News/Media

"Given all that, where would you plant the trees, and how would it help?" said Alex Cuclis on planting trees to combat Houston air pollution.

Alex Cuclis, Research Scientist, Air Quality and Emissions, discusses whether fence-line monitors were the right approach to solve the impact of pollution being released by refineries.

Three years ago this week, crews capped and sealed two pits of paper mill sludge that had long poisoned the San Jacinto River..."The cap has gone a long way to reduce short-term risk," states Jennifer Ronk.

HARC's President and Chief Executive Officer, Jim Lester, discusses the consequences of the Antarctic melt on the Gulf Coast.

“It's like death by a thousand cuts, especially when you combine the oil spills with all of the other stressors to the bay,” says Lisa Gonzalez on impact of the oil spill into Galveston Bay on March 22, 2014.

The heavy oil spilled into Galveston Bay causes concern for the nation's great natural nurseries. HARC's analysis reveals that oil spills are typically small, averaging about 100 gallons per incident. The latest spill is the largest in the Ship Channel since a facility leaked 70,000 gallons of bunker fuel in 2000.

HARC's Stephanie Glenn and the Double Bayou Watershed Protection Plan team review stakeholder ideas on potential voluntary solutions to water quality concerns in Double Bayou.

HARC Researcher, David Hitchcock, serves as a member of Bike The Woodlands Coalition pushing for bicycle lanes and shoulders to make the area more rider-friendly.

HARC's Vice President, Lisa Gonzalez, presents The State of Galveston Bay at the Deer Park Community Advisory Council final meeting of the year.

Jim Lester discusses the importance of funds created by Proposition 6 should be prioritized for conservation and more innovative water strategies.

After the successful passage of Proposition 6, Jim Lester confers over which projects should be at the front of the line for funding.

HARC Research Scientists, Rich Haut and Birnur Guven, discuss the importance of capturing and reusing natural gas and ways to reduce the amount of air pollution associated with the equipment.

Few business people have done as much to change the world as George Mitchell.

Scott Tong was the last person to interview George Mitchell back in December of last year.

"If you're not measuring, you're just guessing," says Alex Cuclis, a chemical engineer who worked at a refinery for 15 years and now studies air pollution at the independent Houston Advanced Research Center.

Despite the many advantages of storing water underground, water utilities typically don't understand that the technology is tested and ready to use, according to HARC President Jim Lester. "It just makes so much more sense" than surface reservoirs, he says.

Storing water in manmade reservoirs underground – a technology increasingly being explored in drought-conscious Texas – can avoid eminent domain issues and dam-safety concerns that complicate surface-reservoir plans, HARC president Jim Lester says.

Rising sea levels are likely to cover the coastal highway on the unprotected west end of Galveston sooner than previously predicted.

Integral to the cadre of scientists and engineers concerned about undercounts is Alex Cuclis, an air pollution researcher with the Houston Advanced Research Center. He's also determined to broaden the use of advanced instruments to measure rather than estimate emissions.

David Hitchcock, member of The Woodlands GREEN and director of sustainable transportation programs at the Houston Advanced Research Center, was equally pleased. "We often have more to recycle than would fit in the smaller containers, as do several of our neighbors. Hitchcock added that the lids on the new carts will keep the contents from getting wet or from attracting wildlife.

Developed decades ago, hydraulic fracturing involves the process of breaking up heavy oil- and gas-bearing shale formations by pumping millions of gallons of chemically tainted water through vertical and lateral wells at intense pressure. Only in recent years has the practice become cost effective for industry, as advances in technology have been matched by rising energy prices.