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February 2013 (43)
Litter problem increasing with more than 1 billion pieces of trash collected annually
AUSTIN
You might think Don’t mess with Texas® is just a saying, but it’s way more. It’s a call to action created by the Texas Department of Transportation 27 years ago to stop litterers in their tracks. Today, TxDOT announced the state’s anti-litter campaign is getting a makeover. With a new look, Don’t mess with Texas® is designed to appeal to young adults between the ages of 16 and 34 who were not born when TxDOT first rolled out its now world-famous litter prevention program. “Don’t mess with Texas® is an iconic brand and campaign that we want people to be proud of and that helps keep our state clean,” said Ted Houghton, Chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission. “It’s our shared responsibility to prevent littering and to pick up after ourselves when travelling around our great state.” “We want to remind all Texans and visitors that trash belongs in a trash can and not along our roadways,” said Phil Wilson, TxDOT’s executive director. “That’s why trash barrels are playing a key role in the re-launch of Don’t mess with Texas®, our state’s most critical and successful anti-litter campaign.” An estimated 1.1 billion pieces of trash are tossed along more than 80,000 miles of state-maintained roadways. In an effort to reduce this growing volume of litter that includes fast-food packaging, cigarette butts, candy wrappers, small pieces of paper, plastic bags, and other items tossed from vehicles, TxDOT is taking Don’t mess with Texas® back to its roots by resurrecting the iconic red, white, and blue trash barrels. In the coming months, the “CANpaign” will be visible to Texans everywhere as more than 300 of these barrels will appear across the state at travel information centers, popular tourist attractions, sports venues and other high-traffic locations to remind drivers to properly dispose of litter. Texas is home to more than 25 million people, and an estimated 1,000 people move into the state every day who may not realize that littering is against state law. Litterers can be fined up to $500 for the first offense. Repeat offenders can face fines of up to $2,000 and 180 days in jail. “Not only is it our responsibility to pick up our trash, but doing so reduces the amount TxDOT and taxpayers spend on litter prevention efforts,” added Wilson. “In fact, our estimates show that these programs are saving TxDOT and taxpayers some $4.7 million annually.”
More information on Don’t mess with Texas® can be found at dontmesswithtexas.org. This website features background on the campaign, research information about litter on Texas roads and highways, and engaging content to help raise awareness about the importance of litter prevention.
BAYTOWN
Gov. Rick Perry announced that Borusan Mannesmann Pipe will expand its manufacturing operations to the U.S. with a steel pipe plant in Baytown, creating 250 jobs and $148 million in capital investment. The state is providing $1.6 million through the Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF) to close the deal on this project. “Texas continues to be a leader in energy production, supplying not just the oil and gas that fuel our cars, homes and businesses, but also the products and workforce necessary to support domestic drilling in the U.S.,” Gov. Perry said. “With the help of competitive incentives like the TEF, Texas continues to attract employers from across the country and around the world to expand within our borders, creating jobs and opportunity and further strengthening our economy.” Headquartered in Turkey, Borusan Mannesmann is a global leader in steel pipe production for a variety of industries, including oil and gas drilling and transmission, with current production of around one million tons of pipe products. The Baytown facility will produce casings used to secure oil wells and tubing to extract gas and oil from the ground, adding 300,000 tons of manufacturing capacity. “This investment will establish Borusan as a local manufacturer in the U.S. market,” Borusan Chairman A. Ahmet Kocabiyik said. “This investment is the beginning of a new era, not only for economic relations between the U.S. and Turkey, but also for our steel sectors. I would like to extend our sincere appreciation to the Texas Governor’s Office for their immense support during and after the decision making process.” “The creation of 250 jobs is a significant number of new jobs in a modest-size county of less than 40,000 people,” Sen. Williams said. “These are great jobs that will support families. I welcome Borusan Mannesmann Pipe to Southeast Texas. We’re glad to welcome the jobs and the capital investment and appreciate the governor's help in attracting this company to our state.” “Borusan Mannesmann’s expansion into Chambers County, and Texas in general, is a testament to the prosperous business climate our state offers,” Rep. Eiland said. “I am excited about the expansion, and I am fully supportive of Borusan Mannesmann’s decision to bring additional jobs and added revenue to my constituents back home.” The Legislature created the TEF in 2003 and has re-appropriated funding in every legislative session since then to help ensure the growth of Texas businesses and create more jobs throughout the state. TEF projects must be approved by the governor, lieutenant governor and speaker of the House. The fund has since become one of the state’s most competitive tools to recruit and bolster business. To date, the TEF has invested nearly $490 million and closed the deal on projects generating more than 67,000 new jobs and more than $19.9 billion in capital investment in the state.
