Mass transit and infrastructure:
Commuters get free rides on Spare the Air day -- Commuters will get free rides on various public transportation systems today - the only free-ride Spare the Air day this year. Budget constraints prompted authorities to limit the free rides to one day a year, which costs about $1.8 million in rides.For a complete list of public transit agencies offering free rides today for Spare the Air, go to links.sfgate.com/ZDVR SF Chronicle 6/19/08
Davis transit service gets worldwide listing -- Add Davis' student-run bus service to a limited list of public transit in cities worldwide for which Google offers Internet information. Unitrans, which serves UC Davis and city residents and provides about 20,000 rides daily, joins Sacramento's Regional Transit and about 50 other cities on Google Transit. Other listed cities include Las Vegas; Perth, Australia; Bordeaux, France; Montreal; and Duluth, Minn. Sacramento Bee 6/19/08
*Taxicab gas surcharge plan hits roadblock -- Rising gas prices aren't just taking their toll on commuters - they're also putting the squeeze on taxicab drivers. So San Jose Councilman Pete Constant hit on a solution: temporarily adding a $2 surcharge on all taxi fares in the city. Unfortunately for the drivers, Constant's colleagues on the city council's Rules and Open Government Committee shot down the idea Wednesday. Instead, committee members said it was better to let city staffers work on a more formal proposal to raise taxicab rates. SJ Mercury 6/19/08
New diesel rules: School districts had plenty of time to prepare -- Capitol Weekly’s article (“School districts tense over new ARB’s diesel rules,” June 12) failed to note that school districts have known for more than 10 years about the need to upgrade their dirty diesel school buses and have had opportunities to apply for funding to do so. Capitol Weekly 6/19/08
*Transit Planners Consider Bicyclist Proposal -- An idea is gaining momentum to allow bicyclists to pedal through stop signs, without stopping. Bicyclists claim that it can tough to stop a bike at a red light or a stop sign, only to start pedaling all over again. The state of Idaho changed its law, and now California is considering the same idea. The vehicle code would be modified to allow what's known as a "stop and roll." Bicyclists could treat stop signs as yield signs instead, and red lights as stop signs. KCBS 6/19/08
*Less freeway traffic, more rail riders -- Commuter rail ridership broke an all-time record this week, and Caltrans reported a dip in freeway traffic as commuters across California struggled with record gas prices. Caltrans officials said today that traffic on California freeways dropped 1.5% compared with last year -- or the equivalent of a billion fewer miles traveled, said spokesman Derrick Alatorre. LA Times 6/19/08
Water:
Falling lake level will empty Folsom marina early -- With Folsom Lake draining every day, boaters have an early deadline to remove their watercraft from slips in Brown Ravine. Boats must be taken to high ground by July 2, said Ken Christensen, manager of Folsom Lake Marina. About 600 boats are floating in the marina's 675 slips, but a decreasing water level caused by drought conditions require them to be pulled from the lake. Last year, required boat removal wasn't until Aug. 1, and in 2006, the lake remained full enough to keep the marina open until Dec. 1. Sacramento Bee 6/19/08
*Suit asks Coast Guard to protect whales from ships -- A conservation group has sued the U.S. Coast Guard to protect endangered whales from being hit by ships off California. The Center for Biological Diversity wants the Coast Guard to adhere to Endangered Species Act rules and consult with the National Marine Fisheries Service on how best to protect whales. AP 6/19/08
High-speed rail:
What Do You Want in 10 Years: Oil Rigs or HSR? -- Matthew James Melzer of the NARP was on Warren Olney's Which Way LA? show tonight to discuss high speed rail, along with Quentin Kopp and Stuart Flashman. California High Speed Rail Blog 6/19/08
Emissions:
*NASA, Air Resources Board to Examine California Air Quality -- NASA and scientists from the California Air Resources Board are conducting a series of research flights this month that are examining the atmosphere over the state to better understand the chemical dynamics of smog and greenhouse gases. Earth Times 6/19/08
A positive fiscal impact of AB 32: venture capital investment -- Capitol Weekly asked the California Air Resources Board to submit a commentary for our special section on greenhouse gas. Ttwo commentaries were submitted by members of the public at CARB's request. Capitol Weekly 6/19/08
Ports:
ARB takes to the waves -- The ARB is going after ocean-going vessels, especially those container ships that ply the coast of California and belch soot from huge engines that burn pollutant-rich form of diesel oil called bunker fuel. State enforcers say the new regulation—it’s all but certain to be approved next month—will be the first in the world to crack down on soot over the ocean. Capitol Weekly 6/19/08
Advanced Cleanup Technologies, Inc. Demonstrates Breakthrough Technology to Reduce Air Pollution at Ports -- More than one hundred port and government officials, shipping operators and business leaders today witnessed the successful demonstration of Advanced Cleanup Technologies, Inc.’s new system that could significantly cut air pollution at the Southern California ports. ACTI, a leading emergency response and hazardous waste management company, successfully capped and treated the exhaust gas from a ship docked at the Metropolitan Stevedore Company berth at the Port of Long Beach. Business Wire 6/19/08
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