2. What two (or more) quotes capture the message of the article?
"More than 80,000 children in the Houston area attend school near a freeway or other major road amid mounting evidence that air pollution from cars and trucks can be especially damaging to developing lungs. A Houston Chronicle analysis found 127 public schools in the eight-county region are located within 200 meters of a heavily traveled road - the distance within which scientists and federal regulators say traffic-related pollution is most potent."
"While Houston is known for dirty air, in part because of its heavy industry and busy port, "we have hot spots of pollution all along the freeways," said Winifred Hamilton, director of environmental health at the Baylor College of Medicine. 'By sending our children to places near freeways for at least 30 percent of their day, we're undermining our own future. They won't be as healthy, and they won't perform at their highest levels.'"
3. What is the main point of the article, and how is it supported?
First, Tresauge draws the connection between schools and their often close proximity to freeways and major roads
127 public schools within the Houston region are within 200 meters of a heavily traveled road.
Northgate Crossing Elementary is off I-45. The district's environmental review found no problem with the site for a school, but the review did not even look at traffic pollution, when the state estimates that between 225,000 and 250,000 cars and trucks already use that stretch of freeway each day. The district is planning to construct a middle school right next to Northgate Crossing Elementary. Exxon Mobil is constructing a large corporate campus on the other side of I-45, which will likely increase the traffic even more.
Then, establishes that schools near high traffic freeways is a health risk
Research shows children are more at risk than adults for health affects of air pollution, because they breathe more rapidly than adults relative to their body weight.
The school day lasts 7 hours, even longer if children participate in sports or other after school activities, creating a very long exposure time to the poor quality air.
There is already substantial evidence, beginning with landmark German study in 1993, to be concerned about children's daily exposure to air pollution from freeways.
Lastly, the article argues that the state is not doing enough to combat this issue (further discussed in question 5).
4, What actors (individuals or organizations) are referred to? (Provide names and short descriptions.)
Winifred Hamilton: Director of Environmental Health at Baylor College of Medicine. Hamilton is quoted emphasizing the health risk caused by exposing children to air near major freeways.
State lawmakers: pointed to for not passing any related legislation.
Elena Craft: a health scientist for the Environmental Defense Fund from Austin. Craft is quoted urging lawmakers to reconsider these issues.
Jason Spencer, assistant superintendent of community and governmental relations of the Aldine school district. He says it is common practice to buy pieces of land large enough to accommodate more than one school to keep costs down.
Jeff Windsor: Spring school district's director of construction and energy. He argues that there are little options when it comes to choosing school locations, because there are not many open plots of land.
Awty International School: a private school in West Houston. A parent was concerned about the schools proximity to Interstate 10, so the school invited Air Alliance Houston to measure particle levels. The area tested within federal concentration limits because of a wind blowing away from the school. and Awty says they plan to do the testing again with less favorable weather conditions.
Leslie Nogaret: the Awty's sustainability coordinator and a mother of two students. She says the school is considering banning idling in its carpooling lane, because that is something they actually can change opposed to road location.
Tiffany Davila-Dunne: a Houston district spokeswoman. She discusses how the movement towards LEED only helps indoor air quality, and we should want to encourage children to be outside.
5. What kind of causation or responsibility is argued or implied in the article?
The article recognizes that some schools were built before that area developed congested roads. However, in other cases, locations near major freeways are preferred to provide more convenient access for buses. These considerations are under the domain of the school district, so this implies some blame on superintendent and others with authority involved in the decision making.
However, testimonies of school district workers to acknowledge the limited options available for school locations, and the primary blame in the article is placed on Texas lawmakers
4 years prior to this news article, two Austin Democrats authored a bill that would force school districts to establish policies on choosing school locations that would be subject to the approval of the TCEQ. The bill did not prevent schools from building in certain spots, but it would have required district officials to notify the public if there were any red flags in the environmental review. State lawmakers did not act to this bill, and it never came into law.
6. How (if at all) are health disparities or other equity issues addressed in the article or report?
Mentions that studies show children who live near freeways are more likely to suffer from asthma attacks, bronchitis, and decreased lung function than those who don't (Note: like many news articles, many points are begun with "studies show..." without direct mention to the specific studies).
