Transportation Daily News August 14

Emissions:

 

California Department of Food and Agriculture Joins Fuel Cell Partnership -- The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has joined the California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP) as an associate member. The partnership is a collaboration of 31 member organizations including auto manufacturers, energy providers, government agencies and fuel cell technology companies. Together they work to promote the commercialization of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles as a means of moving towards a sustainable energy future, increasing energy efficiency and reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Imperial Valley News 8/14/08

 

*Greenhouse gas institute slips under the radar -- A publicly funded, world-class research institute that would develop answers to the threat posed by climate-changing greenhouse gases is being crafted in the Legislature, and is among the last-minute proposals expected to come before the Legislature in the closing days of this year's legislative session.  The plan differs sharply from the original blueprint proposed by California's top utilities regulator, state Public Utilities Commission President Michael Peevey. Legislation encompassing the new, estimated $87 million-a-year plan is likely to be completed within a few days.  Capitol Weekly 8/14/08

 

Transit and infrastructure:

 

*Lawmakers pass changes to high-speed rail measure -- The state Assembly has approved a bill increasing financial accountability in the high-speed rail measure that is on California's November ballot. Lawmakers will not send the bill immediately to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger because he has pledged to veto every bill until legislators pass a budget.  If a Saturday deadline passes without the bill being signed into law, the new wording will not be included in the initial ballot pamphlet sent to voters. It would have to be included on a supplement pamphlet, instead. SJ Mercury 8/14/08

 

Budget standoff sidetracks update of rail bond -- The Assembly passed a bill late Wednesday afternoon that is designed to improve a high-speed rail bond's chances at the polls in November. But its author - not willing to risk a veto from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger - says she won't send it to his desk until a state budget deal is struck. SF Chronicle 8/14/08

 

Survey: High gas prices lead half to curb driving -- Nearly half the respondents in a survey by Irvine-based Kelley Blue Book said they have cut back on their driving as a result of high gasoline prices. Nearly one-third of those surveyed by the longtime auto-pricing company opted to purchase a more fuel-efficient vehicle. Sacramento Bee 8/14/08

 

June driving drop was biggest in 8-month trend -- As summer vacation season kicked in, Americans got out of their cars, driving 12.2 billion fewer miles in June than the same month a year earlier. The 4.7 percent decline, which came while gas prices were peaking, was the biggest monthly driving drop in a downward trend that began in November, the Federal Highway Administration said Wednesday. SF Chronicle 8/14/08

 

Emergency and crisis:

 

Choked By Truck Traffic -- Armed with traffic pollution data they collected themselves, Ortiz and several dozen youth rallied last week on the steps of San Francisco City Hall, calling on city officials to take steps to reduce traffic pollution in the southeastern communities of the Excelsior, Portola, Visitacion Valley and the Bayview. They monitored the air for particulate pollution, ultra-fine particles that can lodge deep in the lungs. Particle pollution includes soot, ash and diesel exhaust, spewed into the air from the burning of fossil fuels and wood. New American Media 8/14/08

 

Tourism:

 

Eco-tourism still damaging wildlife irreversibly -- Nature lovers and eco-tourists might be damaging wildlife irreversibly even if they restrict their activities to tiptoeing discreetly through the undergrowth, a study by experts has warned. In 2004, eco-tourism outpaced the tourist industry threefold. One in five tourists now go on eco-holidays, which has been found to impact a range of species, from dolphins and dingoes to penguins and polar bears, according to a New Scientist report. Economic Times 8/14/08