Bush administration lightens pesticide reviews for endangered species

The Associated Press reported that a new Bush administration rule allows the Environmental Protection Agency to approve pesticides without consulting wildlife agencies to determine if the chemical might harm plants and animals protected by the Endangered Species Act.

The AP reported that under the Endangered Species Act, EPA has been required to consult with Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service and Commerce’s National Marine Fisheries Service before it licenses a new pesticide. But officials noted that this process has been side-stepped in most cases in the past decade.

“The heads of the two wildlife services will presume EPA’s review work is adequate in cases where EPA doesn’t seek a consultation,” the AP reported.

Proposed toll road for Texas Highway 249

The Texas Department of Transportation is considering converting Texas 249 into a toll road from Beltway 8 to FM 1774.

This proposed toll road would run through northwest Harris County and Montgomery County, covering a 19-mile area that could affect many residents including those in Spring Cypress, Pinehurst, and Tomball.

The driving force behind the conversion is simply funding, according to TxDOT. The funds generated from the tolls would be used to pay for improvements and proposed expansions for Texas 249, which, according to TxDOT, could be constructed much faster with toll revenue than if the department had to wait for other funding. Though estimates have not been completed, TxDOT is projecting that the drivers will pay 10 to 12 cents per mile for tolls.

This new proposal is part of a wave of new toll road projects popping up across Texas, the most recent in Austin, where many Austinites voiced their disapproval to no avail. Many of these projects result from Texas House Bill 3588, which allows free roads to be turned into toll roads.

The House bill and the 249 project are being challenged as double taxation; tax dollars are used to build the road and, later, citizens are charged to use the road.

The Texas Department of Transportation held a public meeting in August, which about 500 people attended. Some attendees mentioned other projects, including I 69 and Grand Parkway, and expressed concern that there was a larger vision that was not being disclosed.

More information can be found at www.SH249tollroad.com.

Natural gas prices force some chemical plants to close

A Louisiana newspaper, the Times Picayune, recently reported that a series of Louisiana chemical plants have been shut down, claiming that the high price of natural gas is causing them to go under. These plants, including Cytec Industries’ ammonia and methanol facilities, rely on natural gas to produce the chemicals. According to the article, some industry spokespeople are pointing to environmentalists, claiming that they are blocking access to many natural gas sources – for example, the Rocky Mountains, where industry leaders have tried to gain access to tap the natural gas available there, but Congress approved a moratorium on drilling in the area. The article stated that, since 1999, about 4,000 chemical-making jobs have been lost in Louisiana and that economists estimate at least 1,800 more will be lost this year and next.

A Far-Reaching Fire Makes a Point About Pollution

A recent New York Times article discussed new scientific findings that confirmed that local pollution doesn’t remain local for long. According to the article, two NASA satellites, Terra and Aqua, tracked ash and soot from the Alaskan black spruce forest fires, finding it dispersed over coastal Louisiana and beyond. The New York Times reported that the satellites later tracked the Alaskan smoke north through New York City and New England, “where local weather forecasters noted a milky haze.” Smoke veils from the fires even later were recorded heading toward Greenland, carried by Arctic air currents. Such studies are helping to prove that local pollution has global effects. For instance, the article says scientists are predicting that, by 2010, a third of California’s ozone will originate in Asia.