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lockmat

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Posts posted by lockmat

    Hess Tower: Office Skyscraper At 1501 McKinney St.

    in Downtown

    Posted

    I just hope that the turbines, no matter how they rotate will be visible on top of DT. I want to see them move!

    You know what'll stink is if they perform like some of the west Texas turbines, when you drive by and they're not even spinning, haha :(

    ;P

    Maybe they'll use the grid to keep them always going...just for show.

    President Obama

    in National Politics

    Posted · Edited by lockmat

    The Sierra Club's against opening any new drilling sites period. It's sorta like how the NRA is against any gun restrictions period. It's the give-em-an-inch-and-they-take-a-mile theory. The only difference is the NRA thinks the government is the bad guy, while the Sierra Club thinks oil corporations are the bad guys.

    Republicans are opposed to it because Obama did it. There is no practical reason for it other than opposition for the sake of opposition. I really can't think of a single instance during Obama's presidency where Republicans have shown any willingness to so much as compromise with Obama on anything. Don't worry though. It's all so much political posturing and mugging for the cameras in anticipation of the 2010 elections. Behind closed doors, they're probably pretty happy Obama's done this. They just can't let the teabaggers know as they don't want to lose their votes.

    For an objective view, I'd like to see statistcis of current areas that are open and closed to drilling compared to the ones Obama is proposing to open and close. Not sure there's something like that out there. There must at least be the current statistics available somewhere.

    edit: baker hughes rig count - http://gis.bakerhugh...s/default2.aspx

    I also found this, even though it's old, but should help a little: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/18/map.offshore.drilling/

    President Obama

    in National Politics

    Posted

    WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama today unveiled a plan to expand oil and natural gas drilling in untouched coastal waters and parts of the eastern Gulf of Mexico...

    Obama’s drilling outline, which would govern offshore exploration through 2017, includes the lease sale of a tract of Atlantic waters 50 miles off the Virginia coast and plans for new seismic studies along south- and mid-Atlantic states that could help pinpoint pockets of oil and gas. That research would guide future drilling decisions on the Atlantic seaboard.

    Was there already some drilling in these parts? The article says, "new drilling."

    At the same time, the administration walled off new drilling for the North Atlantic as well as Pacific waters along California, Oregon and Washington. The president also is planning to keep drilling out of Alaska’s Bristol Bay, home of a large sockeye salmon fishery and the migratory routes of endangered whales.
    The drilling outline represents a scale-back of former President George W. Bush’s proposal to open broad swaths of the Pacific and Atlantic coasts for new energy leases.

    How can republicans AND the Sierra Club be against it?

    Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., said the administration was "attempting to pull the wool over our eyes" with a plan that "closes off more areas than it opens."

    "President Obama’s rhetoric conveys support for increasing American oil and natural gas production, while the reality is he’s proposing a plan that will close more areas to drilling than it opens, and the few areas still available won’t be open for years," Hastings said.

    The head of the Sierra Club denounced the plan as a giveaway to Big Oil.

    If what the republicans are saying is true, what is Obama's purpose in doing this? Is it just a smoke and mirrors act to make us think he's moving forward when he's really just wading in the water?

    Why is the Sierra Club upset?

    As normal, many necessary details left out the article.

    http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/6937779.html

    Houston Where Energy Is King

    in General Houston Discussions

    Posted

    If you all want to read the article without a membership copy "Houston: Where Energy is King" into Google, click Google news and you can read the whole thing.

    you need a membership to read it? I guess I have a username and password with them, but I read it before i signed in. sorry about that. I think it's free to sign up anyway.

    What about dubai? hasn't it trying to take houston's place?

    I don't think Dubai is a major player in oil anyway, could be wrong. But from what I understand, it's emirates neighbor, Abu Dhabi a few miles away is the major oil city, not Dubai.

    One Park Place: Multifamily At 1400 McKinney St.

    in Downtown

    Posted · Edited by lockmat

    http://search.sys-con.com/node/1338614

    To showcase that certain indelible style and sophistication that comes with city living, three local interior designers will participate in a unique design competition highlighting the innovative and luxurious style of urban living. Set at One Park Place, a 37-story, luxury, rental high-rise in the heart of downtown Houston, the designers will each design a one-bedroom, one bath unit with a study.

    Is this factual?

    ...One Park Place, a "Houston Luxury Apartment" pays homage to New York City's Plaza Hotel...