The main aim of the article is to address an equity issue, which is exposing young children to areas with low air quality.
7. What three points, details or references from the article did you follow up on to advance your understanding of the issued and actors described in the article?
I followed up on the mention of a California state law that prohibits building schools within 500 feet of a freeway, unless the district can mitigate the pollution or can prove that space limitations leave them with no other option. I found that this law was passed in 2003, but many feel it has been ineffective. In 2007, a news article reported that the Los Angeles Unified School District is in the process of adding seven new schools to the more than 70 already located close to highways. Because of extreme space limitations in LA, this law has had little effect. source
Of the government and private transportation organizations in Houston I previously profiled, none of them mentioned transportation planning in reference to schools.
I also followed up with the Awty International School. This private school has a page on their website dedicated to how they involve their students in air quality issues with community outreach. The website claims Air Alliance Houston came to take air measurements several times throughout the 2013-2014 school year, supporting their claim that they intended to do another test. They continued to pass for particulate matter concentrations. The City of Houston has brought their Mobile Ambient Air Monitoring Laboratory (MAAML) to the school on two occasions to take measurements for particulate matter, volatile organic carbon, ozone, and weather data. When they visited, they gave a presentation to the students in the classroom, and allowed students to board the MAAML to see the equipment. This demonstrates an educational initiative in a Houston school to teach children about air quality issues and solutions. However, the initiative would likely speak more volumes if it had occurred in a public school. source
News Annotation 2
1. Full citation and link.
Jones, Allen. CarShare Program Gives Commuters Freedom. Houston Chronicle, 2015.
2. What two (or more) quotes capture the message of the article?
"Rector said the goal of the program is to get more people comfortable with the idea of ditching their automobiles for alternative modes of transportation in order to reduce traffic congestion, air pollution and the need for office complexes to build costly parking facilities."
:The new CarShare site will be an amenity that encourages environmental responsibility, and gives people convenient options and flexibility when it comes to commuting to work."
3. What is the main point of the article, and how is it supported?
Act as advertisement for Enterprise Carshare, a business in the Energy Corridor District. Commuters become a member of this organization to have access to cheap car rentals if they take alternative transportation to work (public transit, bike, etc) but something comes up and they need a car.
The article establishes the necessity of such a program by referencing a transit study by the improvement district that reported 24% of workers in the Energy Corridor District are hesitant to use alternative transportation because they are afraid of not having a vehicle available if they need one.
While it is a short article, it is mentioned several times that the aim of this program is to allow commuters to reduce their contribution to pollution without having to sacrifice convenience.
4, What actors (individuals or organizations) are referred to? (Provide names and short descriptions.)
Enterprise Carshare: company that provides low hourly car rentals marked towards commuters. The company is present in many US cities, as well as Canada and UK. It is present in Houston, as well as other cities in the research project, New York and Philadelphia.
Kelly Rector: transportation coordinator for The Energy Corridor. She is featured in the article as a supporter of this initiative, and her work is relevant because the district funds this program.
Andrew Hoyns: vice president and senior property manager of Hicks Ventures. Hicks Ventures manages the one of the Carshare locations in Houston, and the company claimed hosting the location helps fulfill their goal to add value to its employees. Hoyns is quoted saying that this program encourages environmental responsibility and gives commuters options.
5. What kind of causation or responsibility is argued or implied in the article?
The article implies that, now with the safety provided by the availability of this program, commuters have no excuse not to take alternative transportation to work.
The article praises the district for funding this initiative and the business owners who support it, and the responsibility to utilize carsharing is left solely on the commuter.
6. How (if at all) are health disparities or other equity issues addressed in the article or report?
Health disparities are not addressed, little attention is even given to air pollution. It is mentioned that this is of course the main motive of the program, but the majority of the article is informational in explaining how the company works and the support it has gained.
The article is discussing commuters in one specific district, so because it is talking about one specific group, inequities are not addressed.
7. What three points, details or references from the article did you follow up on to advance your understanding of the issued and actors described in the article?
