xponent
rob
> Houston is immensely industrialised. We have as many refineries and
> chemical
> plants as any part of the country, and Houston has been like this my
> entire
> life. The air here has always (as in all my life) been polluted. There is
> often a haze in the air and ozone warnings have become common.
> If you had grown up near refineries as I did, and noticed that the air
> smells like the refinery much more than it does auto exhaust, you might
> understand my bias against the refineries.
>
> Because of its topography it is very understandable that autos could be
> the
> main polluter in Los Angeles. But Houston, with its flat plains and
> constantly changing weather shouldnt be as polluted as it is. Here its not
> the autos so much as it is the industry and the grandfather clause that
> protects them.
>
I'm stepping into the deep end of the pool on this one. I would
think the topology would make the situation like it is, Houston would have
higher smog levels. LA is right on the ocean, but I don't know how near or
high the mountains are. But with the ocean the wind is fairly constant. I'd
consider LA to have the chance at more changeable weather but the mountains
keep the air contained.
I don't know the square miles of Houston and LA but the effect for
both is the same. With the miles of buildings and asphalt the cities heat up
faster than the surrounding air which creates the temperature inversion that
traps the smog. Just because T-storms are rolling by every couple of hours
doesn't mean that the hot bubble of air is going to be pushed aside. Ah, I
wished I had gone into weather.
I was in Houston/Galveston over Christmas and New Years when it
snowed and there were ice storms. End of 91 or 92? Everyone was scared to
drive so I got to be taxi cause I was used to it, being from PA
I have a real question. Do you live now in Houston or can you find
out local information for me. I worked at a company in Houston but cannot
find an address that matches my memory. Here is the only address I can find:
Halliburton USA
9950 Westpark
Houston, TX 77063
1: 713 243 2325
I thought the company, or one of them, was at 6909 Southwest
Freeway. Has the freeway been renamed? I've actually called the number above
and they couldn't tell me, didn't know. Don't waste real time on this if
you, or anyone on the list, don't know the answer.
Kevin
