Texas to Gain Seats in 2010

Texas is on track to gain 2-4 Congressional seats as a result of our population growth. Current predictions are that the seats would most likely be divided between Houston and Dallas. I would think that Austin would also be a candidate, but it may be more likely that our current seats will be more tightly based in Central Texas (we can only hope). Certainly, if Houston gains one or more seats, it will be difficult to continue extending CD 10 down into Harris County.

Brain Worms

Wash your food thoroughly. There is an outbreak of brain worm parasites in South Texas.

Wildlife Refuge or Lake?

The City of Dallas and the Texas Water Development Board have filed suit against the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to block the designation of the Neches Wildlife Refuge. The City and Board would prefer to construct a reservoir at the site on the Upper Neches River. Environmental groups argue that there would not be any need for the reservoir if the Dallas Water Utility customers would reduce their per capita water use by just one percent, saving approximately twice the water that the reservoir would provide.

NOAA Recognizes Climate Change

The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration has become the first U.S. agency to acknowledge that greenhouse gases are warming the planet and contributing to climate change.

SLAP

Jim Blackburn has been an advocate for the Texas environment, and the coast in particular, for years. He recently sent an update on various issues including this one:

It's not easy being a landowner trying to protect your property rights. Recently, a bizarre legal action was filed by Jefferson County Drainage District #6 that should be of concern to anyone who files comments on Corps of Engineers permit applications. A suit has been filed against three ranchers for filing negative comments about a drainage project that required a Corps of Engineers permit. Just think about that for a minute - the agency asks you for comments on a permit that it is considering issuing and you make negative comments and you get sued. That is a sobering thought.

The suit filed in Jefferson County by DD#6 is a strange one that claims trespass and nuisance for writing comments, complains about interference with property rights by writing comments and complains about negligence in the preparation of comments. The suit fails to mention that we all have the right to petition our government for relief, particularly when given notice and the opportunity to write comments. In this case, the stakes are high. The drainage projects could cover the three ranchers' lands with additional floodwaters and could also endanger the McFaddin and Anahuac National Wildlife Refuges. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has voiced concerns about these drainage projects as well.

In an attempt to protect their property rights and their civil rights, the ranchers - Bill White, Steven White and Laird Finch of Chambers County - have filed a lawsuit in federal court in Galveston. This suit claims that DD6's state court litigation violates their civil rights, including the constitutional guarantee of the right to petition their government to redress grievances. The suit asks the federal district court in Galveston to prevent the Jefferson County District Court from proceeding with that litigation.

This is an important case to landowners. Any of you who have ever complained to the government about the impacts of a government's action should watch this litigation closely. Nothing less than your ability to comment negatively about the government actions is at stake here.

This type of lawsuit is known as a strategic lawsuit against public participation, a SLAP. What is particularly egregious here is that it is a governmental entity that is attempting to limit oversight of its actions.

Smog Mitigating Paint

An Italian company has come up with a coating that eats smog. The titanium dioxide in the coating accelerates natural oxidation, breaking down the nitrogen oxides from fossil fuel emissions that contribute to ground level ozone, smog. The tests show a 60 percent reduction at ground level, but only within 8 feet of the building.

The product is undergoing further tests in Europe and Japan. The Japanese have an acute need for smog destroying chemicals.

Welcome

Welcome to this new, or rather repurposed blog, on Texas environmental issues and politics. Here is a sample of my previous posts on these topics from my personal blog:

Everybody Talks About the Weather, but Nobody Does Anything About It (State Water Plan 11/20/06)

Election Reflections (11/12/06)

Fair Weather Friends (Democratic Infighting 9/25/06)

The Corn Palace (Climate Change 8/30/06)

Greenland Contributing 1/3 of Sea Level Rise

The President is Always Right (Executive Hubris 7/12/06)

Income Inequality in the U.S. (7/11/06)

Maps for the 22d Century (Google maps hack for sea level rise 5/12/06)

Global What? (Semantics of Climate Change 4/12/06)

New Orleans Bears (Rebuilding 3/6/06)

Cloudy With a Chance of Chaos (Insurance industry responds to climate change 2/6/06)

News Flash: Barrier Islands are Risky Places to Build (12/27/05)

Climate Change and Austin (10/10/05)

Where the Liars and the Antelope Roam (Bush official edits scientific grazing study 6/21/05)

Sprawl Costs More (6/11/05)

Same As It Ever Was (Bush official edits climate change report 6/11/05)

Gulf Stream Slowing (5/12/05)

Urban Mobility and the Big Lie (5/9/05)

Measuring the Vote (Graphic display of Presidential election 11/09/04)