I went to Enterprise Carshare's website to get more information on the program. The hourly carshare rentals began in 2005, and developed into its own program in 2007 called WeCar, and developed into Enterprise Carshare in 2013. The motivation of the name change was to "capitalize on our longtime focus on customized service in the communities we serve and meeting local transportation needs for more than 55 years, all of Enterprise’s car-sharing services throughout the country transitioned to the Enterprise CarShare name." source
note for Philadelphia: In 2011, they took over PhillyCarShare. Their website, like the article, does not have a large environmental focus but it is mentioned from time to time to support their model. It would be interesting to see how the carshare initiative changed in Philadelphia after a large company took over.
The article mentioned that the district funds the Enterprise Carshare program in part by a $204,600 federal Congestion Mitigation Air Quality grant. CMAQ grants are for transportation projects or other related efforts that work to reduce air pollution and congestion. Something to look into further would be the restrictions are what the grants can be used for- it seems strange that a large corporation like Enterprise would need to be funded- maybe the prices are so low it is not economically profitable? The article said that the hourly car rental rate is $8.
News Annotation 3
1. Full citation and link.
Tresaugue, Matthew. State to Measure Air Pollution Along Freeways. Houston Chronicle, 2013.
2. What two (or more) quotes capture the message of the article?
"Environmental regulators and scientists don't know how all those idling cars and trucks affect the health of those living and working near the freeways. Starting in January, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will begin measuring air pollution levels along the busy stretch of the 59. The federal government required the monitors, which will provide the state with its first data on the health risks within 300 feet of freeways."
"The eight-county Houston region is already one of the most heavily monitored areas in the country for air pollution, particularly ozone, or smog. But its network of 27 monitoring stations has not included one near a freeway because the system is intended to measure air quality across the region, not just for specific neighborhoods."
3. What is the main point of the article, and how is it supported?
The main point of this article is that it is an important to consider the health effects of living near a freeway, but that there is no current data to determine that health risk. This article announces that the EPA is requiring the installation of 2 new monitors in Houston along freeways, and the TCEQ will begin monitoring them in January of 2014.
Of Houston's 27 monitoring stations, currently none of them are near a freeway.
uses EPA statistic that nationwide, about 48 million people live within 300 feet of a highway, railroad or airport.
Uses a specific child as an example to increase pathos.
4, What actors (individuals or organizations) are referred to? (Provide names and short descriptions.)
Elena Craft: a health scientists for the National Defense Fund (also quoted in News Annotation 1). She points out that many move near freeways to get around easier, and that the new monitors are a good step forward in bring health effects into consideration. She thinks this could have a large impact, and could affect decisions regarding building schools, apartments, and houses near freeways (linking this article to this first article on schools near freeways).
Loren Raun: a Rice University statistician who specializes in the environment and public health. Raun supports the first new monitor location,
along U.S. 59 near the Westpark Tollway, because it is high traffic, near residential neighborhoods, and will fill a data gap.
Nathaniel Narango: 19-year--old whose parents moved to a neighborhood a block from US 59 in Houston two years ago. Nathaniel is mentioned because he has asthma and he supports the new monitors. He thinks it is important for people to know the risk, so they can make an informed decision on where they should live.
5. What kind of causation or responsibility is argued or implied in the article?
The article reports that in March of 2013, the EPA ordered ordered the largest cities across the country to install roadside monitors for nitrogen dioxide, which is a smog forming pollutant that comes from tailpipe emissions. The article praises the EPA for this decision.
The overall tone of the article implies that new scientific findings are prompting us to take health concerns more seriously, and now that the state will have data we can begin to investigate this. There is no blame placed on anyone for not installing them sooner.
6. How (if at all) are health disparities or other equity issues addressed in the article or report?
The point of the article is to bring a health disparity in Houston into discussion. It suggests that is it unjust for residents near freeways to be unaware of the potential impact to their health, and it is important we assess this health risk.
It is important to note that this article suggest that data will help people make informed decisions on where to live, and that some are drawn to the transportation convenience of living near a freeway; but it does not discuss any possibility of people have no choice as to where they live due to economic constraints.
7. What three points, details or references from the article did you follow up on to advance your understanding of the issued and actors described in the article?
