We can often get wrapped up in policy discussions and advocacy, and forget to take a moment to appreciate why we care about the ocean. Last week a video started popping up on the internet of some dolphins off the coast of Santa Cruz, CA. The video was meant to be of a tuna fishing [...]
By Marcelo Norsworthy In a much-anticipated report on the management of the Port of Houston Authority (PHA), the Sunset Commission , as directed by the Texas legislature, identified several opportunities to improve aspects of port management, including accountability and stakeholder trust. …
Here's hoping the new oil spill claims czar will do better (editorial) The Press-Register (Mobile, Ala.). August 11, 2012. "WHILE THEY are both accomplished trial lawyers, the two men chosen as administrators of the BP oil spill claims process are a study in contrasts…" ( Read more )…
By Lina Younes With NOAA’s revised hurricane season outlook for 2012 forecasting “above-normal” tropical storm activity for this year, I think it is timely to take several steps to get yourself and your family prepared before any hurricanes reach our shores. While the official hurricane season…
By Marita Mirzatuny Source: “ERCOT Investment Incentives and Resource Adequacy.” Brattle Group. June 1, 2012. In January, we discussed the benefits of demand response (DR) and how Texas is not taking full advantage of it. Not only is DR a low cost, zero water source for providing capacity…
By Amy Hardberger The post was guest authored by Joanna Wolaver of the National Wildlife Federation The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) adopted rules on Wednesday, August 8 th that fall short of protecting environmental flows in the Guadalupe, San Antonio, Mission and Aransas…
By Gernot Wagner There should no longer be any doubt. Climate change is here, and it is happening. 26,000 broken heat records this summer speak for themselves. Extreme weather events hit home. Another consequence of climate change, by contrast – rising sea levels – often seems far away and far…
A team of federal and university scientists on a 10-day expedition in the Gulf of Mexico has discovered Lophelia coral growing deeper than previously seen anywhere in the Gulf. Newly available information on Lophelia’s growth rate and conditions will inform future environmental review and…
By Eric Pooley To download a copy of this briefing paper, please click here . Hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, processes used to extract natural gas from underground shale formations, have unlocked vast new domestic reserves — an unexpected abundance that has overturned many of…
By Elena Craft, PhD Credit: Mom's Clean Air Force Texas isn’t the only state dealing with air quality issues. In Georgia this week, I joined numerous experts working in a collaborative effort to develop cost-efficient strategies and solutions for reducing diesel engine emissions. At this…
By: Nancy Grundahl Have you discovered ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) art? It uses the characters of a typical computer to create graphics — like this fish art. ><((“> ><((“> ><((“> ><((“> ><((“> ><((“>…
Sinkhole free of radiation but residents still mad The Associated Press. August 10, 2012. "BATON ROUGE, La. — As state scientists monitored the toxicity of naturally occurring radiation at a slurry hole in Assumption Parish, residents said Thursday they were furious with their public state…
Scientists find steady reduction in one type of air pollutant, although region still suffers bad air days
By Lina Younes Like many Americans across the country, last Sunday night I was glued to my computer screen impatiently waiting for the confirmation of the successful landing of the mobile science laboratory “Curiosity” on Mars. This technological feat is similar in magnitude to the first landing…
Updated outlook calls for near- or above-normal Atlantic season
New BP claims boss is a stark contrast to Ken Feinberg By George Talbot, The Press-Register. August 8, 2012. "MOBILE, Alabama — “This is not the Feinberg operation.” So said U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner, by way of introducing Patrick Juneau…" ( Read more ) EPA gives La grant to help fight…
Drought expands to cover nearly 63% of the Lower 48 states; wildfires consume 2 million acres The average temperature for the contiguous U.S. during July was 77.6°F, 3.3°F above the 20th century average, marking the hottest July and the hottest month on record for the nation. The previous warmest…
By Elena Craft, PhD Credit: Live Trading News Over the last couple of years we've seen a lot of debate on the impacts that shale gas operations can have on local and regional air quality and even on the climate. But there's been less attention paid to the potential impacts to the…
Cross- posted from the Department of Labor Auto Recovery Blog By Mathy Stanislaus As I meet with mayors and talk with community leaders throughout the country, I witness first-hand the significant challenges communities face as they work to rebuild their economies. Taking action to support economic…
By EDF Blogs By: Richie Ahuja , Regional Director, Asia, and Andy Darrell , New York Regional Director and Deputy Director of the Energy Program Credit: Parivartan Sharma / Reuters “Leopards and elephants often wander in…”says the manager of a tea plantation in India, left in the…