Transporation Daily News 1/29

The crews of the 20 local fishing vessels who spent four days scooping gallons of oil from the reaches of the Bay after the Cosco Busan spill Nov. 7 were given mixed reviews on effectiveness. Fishers were paid $3,000 a day, but no record exists of how effective the fishers were in the oil cleanup because the oil they recovered was not measured and they were not assessed individually. Representatives from The O'Brien Group said the boats were helpful, the Office of Spill Prevention and Response described their effort as "uncoordinated." Both agreed the fishers' assistance was not "crucial." CC Times 1/27/08

 

A new report on the response to the November Cosco Busan ship accident  found shortcomings in the Coast Guard's public communications but said crews responded rapidly to the spill. The Coast Guard's delay in revealing the scale of the spill from the damaged container ship did not hamper its ability to contain the toxic bunker fuel. CC Times 1/28/08

The first major report on the San Francisco Bay oil spill praises the work of response crews in cleaning up the oil, but criticizes the Coast Guard for failing to alert local authorities in a timely way and involve local volunteers, according to top Coast Guard officials who have reviewed it. SF Chronicle 1/28/08

 

This week, the California Assembly is expected to vote on the California Clean Car Discount Act, which, if passed, would be the nation's first "feebate" law, imposing charges and granting rebates based on a vehicle's emission of carbon dioxide and other gases.  LA Times 1/28/08

 

Attorney General Jerry Brown will petition federal regulators today to set stricter emission standards on off-road toys such as snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles and personal watercraft - an idea that manufacturers insist would trigger higher prices, lower performance and possibly even be the demise of some off-road vehicles. SJ Mercury 1/29/08

 

With oil prices high, fuel surcharges on many international flights have climbed in recent months to nearly half the price of a ticket. LA Times 1/29/08

 

Coast Guard officials who boarded the Cosco Busan to determine how much oil had spilled into the San Francisco Bay had trouble communicating with the Chinese-speaking crew - and ultimately had to use drawings and hand gestures. The new detail, contained in the first major report on the response to the Nov. 7 oil spill, helps explain why the Coast Guard came up with the faulty initial estimate of 140 gallons - far short of the 58,000 gallons that were later reported to have leaked into the Bay. SF Chronicle 1/28/07

 

BART will commence a four-month trial today in which 230 handpicked volunteers will be able to use mobile phones to buy tickets, pass through the fare gates and download information. SF Chronicle 1/29/08

 

If not for a recent federal court order, sonar would have been used freely at naval exercises through waters between Santa Catalina and San Clemente islands.But at times this weekend, the sonar had to be turned off. A judge, concerned about the potential harm to whales and dolphins, forbade its use in the area between the islands, waters known for their rich abundance of marine mammals. LA Times 1/28/08