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Environmental News Update 1/25/02 CEC NOTES Ecological Capital Topic for CEC Annual Meeting Jim Blackburn and Charles Tapley will speak on the “ecological capital” in the Gulf Coast region at the CEC Annual Meeting on Tuesday, February 5 at 6:30 pm at the Houston Environmental Center, 3015 Richmond. Many don’t realize Houston is surrounded by no less than eight distinct ecosystems; the speakers will describe each ecosystem and underscore the importance of maintaining our ecological heritage. Attendees will also vote in new CEC board officers and members and pick up their 2002 Environmental Resource Guides. For more information, contact Sarah Doss at 713-524-4232 or issues@cechouston.org. COALITION NOTES KPC Needs Volunteers, February 1-3 Volunteers are needed to help staff the Katy Prairie Conservancy’s (KPC’s) booth at the 12th Annual Winter/Spring Hunting and Fishing Show, to be held at the Reliant Astrohall on February 1, 2, and 3. Show hours are Friday: 3 to 8 pm, Saturday: 10 am to 8 pm, and Sunday: 10 am to 6 pm. All volunteers will receive a free pass to the event. Volunteers are needed to answer people’s questions about KPC and the organization’s protected lands and hand out information on KPC activities and membership. No experience is necessary and all materials will be provided. If interested, contact Alesha Herrera in the KPC office at 713-523-6135 or email aherrera@katyprairie.org. Sandwich Session Scheduled The Harris and Montgomery County Soil and Water Conservation Districts will begin a series of monthly Sandwich Sessions with a talk on dry fire hydrant systems on Tuesday, February 5. Dry fire hydrants consist of a pipe system that runs from a lake, pond, or nearby stream. The talk will be held at the Klein Bank building, 28201 Tomball Parkway in Tomball, from 10 am to 1 pm. A free sandwich lunch will be provided. For more information and to RSVP, call 281-855-8716. Arbor Day Awards On Thursday, January 31, Trees For Houston will celebrate Arbor Day 2002 by honoring Richfield Investment Corporation, Ms. Hedy Treloar, Episcopal High School, Fullbrook Residential Community, Methodist Willowbrook Hospital, Chevron Station (Jim Scarborough), Uptown Houston Association, Urban Retail Properties, Fritz Law Firm, The Honorable Garnet Coleman, and Central Market for their extraordinary tree planting and conservation efforts in the Houston area. The awards ceremony will be held from 6 to 8 pm at Becks Prime (Augusta @ Westheimer). For more information, contact the Trees For Houston office at 713-840-8733. San Jacinto Conservation Coalition General Meeting On Thursday, Jan 31 the San Jacinto Conservation Coalition will host their General Meeting at 7pm at Atascocita Lutheran Church, 7927 FM 1960 E, Atascocita. On the agenda are the "SOS: Save Our Streams" video and discussion of current research on forest loss and water quality. Participants will also plan and discuss the upcoming River Bottom Festival and Canoe Challenge. For more information, contact Nancy Simpson at 281-324-6431 or simpson722@aol.com. LOCAL Legislative Forum on Development Scheduled A panel of state elected officials will hear invited and public testimony on the impacts of future development in southeast Harris County on Monday, January 28 from 6:30 - 8:30 pm at the University of Houston Clear Lake, Bayou Building Auditorium. Invited testimony will come from individuals involved with local mobility and environmental issues. The objective of the forum is to determine the subjects regarding regional growth that fall into the purview of the Texas Legislature and to obtain recommendations for legislative action that would benefit the region. The public is encouraged to submit their written testimony at the hearing or to Rep. John E. Davis' District office. A limited number of audience members will address the panel for up three minutes, time permitting. Park Planning On Monday, February 4, the Memorial Park Conservancy (MPC) will host a public meeting on the Memorial Park master plan. MPC has hired a consulting firm, Wallace Roberts and Todd, to develop the plan. In September, the team visited Houston and met with various park user groups. At the public meeting, they will review the results of their interviews and studies, and ask the audience for additional input. The consultants will present a draft master plan for review in late spring. Any plan produced will have to be approved by City Council. For more information, email Claire Caudill at jccaudill@aol.com. Clean Cities The US Department of Energy’s Clean Cities program is hosing an Advancing the Choice for Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles conference on Tuesday, January 29 from 8 am to 4 pm at the Houston-Galveston Area Council offices, 3555 Timmons, 2nd floor conference room. The event will include an interactive panel discussion about alternative fuels and cleaner diesel, and information on two funding mechanisms that are available. City and county representatives, school districts, business managers, and transportation directors are invited. For more details, visit http://www.houston-cleancities.org. Feds Approve Controversial I-10 Expansion Federal officials approved widening the Katy Freeway up to 20 or 22 lanes in some areas, despite concerns that the long-term result of expanding highways is almost always to increase the number and length of trips that people take, adding pollution without relieving congestion. For more details about this side of the story, visit http://www.cechouston.org/newsletter/nl_05-01/perspectives.html. Officials are also still considering running a four-lane toll road down the middle of the highway, despite discrimination issues; consider that a four-year study of a privately run toll-lane system in California showed that commuters in high-income groups are twice as likely as commuters in the low-income group to use toll-lanes frequently. Should being rich entitle a person to reduced traffic congestion? Houston Chronicle coverage, which lacks the environmental/urban sprawl perspective, is available at http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/front/1225768. NATIONAL Toxic Schools An alarming number of public schools are located near contaminated sites, according to a new report from the Child Proofing Our Communities Campaign. The Creating Safe Learning Zones report analyzed school siting in five states - California, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, and New York – and determined that more than 1,100 schools in those states lie within one-half mile of a federal Superfund site. California is the only state that has a law requiring school officials to investigate potentially contaminated property before choosing a school location. And no federal or state agency keeps records of public or private schools that operate on or near toxic waste or industrial sites. The report outlines model school siting legislation and lists action steps for parents and community leaders. Visit http://www.childproofing.org to read the entire document. AFE Standards to Remain the Same Disappointing
environmental groups, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), a part of
the US Department of Transportation (DOT), proposed to maintain the Corporate
Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) standard for light trucks at its current level
of 20.7 miles per
gallon for 2004 models. The light truck classification includes vans, pickup trucks, and most sport utility
vehicles. The overall fuel economy of light vehicles ø including
both light trucks and cars - is now at a
21-year low of 20.4 miles per gallon, according to the US Environmental Protection
Agency. Although car mileage has remained essentially flat for the past 16 years and
light truck mileage has stayed largely unchanged for the past 20 years, the growing market share of light trucks has
dragged down the overall fuel economy of light vehicles. http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/nhtsa/announce/press/index.cfm,
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fetrends.htm
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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