Went to EPA website to find the order that required this. On March 7, 2013, the EPA revised the ambient nitrogen dioxide monitoring requirements. This rule required state and local agencie to have one near-road NO2 monitor operational by January 1, 2014 for areas with more than 1,000,000 people. For areas with more than 2,500,000, a second monitor will need to be operational by January 1, 2015. Areas that have more than 500,000 will need to have one operational monitor by January 1, 2017. The EPA says they choose a phased deployment of monitors to give state and local agencies more time based on their estimate of available resources.
This order was partially motivated by a new one-hour standard for nitrogen dioxide that was set on January 22, 2010. The standard was modified due to determinations on the affects nitrogen dioxide has on human health.
The EPA also claimed that they will help site a subset of monitors in the areas to help protect communities that are vunerable to nitrogen dioxide related health affects.
2. What two (or more) quotes capture the message of the article?
"Sitting in traffic is one of the main routes of exposure to diesel exhaust, a ubiquitous air pollutant with many negative health impacts."
"Right now, the best thing Houston can do to reduce diesel pollution is pass a city ordinance limiting heavy-vehicle idling."
3. What is the main point of the article, and how is it supported?
That emissions, especially diesel emissions, are a hazard to human health, and that the problem is only going to amplify.
By 2040, the number of vehicles on the road in Houston is going to increase by 60% (no source is given for this estimate).
The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies diesel exhaust as a Group 1 human carcinogen, the same classification as asbestos, arsenic, and benzene
Air Alliance Houston has studied cancer rates in the Galena Park area of Houston. A major road through this area acts as a main passage for traffic to the Houston Ship Channel. Their research concluded that the occurrence of cancer in this neighborhood may exceed 1 case in every 10,000, whereas the generally accepted risk is 1 in 1 million.
Stated that previous research in Houston shows that 80,000 children are at risk due to their schools proximity to a freeway. While not explicitly stated, this is obviously the research done for News Annotation 1.
This issue needs to be addressed, on an individual level and city level (see question 5).
4, What actors (individuals or organizations) are referred to? (Provide names and short descriptions.)
The International Agency for Research on Cancer: references their classification of diesel emissions. This organization is a specific agency of the World Health Organization. Its primary goal is to promote international collaboration in cancer research. source
Air Alliance Houston: the author is the Executive Director of this organization, and references their research on cancer occurrence in the Galena park area. It is a nonprofit organization focusing on air quality and public health. The organization works in air quality advocacy by working with legislators and regulators, offer programs to give environmental organizations and green business a forum to share their work, and conduct research related to air pollution challenges. source
5. What kind of causation or responsibility is argued or implied in the article?
The articles implies blame should be place on industry by citing heavy duty vehicle (truck) idling as one of the primary causes of emissions.
Responsibility is placed on individuals to contribution to a solution by using flextime to commute at off peak times, telecommuting, or to carpool.
More responsibility is placed on the city of Houston to limit the allowed idling time of trucks. The author points out that Texas gives cities authorities to restrict this, and that Dallas and Texas have already adopted ordinances to limit idling time.
Also urges the city to include truck lanes in transportation infrastructure plans to distance the public from the truck emissions and to eliminate traffic jams due to truck accidents.
Air Alliance Houston is asking Houston's City Council to adopt an ordinance limiting heavy-duty vehicle idling, and requests readers of this article call their city council-member in support of this or to call 311 when they would like to report air pollution when seeing a truck idling for long periods of time.
6. How (if at all) are health disparities or other equity issues addressed in the article or report?
The Air Alliance Houston study has a strong connection with health disparities. It reports that people in the specific neighborhood are subjected to a much higher cancer risk due to traffic passing through to the Houston Ship Channel.
7. What three points, details or references from the article did you follow up on to advance your understanding of the issues and actors described in the article?
