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First Annual Newcomers Guide to Houston: Houston Matters for Tuesday, September 2nd, 2014

Posted on · On this special edition of Houston Matters, we offer our first annual “newcomers guide to Houston.” Whether you’re new to town, or just want a refresher on the basics of life in H-town, this will be a must listen. We’ll cover absolutely as much territory as we can in an hour, presenting the lowdown on […]

Full Show

EPA in Galena Park, Kindergarten Boot Camp, and Roller Derby: Houston Matters for Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Posted on · The Environmental Protection Agency Tuesday held a public hearing in Galena Park, where residents called for the federal agency to adopt stricter emissions standards for oil refineries, in order to reduce exposure to benzene, a cancer-causing chemical. The meeting was the second and final public hearing over the new rules, which would require oil refineries […]

Houston Matters

Understanding ERCOT — The Folks Who Manage Most of Texas’ Electric Flow

Posted on · You might not have heard about ERCOT — The Electric Reliability Council of Texas — but it affects your life, whether you’re aware of it or not. The agency manages electric flow for 23 million Texans — some 85 percent of the state’s electric load. Dave Fehling, KUHF’s StateImpact Reporter for energy and the environment, […]

StateImpact

Texas Debates How To Spend BP Spill Money

Posted on · It's been almost four years since the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform exploded in the Gulf of Mexico where eleven rig workers died. Millions of gallons of crude oil spilled into the Gulf's waters and delicate wetlands. In an effort to make things right, the rig-operator — the oil giant BP — has been doling out billions of dollars.

StateImpact

Houston’s Ozone Mystery: Pockets Of Pollution Unlike Other Cities

Posted on · It's not as bad as it used to be, but the two biggest metropolitan regions of Texas — Dallas and Houston — continue to have air pollution which violates federal standards for ozone. But in an effort to reduce it, scientists are finding it's not easy to determine exactly where ozone originates and where it drifts. StateImpact reporter Dave Fehling talked with scientists working on the latest research, including an ozone mystery in one tiny town.

StateImpact

Call Before You Dig: Does Texas Put Pipelines at Risk?

Posted on · In the past decade in Texas, pipeline accidents have killed and injured people and caused millions of dollars in property damage. According to federal government, about 11-percent of those accidents were caused by construction crews. They hit pipelines as they're digging with bulldozers or back-hoes. StateImpact reporter Dave Fehling has been looking at one measure that's supposed to prevent such accidents — the "Call Before You Dig" program.

StateImpact

Tracing Traffic Pollution As Texas Port Expands

Posted on · Texas and California have a couple things in common: big sea ports and pollution. And it's those similarities that are becoming important as a change is about to take place in how foreign cargo is shipped into the United States. StateImpact reporter Dave Fehling explains why some Texans are looking closely at what happened years ago in Los Angeles.