Now Is The Time For All Good Texans To Come To The Aid Of Their Environment! And The Rest Of The World Is Invited To Put In Their Two Cents.
For over a decade, environmentalists accused the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) of lax regulation and urged the EPA to step in. Now the EPA appears to be agreeing with them and has given Texas until June 30 to change its approach or lose its oversight authority at potentially dozens of large industrial sites.
Enough is enough. Please sign the petition in support of the EPA fixing Texas’ broken air pollution permitting system: http://www.environmenttexas.org/action/clean-air/perry-petition2
Gov. Rick Perry continues attempts to block the EPA from (more…)
Turning Stormwater Problems Into Water Supply Assets
The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), is testing a variety of different permeable pavement materials and rain gardens in the parking lot at the agency’s Edison, N.J. facility. Green infrastructure applications and approaches can reduce, capture, and treat storm water runoff at its source before it can reach the sewer system. Site-specific practices, such as green roofs, downspout disconnections (downspouts on many homes are connected directly the sewer system — I passed smooth out when I first heard about that little modern convenience!), rain harvesting/gardens, planter boxes, and permeable pavement are designed to mimic natural hydro logic functions and decrease the amount of impervious area and storm water runoff from individual sites. These applications and approaches can keep storm water out of the sewer system to reduce overflows and to reduce the amount of untreated storm water discharging to surface waters. (more…)
Thursday the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency made available the most recent reporting on the amount of toxic chemicals released into the U.S. environment. According to the EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), the latest data, from the calendar year 2007, show an overall decrease of five percent in releases since 2006. Releases to air decreased seven percent and releases to water decreased five percent.
The report shows increases in the releases of persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals like lead, dioxin, mercury and PCBs. Overall PBTs releases increased one percent. The increases were primarily due to a handful of facilities, and most of the releases reported were not to the air or water. (more…)
This is Reality and the Coen Brothers have teamed up by calling out the coal industry’s ridiculous claims that coal is clean! Their latest ad is called “Air Freshener”. Please watch it now:
A lot has happened since This is Reality launched the Reality Campaign to call out the coal industry for their dirty lies. The devastating coal ash spill in Tennessee last December was a painful reminder that using “clean” to describe coal doesn’t make it true. And last week, the Environmental Protection Agency‘s decision to reconsider carbon dioxide regulation was a tremendous wake-up call to the coal industry.
Now is a crucial moment. Our message is working, and we’ve got to take this opportunity to turn up the heat. With help from folks like the Coen brothers, it’s a little easier (and funnier). Will you help spread the word, too?
Here is an example of forward thinking people who had the vision of how to make their region go green.
In 2000, the City of Charlotte received an EPA grant for a Sustainability Demonstration Project, bringing together leadership from 26 political jurisdictions to study air quality, water resource and land-use issues. The project resulted in action items for regional implementation. In 2002, the EPA approached the greater Charlotte region about expanding this partnership to develop (more…)
Rain-battered residents in northeastern Australia were on alert Wednesday for snakes in their bathrooms and crocodiles in the road following repeated storms that have sent local wildlife in search of dry land or a safe haven.
After weeks of storms that have submerged parts of Queensland, the area was battered again Sunday when a tropical storm landed. More rain is forecast this week, including a possible cyclone.
The Queensland Environmental Protection Agency has warned residents to watch out for wildlife on roads and in their yards.
What a nightmare for those of us who do not have any fond feelings for snakes and/or crocodiles. (more…)
For all of you Texans and those who live near the borders of Texas, listen up!
Our state is putting a perfunctory foot forward in going green by having a tax
free weekend on Energy Star products. Below is the excerpt from the Houston
Chronicle article by Clay Robison. (more…)
For over a decade, environmentalists accused the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) of lax regulation and urged the EPA to step in. Now the EPA appears to be agreeing with them and has given Texas until June 30 to change its approach or lose its oversight authority at potentially dozens of large industrial sites.
The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), is testing a variety of different permeable pavement materials and rain gardens in the parking lot at the agency’s Edison, N.J. facility. Green infrastructure applications and approaches can reduce, capture, and treat storm water runoff at its source before it can reach the sewer system. Site-specific practices, such as green roofs, downspout disconnections (downspouts on many homes are connected directly the sewer system — I passed smooth out when I first heard about that little modern convenience!), rain harvesting/gardens, planter boxes, and permeable pavement are designed to mimic natural hydro logic functions and decrease the amount of impervious area and storm water runoff from individual sites. These applications and approaches can keep storm water out of the sewer system to reduce overflows and to reduce the amount of untreated storm water discharging to surface waters. 
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