I found the IARC's purpose interesting in reference to this project, because a similar organization towards air pollution research seems like it would align with the mission of this research. I found that the World Health Organization has organizations like this listed under their air pollution page, but instead of being focused only on air pollution, these organizations address public health in general. Furthermore, while they are still international, they are split up by region (Americas, European, and Western Pacific). Obviously, these regions do not cover all of the globe, so they are not completely inclusive. source
I also found Air Alliance Houston's report on the Galena Park area. This could be a future annotation. It does not focus exclusively on transportation, but puts emphasis on diesel pollution and transportation solutions for the area. link
Because the author is the Executive Director of Air Alliance Houston, I thought it would be important to note if this was just a one time promotional piece for their lobbying effort of if he is a frequent writer for the Houston Chronicle. I found that he is author of many Houston Chronicle articles, as well as cited as a source for many written by authors. Since the Houston Chronicle is the primary city newspaper, this implies at least one case in which an active member of the community in air pollution efforts is granted a strong voice.
News Annotation 5
1. Full citation and link.
Rifaat, Shafik. Public Transportation Needs are Urgent. Houston Chronicle, 2015.
2. What two (or more) quotes capture the message of the article?
"This rapid growth will be a transportation and environmental nightmare unless there is a plan for smart, sustainable planning and development. That plan begins with a major public transportation system."
"It would be impractical to try to convert Houston to a predominant public transportation system. What is needed is a balance between public and private transportation systems.There is a critical need for coordinating land-use and transportation systems based on three key levels: regional/state, metropolitan and city/neighborhood."
3. What is the main point of the article, and how is it supported?
Texas has a major automobile dependency, and this issue will worsen as the city grows.
By 2030, the area population will raise by an estimated 3.5 million, adding an additional 2.1 million cars on the roads in Houston.
An additional 2.1 million cars would translate to 17,640 more metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per day.
The Houston public transportation system is incredibly small compared to other cities.
New York has 249 miles of rails, Dallas has 90 miles, and Houston only has 28 miles including projects that are currently under construction.
The low-density suburban growth/ sprawl of Houston combined with this lack of public transit causes the city's automobile dependency.
Houston needs to implement land use and transportation planning on the levels of regional/state, metropolitan, and city/neighborhood (further discussed in question 5).
4, What actors (individuals or organizations) are referred to? (Provide names and short descriptions.)
Shafik Rifaat: Author of the article. A statement at the end of the article introduces Rifaat as the current president of SIR Architects & Planners, as well as the founder and previous head of the graduate program of architecture at the University of Houston.
Texas Department of Transportation
METRO: Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County. METRO is the major public transportation agency in the city.
5. What kind of causation or responsibility is argued or implied in the article?
Regional/state level
Rifaat suggests that on the regional/state level, a transportation system needs to be created connecting Texas' major cities.
The proposed Houston-Dallas speed rail is a good first step to reducing automobile dependency by allowing public transit options for commuting between cities. The proposed high-speed rail should connect the five major cities - Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth.
Responsibility is directly called upon for city leaders, state authorities, and transportation planning agencies in successfully designing and implementing this statewide system.
Metropolitan level
Author pledges TxDOT to consider in their development of US 290, removing one lane and converting it into an elevated monorail system. A general responsibility is placed on transportation agencies to find ways to accommodate a rail system. Rifaat points out that Houston has high occupancy vehicle lanes on most major highways that could accommodate a rail system without acquiring acquisition of new land or causing much disruption to the lay of the city.
Puts responsibility on residents of the city, as well as public and private transportation agencies to create a broad metropolitan transit authority which should include representatives from all affected counties. This introduces a new form of governance by encouraging more participation in transportation planning.
City/neighborhood level
Blame is implied on developers and planners who create high density apartments that have no nearby access to public transit, worsening congestion.
Places responsibility on METRO to work with these developers and residents to provide public transportation solutions.
6. How (if at all) are health disparities or other equity issues addressed in the article or report?
The article is opened by saying that if growth continues and no action is taken, it will create an environmental and transportation nightmare, but there is no statement about the potential health affects.
Only implication of human health issues is the ending sentence:
"Or, we can continue to grow in the same manner and perhaps invest in manufacturing face masks to protect against the air pollution we will face in 2030."
Equity is only vaguely implied when discussing high density residential areas that have no access to public transportation.
7. What three points, details or references from the article did you follow up on to advance your understanding of the issued and actors described in the article?
