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Environmental News Update 6/1/01 COALITION NOTES Riparian-Wetland Area Workshop On June 4 and 5 the Texas Riparian Association, in partnership with the Bayou Preservation Association (BPA) and the Harris County Flood Control District will present a workshop on Assessing Proper Functioning Condition of Riparian-Wetland Areas. The first day of the conference begins with a two hour introductory session, which is free and open to the public. Registration for the entire conference costs $100, which includes training material, refreshments, lunch, and field supplies; a limited number of need-based scholarships are available. The workshop will be held in the Windsor Room of the Houston Environmental Center at 3015 Richmond Contact the Bayou Preservation Association at 713-529-6443 for more information and registration. Water Quality Forum Houston Environmental Foresight, Legacy Land Trust, The Woodlands G.R.E.E.N., and The Texas Watch Program will host an education and information-sharing forum on local water quality issues on Saturday, June 16 at the Houston Advanced Research Center, 4800 Research Forest Drive, The Woodlands, beginning at 8:30 am. The workshop will focus on current and projected water quality issues in the North Houston and Montgomery County area. To register for the conference, contact Eric Mendleman at 1-877-506-1401 or em20@swt.edu. For further information, contact the Mitchell Center for Sustainable Development at 281-363-7913. LOCAL BCCA Appeals Group Settles The BCCA Appeals Group, a set of companies including Reliant Energy, Exxon Mobil, Shell, and others, has settled their grievances with the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) and the State Implementation Plan to reduce ground-level ozone smog, according to an article in the Houston Chronicle. The group had filed a lawsuit against TNRCC, claiming that the emission reduction requirements in the original plan were not feasible. Reliant’s reduction mandate will be relaxed to 90 percent from 93 percent. Emission cuts ordered by the Legislature at pipelines and other grandfathered industrial facilities across East Texas will be substituted for this change. Under a separate bill, criticized by consumer advocates, Reliant ratepayers would pay $16.2 million toward the pipeline cleanup. Other industrial plants in the Houston area would also have their emission requirements relaxed if a study shows next year that a crackdown on unplanned releases are likely to produce the same smog-reducing benefit. http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/metropolitan/926334 City Joins Energy Conservation Initiative The City of Houston has become a partner in the Department of Energy’s Rebuild America program, a voluntary network of community partnerships determined to save energy locally. The program will aid the city in developing a comprehensive energy education and conservation strategy. A kick off forum to introduce the program will be held on Thursday, June 14 from 10:30 am to 12 pm at E.B Cape Center Auditorium, 4501 Leeland. Please confirm attendance with Frances Deary at 713-247-2563 or Frances.Deary@cityofhouston.net. STATE Legislative Session Declared an Environmental Success Environmental advocates hailed a series of victories on major issues as the 77th session of the Texas Legislature came to a close, says a press release from the Alliance for a Clean Texas (ACT). Two important victories for environmentalists were the defeat of a radioactive waste importation measure and the closure of a loophole that exempted grandfathered industrial plants from clean air standards. Some important reforms to the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) were also made. For a summary of environmental legislation from this session, visit http://texas.sierraclub.org NATIONAL Consuming More Today's economy - thriving on massive resource use, generating large amounts of pollutants, and disrupting natural cycles - imposes increasingly unsustainable burdens on the environment, according to Vital Signs 2001: The Trends That are Shaping Our Future, a new report from the Worldwatch Institute. Citizens of industrialized countries are eating more meat, drinking more coffee, popping more pills, and driving more miles. The report illustrates how an economy geared toward insatiable consumer demand can degrade human, environmental, and economic health. A team of 20 researchers, writers and editors from Worldwatch, a Washington, DC based environmental think tank, contributed to Vital Signs 2001, which tracks 49 key trends. http://www.worldwatch.org, GREEN GRANTS Urban Forestry Partnership Grant Deadline June 28 The Texas Forest Service is offering grant money through their Urban Forestry Program. The grants are designed to start or improve a local urban forestry program or to educate the public about the importance of urban trees. Awards range from $1,000 to $10,000 and must be matched dollar-for-dollar. An exception is an application for a new professional staff position for up to $20,000. Eligible applicants include local or state government entities, schools, or non-profit groups. The application deadline is June 28. For more information, contact the TFS Grants Administrator at 979-458-6650 or pds@tfs.tamu.edu. 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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