CEC: Newsletters

EcoNotes

Congress steps up pipeline regulation

The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation in November to strengthen federal safety programs for the 1.6 million miles of pipelines that transport oil, petroleum products and natural gas across the United States. The measure requires more safety inspections of pipelines and boosts penalties for inadequate maintenance.

The bill would require pipelines to be inspected within the next 10 years to prevent leaks and ruptures. More problematic pipelines would be inspected within the first five years. All pipelines would then be re-inspected every seven years. The legislation also increased the fine against companies that violate the pipeline safety rules from $25,000 to $100,000 per day. The penalty cap would double to $1 million per incident.

An average of four pipeline accidents causing death, injury or major property damage occur each week, according to the General Accounting Office. But environmental groups say only one in 25 pipeline violators are ever given fines.

There are more pipelines buried under the Houston area than any other region in the country. Nearly one fifth of the nation’s oil refining takes place within 100 miles of downtown Houston. A similar percentage of U.S. chemical manufacturing takes place in Harris, Brazoria and Galveston Counties. Though most lines are located in eastern Harris County, no area in the county is pipe free.

City strikes deal with county water authority

Houston City Council approved a $75 million water contract in December to supply water to more than 400,000 people in unincorporated north Harris County. The deal is the largest of its kind in city history.

Instead of charging a flat rate to north Harris County residents – as with city water customers – the city will charge the North Harris County Regional Water Authority a one-time fee of $75 million.

The payment covers the water authority’s share of the cost of getting the water from city -owned lakes to a water -treatment plant on Lake Houston, testing and treatment systems and an 84-inch pipeline from the water plant to US 59. The water authority also will pay its share of water system operations and maintenance costs.

The water authority will then sell the water for $1.80 per 1,000 gallons to more than 160 municipal utility districts that deliver and sell water from wells to residents.

The Harris-Galveston Coastal Subsidence District requires that area residents stop relying on subsurface well water and switch to a regional surface water system over the next 25 years. (Houston Chronicle)

Bush signs wetlands protection bill

Last month, George W. Bush signed legislation that extends for five more years a program under which the federal government helps leverage donations from sportsmen, state wildlife agencies, conservationists and land owners who pledge to protect wetlands, particularly those that are home to migratory waterfowl.

Under the program, the government has contributed $462 million since 1991, matched by $1.3 billion from other entities. The money was used to restore waterways, plant native trees and acquire land that is home to endangered species – more than 960 wetlands in all 50 U.S. states, Canada and Mexico, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

But some environmental groups said the legislation was in contrast to other moves by the administration that threaten wetlands. Millions of acres of wetlands remain in regulatory limbo as the Bush administration has yet to clarify its approach to wetlands regulation.

The confusion stems from a Supreme Court ruling last year in a developer’s challenge that said the Clean Water Act’s authority over navigable waters does not extend to isolated wetlands (wetlands that are adjacent to floodplains).

This issue is of particular concern in flood-prone Harris County. John Jacobs, a Texas A & M University expert on wetlands, said that while there is no precise formula for how much loss of wetlands would affect drainage, there is no doubt that the impacts would be dramatic.

Houston Audubon Society President Jeff Mundy said that protection of natural wetland habitats was the “most critical factor” in the conservation of endangered and threatened migratory bird species.

County gets additional ozone monitors

This year, the University of Houston’s Environmental Institute of Houston and Harris County Pollution Control will install 10 new ozone monitors in public spaces such as schools, libraries, senior centers and nature centers in Harris County. The monitors will be installed by March 2003 and the data will appear on the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality web site at www.tceq.org and will be included in the ozone e-mail alert system.

The HCPCD monitors will have a public digital readout that will display the outdoor ozone concentration every minute, along with printed information that will explain what the numbers mean. EIH’s and HCPCD’s ten new monitors will bring the number of sites in the eight-county ozone non-attainment area ozone warning network to 32. Currently, 23 monitors are scattered over five counties. Fort Bend, Liberty and Waller counties do not have ozone monitors. An additional seven monitors near the Houston Ship Channel are operated by the industry-funded Houston Regional Monitoring Corporation, but are not part of the warning network.

The new monitors are funded through state and county Supplemental Environmental Projects grants. SEP money comes from fines levied against polluters who choose to pay a reduced amount to be used for environmentally beneficial projects.