I looked into the Dallas-Houston High-Speed Rail Project. The Texas Central Railway is funding and conducting an environmental study on the proposed railway. From their website, it seems that this is the private company's only project, and their website provides many resources explaining and supporting the project. This would be good to come back to soon in future annotations. source
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and TxDOT are also involved in this project. In August 2015, the FRA posted a full report on the environmental impact of the project. I also plan to annotate this in the future. source
Shafik Rifaat will be an important person to continue to follow up with as a transportation actor in Houston. He acts as president of SIR, and architectural and planning agency that is based in Houston but also works on international projects. His previous work experience including a project for the Ministry of Planning and Urbanization in Egypt and as a consultant to the World Bank for community master planning for the Red Sea relates well to a theme of this research on how governance and methods differ between nations, and how they could be combined and collaborated. source
News Annotation 6
1. Full citation and link.
Tejada, Matthew. Commentary: Let Houston be Model to Fight Port Pollution. Houston Chronicle, 2015.
2. What two (or more) quotes capture the message of the article?
"A vibrant port system is critical to America's economic prosperity. Ports support the employment of more than 13 million people in the U.S., accounting for $650 billion in personal income. As goods move between the waterfront and points throughout the country, however, neighboring communities must be protected from air pollution and other environmental challenges."
"I've experienced first-hand the clanging of metal dropping to the ground in the local pipe yard, the roar and light of an emergency flare at dusk, and a belch of black smoke from an old truck crawling through a school zone in the early morning. These are daily reminders to residents around the Houston Ship Channel of the threats to their health."
3. What is the main point of the article, and how is it supported?
While the port in Houston is economically vital and important, it creates a health risk for nearby residents.
Establishes it as a widespread issue that demands attention and new solutions by reporting that 1 in 8 US citizens is exposed to air pollution coming from port operations, which includes particulate matter from diesel truck and engine exhaust.
Health risk: breathing in particulate matter and ozone increases the chance of suffering from asthma attacks, heart disease, and other health problems.
Brings scale to the issue by addressing the fact that transportation hubs like the Port of Houston are a large source of greenhouse gases that can affect climate change globally.
Ports and nearby communities are more at risk to extreme storms and rising sea levels, likely affects of global warming.
4, What actors (individuals or organizations) are referred to? (Provide names and short descriptions.)
EPA: mentions the actions that have been taken on a federal level to regulate ports.
Gina McCarthy: current administrator for the EPA, article references her announcement of a diesel emission reduction grant for the Port of Houston Authority.
Port of Houston Authority: the governing body of the Port of Houston and the Houston Ship Channel.
Federal Interagency Workgroup on Environmental Justice: established in 1994 and comprised of 17 federal agencies and White House offices, the EJ IWG "seeks to advance greater federal agency collaboration to improve the quality of life and to expand economic opportunity in overburdened and under-resourced communities" source. Tejada notes this organization is beginning to focus on goods movement issues.
National Environmental Justice Advisory Council: a federal advisory committee to the EPA established in 1993. This council works to guide the EPA in all decisions relating to environmental justice, and to represent all stakeholders involved in the environmental justice dialogue (source). The article states that the council has put goods movement pollution issues on the agenda for their upcoming meeting in San Diego.
5. What kind of causation or responsibility is argued or implied in the article?
Mentions a port initiative launched by the EPA in 2014 that organizes the convention of community, industry, and government experts to collaborate on solutions pertaining to lower port emissions and increase public participation. This implies a governmental responsibility to create such initiatives, as well as responsibility on industry and the public to participate in them.
The inspiration for the timing of this article (April 2015) seems to be Gina McCarthy's announcement of the $868,000 diesel-emission reduction grant for the Port of Houston Authority. This grant was given to replace trucks with old and dirty engines with cleaner vehicles for transporting goods. Three similar grants were awarded in Los Angeles, New Jersey, and Portland. The article praises this grant as improving the lives of port workers and nearby communites by reducing the exposure to pollution, but notes that more still needs to be done.
As seen in question 4, Tejada mentions multiple organizations just to point out that they are giving attention to the issue of the transportation of goods. He seems to be trying to paint the picture of an environmental movement gaining momentum, and putting further responsibility on the public to care about this issue to continue that momentum. He says that "Meeting the challenge of growing our economy while protecting our most vulnerable residents from pollution cannot be accomplished by EPA alone or by any other single organization. It will take all of us - the ports, workers, industry, local government and, importantly, communities - to come together and tackle shared challenges with shared solutions."
