On Nov. 14 and Dec. 7, BART had its second and third biggest days ever, with 382,865 and 381,499 people, respectively, inserting tickets on their way out of the stations. The jump has been noticed at other transit agencies, too, especially those that carry longer-distance commuters who have the choice of driving. CalTrain's ridership jumped 9.3 percent last month over November 2006. While bridge closures and events have driven ridership in the past, this time, the most likely cause is the will of commuters who have decided not to drive. CC Times 12/15/07
The federal government and the owners of the container ship Cosco Busan on Friday resolved a legal standoff that had kept the vessel here for more than five weeks after it struck a bridge support and dumped 58,000 gallons of toxic oil into the Bay. The government asked for, and received, $79.5 million -- the full value of the ship -- as the maritime equivalent of a release bond. The money serves as a kind of security deposit the government sought to cover a possible judgment in its civil case against the ship's owner. CC Times 12/15/07
Dan Walters says the federal court order by Judge Oliver Wanger finalized Friday could mean millions of Californians will have to get accustomed to spending more money on less water – and soon. Land being fallowed, enforced water rationing, and rising water bills are all on the horizon for the south. Sacramento Bee 12/15/07
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California during a radio address, urged President George W. Bush to sign into law an energy bill increasing auto fuel efficiency standards to 35 miles per gallon by 2020. In an 86-8 vote on Dec. 13, the Senate approved the energy legislation, the first in three decades to increase fuel efficiency standards. The bill also increases the use of biofuels to reduce gasoline consumption. Bloomberg 12/15/07
A deal signed Tuesday by U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez in Beijing will allow Chinese travel agencies to market packaged leisure tours to American destinations, and it will permit U.S. destinations to advertise directly to the Chinese public. The American travel industry hopes the expected surge in Chinese visitors will bring in billions of dollars. Chinese travelers on average spend upward of $6,000 per visit to the United States -- more than residents of any other nation -- according to the Commerce Department's most recent calculations. Miami Herald 12/16/07
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