Comments on: Failing the Particle Board Review http://swamplot.com/failing-the-particle-board-review/2009-10-19/ Houston, Texas real estate development, home buying, landscape, and design Sat, 31 Jul 2010 14:34:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: TheNiche http://swamplot.com/failing-the-particle-board-review/2009-10-19/#comment-47203 TheNiche Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:43:07 +0000 http://swamplot.com/?p=12922#comment-47203 kjb is spot on about the whole region being branded as polluted on account of a very narrowly-defined geographic area. And in the case of the ship channel pollution, the toxicity of the emissions declines geometrically relative to distance from a source point. With a handful of exceptions, our residential neighborhoods are pretty well geographically removed from the highest concentrations of source points. . This is very different from places like Chicago (where numerous source points are scattered among urban neighborhoods), LA (where mountainous geography works against them), or Atlanta (where wind patterns frequently are insufficient to disperse the pollution). . Not that anybody actually planned for the Houston area to be laid out with residential areas mostly-removed from heavy industry or for such a massive amount of pollution to be generated in a region with favorable geography and meterological conditions, but we certainly happen to have gotten the long end of the stick in numerous ways. kjb is spot on about the whole region being branded as polluted on account of a very narrowly-defined geographic area. And in the case of the ship channel pollution, the toxicity of the emissions declines geometrically relative to distance from a source point. With a handful of exceptions, our residential neighborhoods are pretty well geographically removed from the highest concentrations of source points.
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This is very different from places like Chicago (where numerous source points are scattered among urban neighborhoods), LA (where mountainous geography works against them), or Atlanta (where wind patterns frequently are insufficient to disperse the pollution).
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Not that anybody actually planned for the Houston area to be laid out with residential areas mostly-removed from heavy industry or for such a massive amount of pollution to be generated in a region with favorable geography and meterological conditions, but we certainly happen to have gotten the long end of the stick in numerous ways.

]]> By: RWB http://swamplot.com/failing-the-particle-board-review/2009-10-19/#comment-47178 RWB Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:27:02 +0000 http://swamplot.com/?p=12922#comment-47178 My understanding is that there’s an insane amount of pollution caused by the ships docking along the ship channel. They can burn whatever fuel they want, so they burn cheapest, nastiest, dirty burning diesel fuel they can buy. ================================= Actually, they burn fuels known variously as resid, heavy fuel or bunker fuel. Diesel is often part of the mixture, but much of it comes from the heavier parts of the petroleum as they are separated out in the distilling process. These tend to be the longer and more complex hydrocarbon molecules, and thus the most polluting. Diesel would be a vast improvement, pollution-wise. My understanding is that there’s an insane amount of pollution caused by the ships docking along the ship channel. They can burn whatever fuel they want, so they burn cheapest, nastiest, dirty burning diesel fuel they can buy.
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Actually, they burn fuels known variously as resid, heavy fuel or bunker fuel. Diesel is often part of the mixture, but much of it comes from the heavier parts of the petroleum as they are separated out in the distilling process. These tend to be the longer and more complex hydrocarbon molecules, and thus the most polluting. Diesel would be a vast improvement, pollution-wise.

]]> By: Bernard http://swamplot.com/failing-the-particle-board-review/2009-10-19/#comment-47170 Bernard Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:40:21 +0000 http://swamplot.com/?p=12922#comment-47170 My understanding is that there's an insane amount of pollution caused by the ships docking along the ship channel. They can burn whatever fuel they want, so they burn cheapest, nastiest, dirty burning diesel fuel they can buy. Gulf Coast ports need to get together and pass some laws like they have in California where ships are required to switch to cleaner burning diesel when they get within 100 miles or so of the shore. The Port is huge job creator in the Houston area, but most of the economic value of the goods passing through the Port flow to the producers and consumers of the goods who are located hundreds or thousands of miles from Houston. Houstonians should not have to sacrifice their health to subsidize outside business interests. Clean the ships now!!!!!!!! My understanding is that there’s an insane amount of pollution caused by the ships docking along the ship channel. They can burn whatever fuel they want, so they burn cheapest, nastiest, dirty burning diesel fuel they can buy.

Gulf Coast ports need to get together and pass some laws like they have in California where ships are required to switch to cleaner burning diesel when they get within 100 miles or so of the shore.

The Port is huge job creator in the Houston area, but most of the economic value of the goods passing through the Port flow to the producers and consumers of the goods who are located hundreds or thousands of miles from Houston. Houstonians should not have to sacrifice their health to subsidize outside business interests. Clean the ships now!!!!!!!!

]]> By: groovehouse http://swamplot.com/failing-the-particle-board-review/2009-10-19/#comment-47166 groovehouse Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:19:14 +0000 http://swamplot.com/?p=12922#comment-47166 And I thought this was going to be about condos built with particle board! LOL! And I thought this was going to be about condos built with particle board! LOL!

]]> By: kjb434 http://swamplot.com/failing-the-particle-board-review/2009-10-19/#comment-47164 kjb434 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:00:13 +0000 http://swamplot.com/?p=12922#comment-47164 What bothers me about this is that the majority of the region that doesn't exceed the pollutant level gets branded as having horrible air because of one location. Couldn't the EPA use a neighboring agency (say the Census) to isolate the polluted areas by census tract or zip code? The NWS now does this for storm warnings versus blanketing one or more counties at a one time for an isolated storm that crosses county lines. What bothers me about this is that the majority of the region that doesn’t exceed the pollutant level gets branded as having horrible air because of one location.

Couldn’t the EPA use a neighboring agency (say the Census) to isolate the polluted areas by census tract or zip code? The NWS now does this for storm warnings versus blanketing one or more counties at a one time for an isolated storm that crosses county lines.

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