The governor and legislature of Massachusetts proposed a bill on Monday to require all home heating oil and diesel fuel to contain at least 5 percent biofuel by 2013. NY Times 11/6/07
In a proposal that fell on deaf ears in Sacramento last year, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's staff is recommending legislation that would change the name of a gas tax to a "fee," and thus make it easier to prevail at the ballot box. This year the idea is up for voting again. While a vote on a ‘tax’ would require 2/3 support from voters, a ‘fee’ would only require a majority of 51%, making the proposal feasible. Contra Costa Times 11/7/07
In its latest effort to get Berkeley drivers to slow down, the city is launching a six-month trial of a device made from recycled tires called a speed cushion. The speed cushion follows the speed bump, and the speed hump (both made out of asphalt), devices that have been tried and abandoned in the city for various reasons, including reduced emergency vehicle response time. Speed cushions have gaps in them that allow a fire truck to go through. Contra Costa Times 11/7/07
Last week's announcement by Shai Agassi, a former SAP executive based in Palo Alto, that he's raised $200 million for a company that will try to revolutionize the electric car industry is the latest sign of this region's growing role in one of the hottest sectors of the automotive industry. Discussion has arisen about the possibility of Silicon Valley becoming the Detroit of electric cars. Agassi has stated he thinks the flexibility necessary for the work is present only in the Valley, but critics wonder if companies have what it takes to participate in the competitive global car marketMercury News 11/7/07
Eight major airports have managed so far to stop planes from becoming increasingly late, a trend throughout the country this year, and four are in California -- San Diego, Los Angeles, Oakland and San Francisco. Oakland had the second best on-time rating in the nation, 80.2%, compared to 73.2% nationally. Wall Street Journal 11/7/07
On Thursday, a Senate subcommittee approved a bill to establish a cap-and-trade system for carbon dioxide, and the Democratic leadership is eager to have the Senate pass it by year’s end. But prospects in the House are less certain. Under the practice the carbon content of fuel, or how much carbon dioxide is produced per unit of energy, would be as important as what the fuel costs. In fact, it might largely define what the fuel costs. The complex calculus of costs associated with energy production, for example, would have a new factor with carbon cabs that might make other energy sources, such as nuclear, solar, and wind, more attractive. NYTimes 11/7/07
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