More Than 3,000 Distracted Driving Deaths in U.S. Yearly
John Michaelson
AUSTIN, Texas
Today kicks off Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and experts have said the problem goes way beyond texting or talking while behind the wheel. Joel Feldman, founder of the Casey Feldman Foundation, noted that three-quarters of all distracted driving injuries and deaths are unrelated to cell phones. "You can't legislate against me reaching for my GPS, me reaching into my glove compartment, me reaching around if I've got an infant in the back in the car seat, me eating - there's just so many things that can be distracted driving," he explained. Feldman became an advocate for the issue after his 21-year-old daughter was struck and killed by a distracted driver in 2009. Nationwide, he said, distracted driving is responsible for nearly 400,000 injuries and more than 3,000 deaths per year. Many of Feldman's efforts are focused on younger drivers. He works with lawyers nationwide who deal daily with the tragic consequences of distracted driving accidents to carry the message into schools about the need to break dangerous habits. "Studies show that teens who grow up in a household where the parents drive distracted are two to four times more likely to drive distracted," he said. "I drove distracted all the time before my daughter was killed - I was a poor role model, I would drive distracted with my kids in the car." Feldman said many students express concerns about their parents' distracted driving. In Texas, the use of hand-held phones and texting is illegal in school zones.
More information is available at http://www.distraction.gov and at http://www.caseyfeldmanfoundation.org/.
Texas Governor Rick Perry firmly reiterated that the state will not expand its Medicaid program, saying that it is a broken system that needs to be reformed by allowing states more flexibility.
Seems to me April Fool's Day is the perfect day to discuss something as foolish as Medicaid expansion, and to remind everyone that Texas will not be held hostage by the Obama administration's attempt to force us into the fool's errand of adding more than a million Texans to a broken system," Perry told reporters at the state Capitol. Perry was joined by other Texas Republican officials, including U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz. In Texas, Medicaid expansion would cover more than 1 million new low-income Texans by 2017, according to the state Health and Human Services Commission. About two dozen demonstrators stood outside the room where the press conference was held chanting loudly and holding signs with slogans that included "Rick Perry take the money." Last June, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld President Barack Obama's health care overhaul but allowed states to opt out of a provision expanding the Medicaid program. Since then, 25 governors have indicated support for Medicaid expansion, 15 say they are not participating and 10 states have not decided, according to the Advisory Board Company, a consulting firm that is tracking the issue. Of those last 10 states, three are leaning toward not participating, it said.
According to the U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook, drought conditions are expected to linger or intensify in Texas presenting a heightened threat of wildfire. In an effort to help Texas residents reduce their wildfire risk, IBHS offers wildfire preparedness resources found at- http://www.disastersafety.org/wildfire/ - which is available to home and business owners at no charge. The IBHS has outlined five ways home and business owners can reduce their wildfire risks. The best part, you don’t need a lot of money to do it. Find out what you can do to prepare below, while additional wildfire resources are available at DisterSafety.org.
FIVE WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR WILDFIRE RISKS
1. Clean Roof
Not only does a clean roof look nice, but it can also reduce your wildfire risks. Embers can travel more than a mile from an actual fire, which can ignite combustible debris on your roof. Be sure to pay attention to areas where the roof meets a vertical surface, such as at a dormer. Also, be safe and never work on your roof if you are uncomfortable.
2. Clean Gutters
Have you cleaned your gutters lately? If not, they could be increasing your risk of wildfire damage. Gutters with combustible debris can be easily ignited by wildfire embers.
3. Clean Deck
Much like the roof and gutters, a deck full of combustible materials increases the risk of wildfire damage. Remember that patio furniture and lawn ornaments can also be combustible, so store them inside when not using the deck. In addition, removing combustible materials from under the deck is critical. If you do store combustible materials under your deck, enclosing the underside of the deck can be an option.
4. Carefully Position Yard Structures
Not only should combustible yard structures be placed away from your home, the area around them should also be maintained using noncombustible materials.
