The Coast Guard would gain new authority to order ships to reduce speed or shift course during emergencies or hazardous conditions under new legislation that California Sen. Barbara Boxer is introducing this week. The bill could increase the responsibilities of the Coast Guard's Vessel Traffic Service, which helps guide ships in U.S. harbors. The measure would give it powers akin to those of air traffic controllers, who issue step-by-step directions to airplane pilots. SF Chronicle 12/4/07
Truck drivers hauling cargo from the Port of Oakland face even greater cancer risks than residents of pollution-choked neighborhoods near the port, according to a study to be released this morning. The study is the latest salvo in a campaign by the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group, and the Coalition for Clean & Safe Ports, which includes environmental, labor, health and community groups, to clean the air around California's ports. SF Chronicle 12/4/07
Claiming it now has the largest green fleet in the nation, the city of San Francisco this week completed a yearlong project to convert its entire array of diesel vehicles — from ambulances to street sweepers — to biodiesel, a clean-burning and renewable fuel that holds promise for helping to reduce greenhouse gases. The city's diesel vehicles now all used a fuel known as B20, a mix of 20 percent soy-based biofuel and 80 percent petroleum diesel fuel, which reduces toxic emissions of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and other pollutants that lead to global warming. NY Times 12/2/07
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority board voted last week to take the first step toward installing 275 ticket gates on the entire 17.4-mile subway and at many light-rail stations. Up until now the system has been run on the 'honor system', where riders were expected to buy tickets but those tickets were not checked. A study given to the board in October found that some 5 percent of people who rode the subway, light rail and a new rapid bus line on weekdays did so without paying the fare, robbing the system of $5.5 million annually. A similar system has been considered for San Francisco, where critics claim ensuring riders have tickets is more costly to the system than simply trusting them. NY Times 12/3/07
A new report analyzing international air cargo transport trends outlines several reasons to expect growth in California airborne agricultural exports. At the same time, authors of the report caution that rising fuel costs and world terrorism have the potential to ground some export flights. California airborne food export trade was 24.5 percent higher in 2006 than it had been 10 years earlier, despite recent declines. Fresh Plaza 12/4/07
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