Infrastructure:
*Capitol Corridor gets $1.9M for security -- The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority, which operates the popular Capitol Corridor commuter rail system connecting the Sacramento and San Jose areas via the East Bay, has received $1.9 million to upgrade its security systems. The allocation came from California Homeland Security, part of a $15 million effort this year to improve passenger rail safety statewide. Funds are coming from Proposition 1B, the $20 billion transportation package approved by state voters in November 2006. BizJournals 4/30/08
Judge OKs part of S.F. bike safety plan -- A San Francisco Superior Court judge on Tuesday rejected San Francisco's request for broad discretion in implementing roadway improvements aimed at making travel safer for bicyclists, but did give the OK to make lane and traffic signal modifications at the notoriously dangerous intersection of Fell Street and Masonic Avenue. The city was in court seeking exemptions from an injunction that bars implementation of the 2004 San Francisco Bicycle Plan, a blueprint adopted by the mayor and the Board of Supervisors that calls for the creation of more bike lanes, bike rack installations and similar projects. SF Chronicle 4/30/08
Caltrans says spike in roadway metal thefts endangers public -- A spike in roadway metal thefts, from copper wiring in traffic signals and street lights to guard rails, has state highway officials warning of dangers to the public. Caltrans and other officials say they are concerned broken traffic signals and poor lighting could increase crashes and impede emergency responders. SJ Mercury 4/30/08
Governor boosts deficit forecast to $20 billion as he bids to change state's spending system -- In a startling revelation, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said this week that the state's budget deficit could grow to as much as $20 billion as he prepared to unveil a revised spending plan for the coming year that is likely to include deep cuts in education, health services and prisons. SF Chronicle 4/30/08
Air regulation:
A Dirty Trucking Industry Is Trying to Clean Up Its Act -- For years, dirty air has pitted Port of Oakland area residents against truck drivers, many of whom are immigrants working long hours for low wages. But over the past year, groups as diverse as the Teamsters, the National Resources Defense Council and the American Lung Association have joined community members and truck drivers to form the Coalition for Clean and Safe Ports to take on the broader culprit: an unsustainable trucking system. Alternet 4/30/08
Methane to power vehicles, not pollute air -- Methane percolating out of the Altamont Landfill near Livermore could soon fuel the garbage trucks that dump trash at the site. Waste Management, North America's largest garbage hauling company, today will announce plans to turn gas from the landfill's rotting contents into a transportation fuel. SF Chronicle 4/30/08
Water ballast:
*US proposes new ballast water laws -- BALLAST water thresholds allowed under US law could be ratcheted up to a level 100 times more stringent than International Maritime Organization standards after 2011, under a new US initiative currently taking shape. Some experts speculate that the US law, if passed, might result in the IMO convention itself becoming irrelevant, as it is yet to be ratified by the US and has not secured the required support among other nations to enforce it internationally. The US developments are being welcomed as they would bring the US in line with current IMO standards, as well as pre-empt and override state-level regulations. California is among jurisdictions that have introduced regional regulations. Lloyd's List 4/30/08
Senate panel passes MARPOL Annex VI measure -- The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee last week approved legislation cosponsored by Committee Vice Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) to amend the Maritime Pollution (MARPOL) Act. The "MARPOL Annex VI Implementation Act of 2008" (H.R. 802), would amend the "MARPOL Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships" by requiring the U.S. Coast Guard and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to administer and enforce vessel air emission standards. Marine Log 4/28/08
Air travel:
United Airlines became the latest victim of the airline industry's woes. The airline's parent company reported a larger-than-expected loss in the first quarter, sending its stock into a tailspin. UAL also said it would cut capacity by 9% this year, on top of a 5% reduction in the fourth quarter of 2007, and remove as many as 15 more narrow-body aircraft from its operating fleet, for a total of 30 grounded planes. Heavily traveled "shuttle" markets, such as L.A.-San Francisco are prime targets for schedule cuts, analysts said. LA Times 4/23/08
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