The Houston Chronicle reports that Texas is one of four states to win a national competition for grants designed to stimulate energy efficiency action at the local level.
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the grants today as part of $28.5 million awarded to 12 states and territories to support various energy efficiency projects.
The Obama administration said the projects — awarded through a competitive selection — “will lower energy bills for American families and businesses, boost job growth, and increase investment in companies that deliver energy-saving technologies.”
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Everyday tons of coal in Texas are burned to generate our electricity. There are plenty of federal regulations about what comes out of the smoke stack – but none for the ash waste – which contain heavy metals and other toxic contaminants.
The coal ash is dumped in landfills with little to no required safeguards, leading to contaminated soil and groundwater.
Now the Environmental Protection Agency is looking at regulating coal ash for the first time. [more]
NPR: A fire on an offshore oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico has been extinguished, the owner of the rig said Thursday.
The platform, about 100 miles south of the Louisiana coast, exploded Thursday morning. All 13 people aboard were rescued from the water in the second such disaster in the Gulf in less than five months.
Production Platform On Fire South Of Louisiana, U.S. Coast Guard Reports
The owner of the rig, Houston-based Mariner Energy, said the cause of the fire remains unknown and that an investigation is under way.
NPR: According to U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Bill Colclough, an offshore oil rig, Vermilion Oil Rig 380, owned by Mariner Energy, Inc., is on fire, some 90 miles south of Vermilion Bay, below Marsh Island, Louisiana.
In an interview with CNN, he said there were 13 people aboard the rig. All of them have been accounted for. Twelve of the employees have been placed in immersion suits. They will receive medical treatment at Terrebonne General Medical Center in Houma, Louisiana.
Eight Coast Guard rescue helicopters have been dispatched to the rig location. In addition, three Coast Guard cutters — Decisive, Manta and Skip Jack — are en route, with four civilian vessels.
As of last year, Mariner Energy, which is headquartered in Houston, “had interests approximately 240 blocks on the continental shelf and 100 blocks in deepwater,” and “net interests in more than 185,000 acres, primarily in the Permian Basin and Gulf Coast.”
It’ll take years to fully know the effects of the BP oil spill on wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico. One thing we do know now is what that wildlife was like before the 206 million gallons of oil spewed into the water. For that knowledge, we have the Smithsonian Institution to thank.
The Smithsonian Institution’s Museum Support Center is an anonymous beige warehouse complex just outside Washington, D.C. It doesn’t look like anything special until you get inside.
These buildings house all the things that don’t fit into the museums on the National Mall, in endless rows of jars and bottles and boxes. Among them is the world’s largest collection of invertebrates from the Gulf of Mexico, all floating in 150-proof alcohol. It’s a pretty comprehensive snapshot of life before the spill. [more]
There aren’t many places in the U.S. that have more sun and active people than Austin, Texas. That’s why PMT turned to dermatologist Jennifer Aranda. She said the most common sun-related skin problem for children she treats is sunburn.
“The damage that leads to skin cancer starts in childhood, so it is important that to teach children good sun protection habits at an early age. Adequate use of sunscreen can help minimize the occurrence of sunburns” — Jennifer Aranda.
There are many sunscreens that are specially formulated for babies and children and for those with “sensitive skin”. Aranda said that the key distinction is that “some of these sunscreens tend to have ingredients that are physical (as opposed to chemical) sunscreens, such as zinc oxide.”
Oil from the BP spill is still more than 100 miles off the Texas coast. But a special oil response team is still on the lookout. KERA‘s Shelley Kofler went on patrol with members of the team based in Corpus Christi to find out how Texas has prepared for oil spills here.
Area of dispute in Kashmir (courtesy of New York Times)
BANDIPORE, Kashmir — The new battle between India and Pakistan comes not from ethnic violence, but from water flowing down from beautiful mountain glaciers in the high Himalayan valley in the Indian-controlled side of Kashmir, to farmers’ fields in Pakistan’s agricultural heartland. I can say without a doubt that this is a constant topic of “water-cooler” type conversation among the academic as well as the common community. Indian workers in Kashmir are racing to build an expensive hydroelectric dam in a remote valley near here – one of many India plans to build over the next ten years to feed its rapidly growing economy. But are they illegal?
Lydia Polgreen of the New York Times reports that in Pakistan, the project raises fears that India, its upriver nation, would have the power to manipulate the water flowing to its agriculture industry which is a quarter of its already poor economy and employs half its population. But how can they stop it?Water has become a growing source of tension in many parts of the world between nations striving for growth (also know as transboundary water conflicts). Across the Himalayas, China’s own dam projects have piqued India, a rival for regional, and even global, power.
But the fight here adds a new segment of volatility to one of the most disrespected relationships anywhere, – one between nuclear-armed nations who have already fought three wars.
With their populations rapidly expanding, water is critical to both nations. According to water experts, Pakistan contains the world’s largest contiguous irrigation system. The rivers that traverse Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province and the heart of its agriculture industry are the country’s lifeline, and the dispute over their use goes to the heart of its fears about India.
For India, the hydroelectric projects are vital to securing Himalayan water to fill in the serious energy shortfalls that hurt its economy. Surprisingly, despite being a growing economic power, about 40 percent of India’s population is off the power grid, and lack of electricity which hampers industry. For example, as I sit here today in Ahmedabad, the sixth largest city in India, the power grid is stable for the most, part but does go out in vital parts of the day affecting everyone from doctors in hospitals to the minister of Gujarat. The Kishenganga project in Kashmir is a crucial part of India’s plans to alleviate issues such as these.
Public Media Texas is based in Austin. We embrace our local presence in Austin with our hyper-local East Austin site 78702.org. We contribute to the discussion of the environment in the Southwest and the state of politics in Texas. We also seek to understand the dynamic between the U.S. and Mexico along our shared border. Along the way we search for artistic expressions that reflect and provide more perspective on the Lone Star state.
