The Monitor- LNG Hearing

Texas LNG hearing audio released

By Jonathan Salinas

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has released audio of the public meeting held last Tuesday with Texas LNG where they received questions and comments from residents concerning the necessary air-quality permitting application at the state level.

State Rep. Rene Oliveira, D-Brownsville, requested the meeting after being lobbied by constituents to do so, according to Oliveira, who was in attendance.

Activists representing Save RGV from LNG and the Lower Rio Grande Valley Sierra Club held a rally and press conference prior to the meeting at WashingtonPark.

The meeting was composed of two parts: an informal question and answer period and a formal on-the-record period wherein comments and questions made will be responded to by the TCEQ in a comprehensive document titled Executive Director’s Response to Comments.

Only the formal, on-the-record portion of the meeting was released by TCEQ.

Below are questions from the activists and responses from the TCEQ panel composed of technical reviewer Joel Klumpp, environmental lawyer Sierra Redding, representative from the Public Interest Council Garrett Arthur and Texas LNG Project Manager David Blessner.

To read the question and the rest of the article follow the link below:

http://www.themonitor.com/news/local/texas-lng-hearing-audio-released/article_baf3e216-091a-5175-98e4-5a7f32396b40.html

The Associated Press- Limiting Hydrofluorocarbons

Global deal reached to limit powerful greenhouse gases

By BRADLEY KLAPPER and IGNATIUS SSUUNA

 

KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — Nearly 200 nations have reached a deal, announced Saturday morning after all-night negotiations, to limit the use of greenhouse gases far more powerful than carbon dioxide in a major effort to fight climate change.

The talks on hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, were called the first test of global will since the historic Paris Agreement to cut carbon emissions was reached last year. HFCs are described as the world's fastest-growing climate pollutant and are used in air conditioners and refrigerators. Experts say cutting them is the fastest way to reduce global warming.

President Barack Obama, in a statement Saturday, called the new deal "an ambitious and far-reaching solution to this looming crisis." The spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called it "critically important."

The agreement, unlike the broader Paris one, is legally binding. It caps and reduces the use of HFCs in a gradual process beginning by 2019 with action by developed countries including the United States, the world's second-worst polluter. More than 100 developing countries, including China, the world's top carbon emitter, will start taking action by 2024, when HFC consumption levels should peak.

A small group of countries including India, Pakistan and some Gulf states pushed for and secured a later start in 2028, saying their economies need more time to grow. That's three years earlier than India, the world's third-worst polluter, had first proposed.

"It's a very historic moment, and we are all very delighted that we have come to this point where we can reach a consensus and agree to most of the issues that were on the table," said India's chief delegate, Ajay Narayan Jha.

To continue reading follow the link below:

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/5b168e763e184c65b1afdd06c6e4fff2/global-deal-reached-limit-powerful-greenhouse-gases

The Monitor- Saving the Monarch

Saving the monarch

By RAUL GARCIA

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND — It’s safe to say almost everyone loves monarch butterflies. So, now they are going to get their own safe space on the Island.

City leaders have agreed to create a habitat for monarch butterflies so they have a protected place to stop during their 3,000-mile migratory journey.

Millions of monarch butterflies make their way to central Mexico for the winter, traveling from the Rockies.

At a recent City Council meeting, Island officials agreed to create a lush and vibrant monarch butterfly habitat — a goal that the South Padre Island City Council had in mind.

The proposed site of the habitat is the South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center.

The council approved signing the National Wildlife Federation Mayor’s Monarch Pledge.

The National Wildlife Federation is a voice for wildlife, dedicated to protecting wildlife and habitat and inspiring future generations of conservationists.

“I’m looking forward to the projects that we will do and to help increase awareness at the homeowner and business level about monarch butterflies,” SPI Councilwoman Theresa Metty said.

The Mayor’s Monarch Pledge consists of 25 possible action items, of which the mayor and local government chief executives, who have taken the pledge, must commit to at least three within one year.

To read the full story follow the link below:

http://www.themonitor.com/news/saving-the-monarch/article_c4f15284-8780-11e6-8789-33a223f4afdf.html