6. How (if at all) are health disparities or other equity issues addressed in the article or report?
Purpose of article is to address the health risks unfairly presented to those neighboring the Houston Ship Channel.
Directly references 2 organizations (EJ IWF and the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council) that are solely focused on environmental justice.
7. What three points, details or references from the article did you follow up on to advance your understanding of the issued and actors described in the article?
Tejada is the director of the EPA's Office of Environmental Justice as well as previous executive director of Air Alliance Houston. It is good to note that a man with power and influence within that department of the EPA has roots in Houston, one of the US cities with the worst air quality.
Because the other was vague about the EPA Ports Initiative, I looked further into it to see what actual means of implementation were laid out. In 2014, EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality hosted the Port Stakeholders Summit in Baltimore. Port experts, professionals, and stakeholders met to discuss the challenges faced by ports and their neighboring communities, as well as potential solutions. While it claimed to be an event focused on stakeholders, it seemed that it was primarily professionals present, and there is no evidence of inclusion of community representatives. source
The Office of Transportation and Air Quality also hosted a series of webinars under this initiative, which is a promising step that allows those most directly tied to the issues to communicate their concerns and experiences from any location. source
1. Full citation and link.
2. What two (or more) quotes capture the message of the article?
3. What is the main point of the article, and how is it supported?
4, What actors (individuals or organizations) are referred to? (Provide names and short descriptions.)
5. What kind of causation or responsibility is argued or implied in the article?
6. How (if at all) are health disparities or other equity issues addressed in the article or report?
7. What three points, details or references from the article did you follow up on to advance your understanding of the issued and actors described in the article?
News Annotation 2
1. Full citation and link.
2. What two (or more) quotes capture the message of the article?
3. What is the main point of the article, and how is it supported?
4, What actors (individuals or organizations) are referred to? (Provide names and short descriptions.)
5. What kind of causation or responsibility is argued or implied in the article?
6. How (if at all) are health disparities or other equity issues addressed in the article or report?
7. What three points, details or references from the article did you follow up on to advance your understanding of the issued and actors described in the article?
News Annotation 3
1. Full citation and link.
2. What two (or more) quotes capture the message of the article?
3. What is the main point of the article, and how is it supported?
4, What actors (individuals or organizations) are referred to? (Provide names and short descriptions.)
along U.S. 59 near the Westpark Tollway, because it is high traffic, near residential neighborhoods, and will fill a data gap.
5. What kind of causation or responsibility is argued or implied in the article?
6. How (if at all) are health disparities or other equity issues addressed in the article or report?
7. What three points, details or references from the article did you follow up on to advance your understanding of the issued and actors described in the article?
News Annotation 4
1. Full citation and link.
2. What two (or more) quotes capture the message of the article?
3. What is the main point of the article, and how is it supported?
4, What actors (individuals or organizations) are referred to? (Provide names and short descriptions.)
5. What kind of causation or responsibility is argued or implied in the article?
6. How (if at all) are health disparities or other equity issues addressed in the article or report?
7. What three points, details or references from the article did you follow up on to advance your understanding of the issues and actors described in the article?
News Annotation 5
1. Full citation and link.
2. What two (or more) quotes capture the message of the article?
3. What is the main point of the article, and how is it supported?
4, What actors (individuals or organizations) are referred to? (Provide names and short descriptions.)
5. What kind of causation or responsibility is argued or implied in the article?
6. How (if at all) are health disparities or other equity issues addressed in the article or report?
7. What three points, details or references from the article did you follow up on to advance your understanding of the issued and actors described in the article?
News Annotation 6
1. Full citation and link.
2. What two (or more) quotes capture the message of the article?
3. What is the main point of the article, and how is it supported?
4, What actors (individuals or organizations) are referred to? (Provide names and short descriptions.)
5. What kind of causation or responsibility is argued or implied in the article?
6. How (if at all) are health disparities or other equity issues addressed in the article or report?
7. What three points, details or references from the article did you follow up on to advance your understanding of the issued and actors described in the article?