5. Relocate Propane and LP Tanks
Relocate propane tanks at least 30 feet from the home. If this is not possible, create a 10-foot noncombustible zone around the tank. IBHS wildfire resources are available at: DisasterSafety.org.
Specific resources include:
• IBHS Wildfire Home Assessment & Checklist
• IBHS Wildfire Brochures: Residential, Farms and Ranches
• Wildfire Retrofit Guide – Southeast Edition
IBHS is a leading national expert with respect to preparing for – and repairing and rebuilding structures after – a catastrophe to make them more disaster-resistant.
Visit DisasterSafety.org for more information about how to make your buildings more resistant to a variety of disasters, big and small. Follow IBHS on Twitter at @DisasterSafety and on Facebook.
HOUSTON
The University of Houston has created an interdisciplinary minor in energy and sustainability designed for students who are pursuing a wide range of majors but want to understand the key issues in the world of energy. The new minor is part of UH’s strategic plan to enhance and expand its energy-related educational and research initiatives as it seeks to become “the energy university,” said Dow Chair Professor Ramanan Krishnamoorti, special assistant to the president/chancellor for UH Energy. “This new minor is an important part of our plan to capitalize on the abundance of energy-related talent and resources here at UH for the benefit of our students and the community,” Krishnamoorti said. The new minor officially begins in the 2013 fall semester, and the courses will be taught by faculty members from different colleges across campus. “This new minor can be taken by students majoring in business, engineering, technology, natural sciences and math, even public policy – anyone who is interested in pursuing a career in the energy industry,” Krishnamoorti said. “It will make UH students more relevant to the energy industry and more aware of the issues that will be important to them for the rest of their careers.” Topics will include existing, transitional and alternative energy resources; conservation and consumption; and energy and sustainability from the perspectives of economics and business, architecture and design, public policy and education. There also is an introductory course and a capstone course. “This minor gives students a quick start to thinking in broad terms about the different issues affecting the world of energy, such as sustainability and policy,” Krishnamoorti said. “Through these courses, we are giving them the tools they need to think about the energy industry in a holistic way. They will be better-educated graduates for the industry overall.” Some of the courses offered in the minor include sustainable development, the environmental biology of Texas, the economics of energy, introduction to air pollution, international energy politics and even an energy-related writing class in the English department. Joseph Pratt, NEH-Cullen professor of history and business, was instrumental in building the minor’s curriculum, which he said should be of interest to anyone living and working in the Houston region. “The minor in energy and sustainability consists of really good data for students to know. It covers all of the bases. Students who take these courses seriously will be in a position to build on them for the rest of their lives,” Pratt said. “If you live and work in the energy capital of the world, you need to be literate in energy and sustainability.” The minor’s advisory committee includes faculty members from the C.T. Bauer College of Business, the College of Technology, the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, the Cullen College of Engineering, the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Office of Sustainability. For more information about the minor, visit: http://www.bauer.uh.edu/centers/uhgemi/esi/curriculum.php
Federal sequestration eliminates funding of municipal airport air traffic controllers
AUSTIN
In an effort to ensure safety at 13 municipal airports in Texas, the Texas Department of Transportation today said it intends to fund continued service of air traffic controllers when federal funding goes away as a result of sequestration, or budget cuts. This action is pending Texas Transportation Commission approval and will be acted upon in an emergency session next week. The action would enable continued service for 13 airports. “Safety is the primary reason we felt a need to take immediate action for the air travelers and business aircraft that use these airports,” said Commissioner Fred Underwood, Texas Transportation Commission. “I am proud of our leaders for taking this extraordinary measure to ensure that those relying on these municipal airports will be able to depart and arrive safely and efficiently.” “Flying is an integral part of commerce in Texas,” said Phil Wilson, TxDOT executive director. “Local communities are counting on these airports to remain open for continued economic success.” When automatic budget cuts from the federal government went into effect last month, Texas regional airports were caught in the cross hairs and were scheduled to lose funding for air traffic control service positions beginning April 7. Had this funding not been considered, a degradation of safety in those flight operations could have occurred. Airports that could receive state funding to continue safe operations include: New Braunfels (BAZ); Brownsville (BRO); Easterwood Field College Station (CLL); TSTC Waco (CNW); Lone Star Executive Houston (CXO); Georgetown Muni (GTU); San Marcos Muni (HYI); Dallas Executive (RBD); Sugarland Regional (SGR); Stinson Muni San Antonio (SSF); Collin County Regional (TKI); Tyler Pounds Regional (TYR); and Victoria Regional (VCT). Grand Prairie Municipal and Fort Worth Spinks airports remain funded under a federal agreement until September 30, 2013.