To subscribe to the email ozone alert system visit www.hcoem.org. (Mothers for Clean Air)



EcoNotes Congress steps up pipeline regulation The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation in November to strengthen federal safety programs for the 1.6 million miles of pipelines that transport oil, petroleum products and natural gas across the United States. The measure requires more safety inspections of pipelines and boosts penalties for inadequate maintenance. The bill would require pipelines to be inspected within the next 10 years to prevent leaks and ruptures. More problematic pipelines would be inspected within the first five years. All pipelines would then be re-inspected every seven years. The legislation also increased the fine against companies that violate the pipeline safety rules from $25,000 to $100,000 per day. The penalty cap would double to $1 million per incident. An average of four pipeline accidents causing death, injury or major property damage occur each week, according to the General Accounting Office. But environmental groups say only one in 25 pipeline violators are ever given fines. There are more pipelines buried under the Houston area than any other region in the country. Nearly one fifth of the nation’s oil refining takes place within 100 miles of downtown Houston. A similar percentage of U.S. chemical manufacturing takes place in Harris, Brazoria and Galveston Counties. Though most lines are located in eastern Harris County, no area in the county is pipe free. City strikes deal with county water authority Houston City Council approved a $75 million water contract in December to supply water to more than 400,000 people in unincorporated north Harris County. The deal is the largest of its kind in city history. Instead of charging a flat rate to north Harris County residents – as with city water customers – the city will charge the North Harris County Regional Water Authority a one-time fee of $75 million. The payment covers the water authority’s share of the cost of getting the water from city -owned lakes to a water -treatment plant on Lake Houston, testing and treatment systems and an 84-inch pipeline from the water plant to US 59. The water authority also will pay its share of water system operations and maintenance costs. The water authority will then sell the water for $1.80 per 1,000 gallons to more than 160 municipal utility districts that deliver and sell water from wells to residents. The Harris-Galveston Coastal Subsidence District requires that area residents stop relying on subsurface well water and switch to a regional surface water system over the next 25 years. (Houston Chronicle) Bush signs wetlands protection bill Last month, George W. Bush signed legislation that extends for five more years a program under which the federal government helps leverage donations from sportsmen, state wildlife agencies, conservationists and land owners who pledge to protect wetlands, particularly those that are home to migratory waterfowl. Under the program, the government has contributed $462 million since 1991, matched by $1.3 billion from other entities. The money was used to restore waterways, plant native trees and acquire land that is home to endangered species – more than 960 wetlands in all 50 U.S. states, Canada and Mexico, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. But some environmental groups said the legislation was in contrast to other moves by the administration that threaten wetlands. Millions of acres of wetlands remain in regulatory limbo as the Bush administration has yet to clarify its approach to wetlands regulation. The confusion stems from a Supreme Court ruling last year in a developer’s challenge that said the Clean Water Act’s authority over navigable waters does not extend to isolated wetlands (wetlands that are adjacent to floodplains). This issue is of particular concern in flood-prone Harris County. John Jacobs, a Texas A & M University expert on wetlands, said that while there is no precise formula for how much loss of wetlands would affect drainage, there is no doubt that the impacts would be dramatic. Houston Audubon Society President Jeff Mundy said that protection of natural wetland habitats was the “most critical factor” in the conservation of endangered and threatened migratory bird species. County gets additional ozone monitors This year, the University of Houston’s Environmental Institute of Houston and Harris County Pollution Control will install 10 new ozone monitors in public spaces such as schools, libraries, senior centers and nature centers in Harris County. The monitors will be installed by March 2003 and the data will appear on the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality web site at www.tceq.org and will be included in the ozone e-mail alert system. The HCPCD monitors will have a public digital readout that will display the outdoor ozone concentration every minute, along with printed information that will explain what the numbers mean. EIH’s and HCPCD’s ten new monitors will bring the number of sites in the eight-county ozone non-attainment area ozone warning network to 32. Currently, 23 monitors are scattered over five counties. Fort Bend, Liberty and Waller counties do not have ozone monitors. An additional seven monitors near the Houston Ship Channel are operated by the industry-funded Houston Regional Monitoring Corporation, but are not part of the warning network. The new monitors are funded through state and county Supplemental Environmental Projects grants. SEP money comes from fines levied against polluters who choose to pay a reduced amount to be used for environmentally beneficial projects. To subscribe to the email ozone alert system visit www.hcoem.org. (Mothers for Clean Air)