Growth Management & The Environment

Houston's Five Year Clean Air Plan

The EPA has approved Houston's five-year clean air plan. The plan, which an EPA official called "the most innovative and technically advanced clean air plan ever," is expected to cut nitrogen oxide emissions by 75 percent by 2007. The clean air plan includes reducing highway speeds in Houston to 55 mph, stricter tailpipe emissions testing and the banning of gas-powered lawn equipment during morning hours in the summer. The plan also calls for major industry in Houston to to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by an average of 90 percent by 2007.

Maryland Toughens New Poultry Regulations

Maryland state officials have passed new regulations that will hold poultry processing companies responsible for water pollution caused by chicken manure. The regulations will require poultry processors to verify that their growers are disposing of the manure properly. Until the new regulations were set, manure disposal was the responsibility of the contract farmers who raise the birds for the processing companies.

Maryland Department of Planning Intervenes

Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening, the first governor to implement smart growth policies to limit suburban sprawl, is opposing three developments in Maryland. The state Department of Planning is opposing a Wal-Mart near Chestertown, a condominium project in Annapolis and a residential development in Gaithersburg. Glendening's administration is opposing the developments to show that increased density must be accompanied by quality design. State officials have no power to approve or reject any of the projects, but are lending their expertise in planning, design and legal issues on the developments.

State of Maryland Buys Arundel Wetlands

Maryland has purchased 614 acres of wetlands and forests along the Patuxent River in Anne Arundel County. The $4.3 million acquisition is the first purchase under the state's new GreenPrint Program aimed at protecting open space and environmentally sensitive areas and encouraging smart growth. The land purchase is part of Gov. Parris Glendening's $35 million pet project to secure greenspace in the state. Glendening is one of the nation's top smart growth advocates.

Hog Farm Restrictions In S.C.

New regulations put into place by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control Board have all but ended the possibility of new hog farms in the state. State officials have imposed stringent temporary permitting for large hog farms and plan to implement permanent environmental rules on factory-style hog farms. The temporary regulations apply to hog farms that produce 1 million pounds of pork a year with eight or more barns. The regulations are in response to public concerns about the farms' effect on air and water quality in the Palmetto State.

Utility's Mercury Testing Shows Promise

Officials with Atlanta-based Southern Co. said new technology being used to reduce mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants is showing promise. The first phase of the testing was recently completed by ADA-Environmental Solutions at Southern Co.'s Gaston plant near Wilsonville, Ala. Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Southern Co., was selected by the U.S. Dept. of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory to participate in the nation's first full-scale program to test advanced mercury control technologies. Results from the test showed that mercury can be removed at rates between 80 and 85 percent when activated carbon is injected into the existing baghouse ash collection system. The high level of mercury control was achieved in a short test of seven days. Long term testing would indicate costs and overall performance of the technology.

Arkansas River Water Issues Go to Mediation

Kansas and Colorado are one step closer to resolving how much water Colorado must deliver to Kansas. Officials from both states have agreed to mediation rather than litigation to resolve the remaining issues in their dispute about the waters of the Arkansas River. In 1985, Kansas filed a lawsuit against Colorado in U.S. Supreme Court for interfering with Kansas' rights under the Arkansas River Compact. The Supreme Court ruled in 1995 that Colorado had violated the compact by taking more water than it was entitled to and owed Kansas damages.

Louisville in Compliance

For the first time since 1972, the Louisville area has met the national smog standard. EPA officials declared the metro area in compliance with rules for ground-level ozone. Industries in Louisville have spent over $50 million since 1990 in the reduction of their emmissions of nitrogen oxides and other pollutants.

Northern Virginia Power Plant Faces Opposition

A controversial power plant that faces strong opposition from local resident and elected officials in Loudoun County is getting similarly cool reception from state regulators. Tractebel, the Houston-based subsidiary of a Belgium multinational, wants to build a new 1,400-megawatt gas-fired plant on 82 acres southeast of Leesburg, Va. The company wants to sell the electricity produced at the plant on the Virginia wholesale market once that state opens to competition next year. Local officials as well as state officials are questioning the environmental and community impact the plant would bring to Loudoun County.