By: Bishop James A. Tamayo
Let there be Light (Gen 1:1)! And once again there is Light.
Let us rejoice as we celebrate on Easter Sunday the Resurrection of Jesus Christ! The season of Lent has concluded and with it comes the beginning of the glorious season of Easter. As we celebrate Easter, we are witnesses to the Resurrection of Christ. With the dawn of Easter Sunday, Jesus passes over from death to life to give us the sure hope that one day we can share in His triumph over mortality and sin. And how do we achieve this eternal reward? We follow Jesus by listening to His word, by celebrating His mysteries and by loving our neighbor as He loves us. And whenever you begin to think that life is too difficult to follow in His steps or to obey the 10 Commandments or succumbing to temptation remember this. Christ became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name, which is above every name (Phil 2:8-9). Meditate on how God in times past saved His people and how He has sent His Son as our Redeemer for our salvation. Throughout the Lenten season we have heard about reconciliation and conversion. In my previous column from two weeks ago, I spoke of the Light Is On for You campaign, which encouraged all Catholics—those close to the Church but especially those who have been away—to seek the Sacrament of Reconciliation as the first step to conversion and reconciliation with God. The first step out of darkness and onto the path following the Light of the World. And the journey we call conversion does not conclude with the end of the Lenten season. Instead it has only begun. Conversion is a life-long journey in seeking that eternal reward we call Heaven. Our faith formation and our love for God should never cease growing. We continue on this road by attending Mass, at the very least, every Sunday and on Holy Days of Obligation. The conversion continues by making time for daily prayer and for reading the Bible and other Catholic literature. Living a Catholic retreat is a great way to detach from all the distractions of the modern world. The serenity provided by a retreat allows us to listen clearly to God’s will for us. These are just a few examples of how to follow Jesus. As we gather on Easter Sunday to break bread at tables throughout the Diocese of Laredo to celebrate this festive occasion, I ask that you take time to remember and reflect that Christ is our paschal lamb that was sacrificed. And on Easter Sunday we feast in joy with the Resurrected Lord. We commemorate this holiest of days by understanding and embracing that the stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone of our universal Church and our salvation. Go forth and declare the saving works of the Lord! Shout to the world that His mercy endures forever! And above all, give thanks to God that the light of Christ’s resurrection shines bright in our life impelling us to live— Todo Con Amor.
TEMPLE, TEXAS
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will launch its “StrikeForce” initiative in Texas and nine additional states. The StrikeForce Initiative is designed to provide relief to persistent high-poverty counties - 90 percent of which are in rural areas - by accelerating technical and financial assistance delivered through USDA agencies, including the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Farm Service Agency (FSA), and Rural Development (RD), and Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). “To implement the StrikeForce Initiative, our agencies work in partnership with Community Based Organizations (CBOs) to improve outreach and provide assistance to communities and farmers in Texas,” says NRCS State Conservationist Salvador Salinas. “Ultimately we want to increase awareness of and participation in USDA's programs, as well as provide additional economic benefits to these areas.” The “StrikeForce” initiative started as a pilot project in 2010 in selected regions in three states: Arkansas, Georgia and Mississippi. In 2011 it was expanded to include Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada. Today, Secretary Vilsack announced new efforts to bring the StrikeForce for Rural Growth and Opportunity to Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Virginia. To identify persistent poverty counties, USDA identifies census tracts with over 20 percent poverty (according to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey data) to identify sub-county pockets of poverty. As areas of persistent poverty are identified, USDA staff work with state, local and community officials to increase awareness of USDA programs, and help build program participation. StrikeForce is helping direct needed USDA resources to individuals and communities in nine Texas counties : Duval, El Paso, Hidalgo, Jeff Davis, Jim Wells, Maverick, Presidio, Starr and Webb. “The StrikeForce Initiative is helping us direct additional resources to better serve producers in persistent poverty rural communities,” said Vilsack. “We are focusing on these identified high poverty counties to help improve the quality of life of producers and to accelerate implementation of conservation practices on their land.” You can learn more about the USDA StrikeForce for Rural Growth and Opportunity at www.usda.gov/strikeforce. You can also contact the Texas StrikeForce coordinator Bertha Venegas, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone: 830-249-2821.
