan, a report that documents the serious public health and environmental problems resulting from coal-fired power plants and other sources of air pollution. It then offers a policy framework for executive and legislative action to reduce emissions from coal-fired power plants and clean up North Carolina's air. It is estimated that NOx pollution from power plants triggers more than 200,000 asthma attacks across the state each year and SO2 pollution causes more than 1,800 premature deaths, ranking North Carolina as the fourth worst state in the nation for power-plant related deaths. The Houston region operates one coal-fired power plant, the W.A. Parish plant in Sugarland. http://www.environmentaldefense.org/programs/GRAP/NCsmokestack.html ABOUT THIS PUBLICATION CEC Environmental News Update is a weekly publication by the Citizens' Environmental Coalition, a 501(c)3 dedicated to fostering dialogue, education and collaboration about environmental issues in the Houston-Gulf Coast Region. Visit the CEC online at www.cechouston.org. To subscribe or unsubscribe, or to suggest items for inclusion, send your request via e-mail to Sarah Doss at sarah@cechouston.org. |
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