    And I just noticed the redid their website. It looks much nicer.

    http://www.oneparkplacehouston.com/

    New Reservoir Lake Needed?

    in Other Houston Neighborhoods

    Posted

    Lake Conroe is deep because the dam is in an area where flat land transitions to hills, and there is a river valley. Topography is the reason most dams are built precisely where they are.

    I was kind of thinking something like that, and I think that explains all the trees sticking up out of the water.

    I am not familiar with the other locations like Bedias Creek and Lone Star Lake. Are those in hilly areas?

    And I guess this fact means a pleasure reservoir like Lake Conroe will not be made again in the Houston area.

    New Reservoir Lake Needed?

    in Other Houston Neighborhoods

    Posted

    A problem with much of the coastal plain is that impounded reservoirs tend to be small and shallow, just as is the case with Lake Houston, Lake Texana, or Coleto Creek Lake. Such lakes are OK for paddling or fishing, but with saltwater bays and estuaries so close by, what's the point? ...ultimately it's a municipal water supply or bust.

    The west side will get a reservoir for those purposes however, located along Allen Creek. Like Lake Houston, it'll be a CoH facility.

    For my own sake: Def. of an impounded reservoir - "Upland reservoirs are commonly known as impounding reservoirs since they are built across river valleys." http://www.euwfd.com/html/lakes_and_reservoirs.html

    Any idea why they decided to make Lake Conroe deeper than normal? It seems like making it more recreationally diverse would benefit the area, making it a destination. But maybe it's just way too expensive, too?

    Also, here are some interesting facts:

    Construction:

    Started January , 1970 - completed January 1973

    Cost:

    $30,000,000

    Filled:

    October 31, 1973

    Normal Pool:

    Elevation 201.00 feet above mean sea level

    Surface Area:

    22,000 acres (5,000 acres in Sam Houston National Forest)

    Capacity:

    430,260 acre feet (140,200,651,000 gallons)

    Average Depth:

    20.5 feet

    Evaporation:

    Average annual - 48 inches (71 million gallons per day). Summer (115 million gallons per day). Winter (30 million gallons per day). Maximum (180 million gallons per day).

    http://lakeconroe.com/about_lake_conroe.cfm

    New Reservoir Lake Needed?

    in Other Houston Neighborhoods

    Posted · Edited by lockmat

    The only one I'm familiar with is Possum Kingdom Lake and that's way up by Fort Worth. Although many towns use the water straight from the river, including Sugar Land.

    Brazos River Authority

    After I posted, I also found Addicks and Barkers reservoirs...should of thought of it from the get-go. But like Niche says, it seems it's only use is really for fishing. http://www.swg.usace.army.mil/Addicks/

    New Reservoir Lake Needed?

    in Other Houston Neighborhoods

    Posted

    I don't know much about the west side of town, does the Brazos River have a major reservoir? How about giving the west siders some water recreational activity?

    ...lake levels could drop below 190 feet twice in the next 40 years and levels could go below 199 feet 14 times during the same timeframe. Those dry spells could last 16 to 22 months. “At 190 feet, half of the volume of the lake is gone,” Davis said. “At 199 feet, most boat docks can’t be used.”

    The regular level of the lake is 203 feet and during Hurricane Rita repairs, the lake level dropped to 197 feet.

    While Lake Conroe was built as a water supply, it has evolved into a major hub for recreation and development. Because of the potential loss of revenue from water loss, a study could be used to petition the regional water authority for the Texas Water Board to begin planning new supplies for the future.

    “This is a tool for Region H to study alternative sources of water to the aquifers,”

    Among the alternate water sources that could be explored are building new lakes like Bedias Creek Reservoir in the Trinity River Basin or Lone Star Lake in Montgomery County, constructing a pipeline from Lake Livingston or use the underground brackish water supply.

    Among the options are:

    • Creating Bedias Creek Reservoir in the Trinity River Basin

    • Creating Lone Star Lake in northwest Montgomery County

    • Piping water from Lake Livingston

    • Using the underground brackish water supply

    “It takes 30 years to build a new lake,” Davis said.

    http://www.ultimatewoodlands.com/2010/03/group-seeks-lake-conroe-impact-study

    Ivy District: Mixed-Use Development In Pearland

    in Going Up!

    Posted

    Duh... C2H! Did you read the post? Lol!

    Rev. Rick will have the final say as to what goes in there.

    I think it was TimnWendy that reported the email from the developer that said they were letting the church borrow their signs, but I don't see anything reported that a church is actually being built there. Is there a church close by?

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