Identifies Mexican cartels as most significant organized crime threat
AUSTIN
The Department of Public Safety (DPS) has released the 2013 Texas Public Safety Threat Overview, a state intelligence estimate that offers a review of current public safety threats to Texas. DPS Director Steven McCraw highlighted the report’s key findings this week at the 2013 Texas Emergency Management Conference in San Antonio. “DPS relies on an arsenal of tools to combat the myriad public safety and homeland security threats facing our state, ranging from natural disasters to organized crime and cyber attacks,” said DPS Director McCraw. “It is paramount that DPS and our law enforcement partners be prepared when the unthinkable happens, and this assessment specifically identifies the most significant threats that we must contend with.” The report draws on the information and perspectives of multiple law enforcement and homeland security agencies, whose contributions were invaluable to developing this assessment. The report also details the state’s systematic approach to detecting, assessing and prioritizing public safety threats within seven separate categories: crime, terrorism, motor vehicle crashes, natural disasters, public health threats, industrial accidents and cyber threats. The report identifies Mexican drug cartels as posing the most significant organized crime threat to the state. Six of the eight cartels currently have command and control networks operating in the state, moving drugs and people into the United States, and transporting cash, weapons and stolen vehicles back to Mexico. “The impact of cartel crime is painfully obvious when we look to our neighbors in Mexico, with some 60,000 deaths since 2006 and continued cases of brutal torture,” said Director McCraw. “It is a top DPS priority to severely obstruct the range and power of Mexican drug organizations to affect the public safety of Texas citizens.”
Additional significant findings include:
• Statewide prison gangs pose the second most significant organized crime threat in Texas. Many gangs now work directly with the Mexican cartels, gaining substantial profits from drug and human trafficking. Prison gangs operate within and outside the prison system, and are responsible for a disproportionate amount of violent crime.
• Criminal aliens, who may not be affiliated with cartels and gangs, also pose a threat. From October 2008 to December 2012, Texas identified a total of 141,982 unique criminal alien defendants booked into Texas county jails. These individuals are responsible for at least 447,844 individual criminal charges, including 2,032 homicides and 5,048 sexual assaults.
• Criminal organizations and individuals are engaging in the exploitation and trafficking of children for financial gain. These heinous crimes subject children to violence, extortion, forced labor, sexual assault and prostitution. Some children are more vulnerable to exploitation, including unaccompanied alien children, as well as those who are lost, missing or abducted. There are currently 76,272 sex offenders registered in Texas, and at least 60,871 of these offenders had a child victim.
• Most recently, terrorism has become disaggregated with individual and would-be terrorists acting alone engaged in jihad. Nidal Hasan is the most prominent example of this type of terrorist, killing 13 U.S. servicemen at Fort Hood on November 5, 2009. Over the past five years in Texas, there have been four other Islamic extremist plots and two anti-government terrorist plots. In addition, there have been documented incidents of foreign nationals with links to terrorism entering the United States from Mexico using existing human trafficking and human smuggling networks operated by the cartels, though not in an active conspiracy with the cartels.
• Motor vehicle crashes killed 3,353 people in Texas in 2012. Of all the contributing factors to motor vehicle crashes, driving under the influence of alcohol stands out for the number of deaths that it causes.
• Natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes and tropical storms, tornadoes, drought, and wildfires represent a continued and highly unpredictable public safety threat. These disasters result in deaths, loss of infrastructure, and billions of dollars in personal property damage and economic losses.
• Major industrial accidents are a potential threat to public safety, considering the large industrial base in Texas, which includes the petrochemical industry, 212,000 miles of regulated gas and oil pipeline, and the tons of hazardous materials that are shipped by rail across 10,384 miles of freight rail track.
• Emerging infectious viruses, such as West Nile which killed 95 people in Texas since 2010, as well as re-emerging infectious diseases such as drug-resistant tuberculosis, are a serious concern to health professionals and the public because of their potentially severe health consequences.
• Cyber threats are a growing area of concern as well, and they have the potential to cause serious consequences to Texas. Of particular concern are possible threats to critical infrastructure and agencies that provide essential services to the public, including utilities, public health, firefighting and law enforcement.
To view the complete 2013 Texas Public Safety Threat Overview, visit: http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/director_staff/media_and_communications/threatOverview.pdf.
