Transit and infrastructure:
*Senator talks about lowering speed limit again -- An influential Republican senator has suggested that Congress might want to consider reimposing a national speed limit to save gasoline and possibly ease fuel prices. Congress in 1974 set a national 55 mph speed limit because of energy shortages caused by the Arab oil embargo. The speed limit was repealed in 1995 when crude oil dipped to $17 a barrel and gasoline cost $1.10 a gallon. ABC 7/10/08
California gets economic stimulus -- Governor Schwarzenegger highlighted the economic benefits of the housing and infrastructure bonds and announced fund allocations. Proposition 1C and Proposition 46 funds are part of the historic $42 billion package of infrastructure bonds approved by voters in 2006. The governor says Proposition 1C provides $2.85 billion. Inland News Today 7/10/08
Dignitaries hail award of railyard bond funds -- Schwarzenegger appeared with an array of state and local dignitaries inside the cavernous building just north of downtown Sacramento that once served as the paint shop for the Southern Pacific railyard. The railyard's new owner, Thomas Enterprises, will receive $47 million this year in state bond funds to build streets into the 240-acre property – the first step in its transformation from a dusty, shuttered industrial site to an extension of downtown with thousands of housing units, an entertainment area, offices and shopping.. Sacramento Bee 7/10/08
Local transit adapts to high fuel costs -- The county's public transportation system may not be able to accommodate everyone because there simply aren't enough buses, or seats, to go around. If state funds were available, the RTA would apply for them, but the state is cutting funding for key areas of public transportation, Bates said. Mustang Daily News 7/10/08
Emissions:
*Board bans wood fires on bad air nights -- Bay Area residents who repeatedly burn wood in fireplaces and stoves on bad air nights may face a $100 fine starting this winter. Ending the era of unrestricted indoor wood burning, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District passed a measure Wednesday making it illegal to burn wood on Spare the Air nights, when unhealthy soot levels are forecast. SJ Mercury 7/10/08
High-speed rail:
*High-speed rail route OK'd -- A proposed high-speed rail network linking Southern California and Northern California will reach the Bay Area via Pacheco Pass, after approval of an environmental impact report Wednesday by the California High-Speed Rail Authority's governing board. The 800-mile system will come from Southern California through the San Joaquin Valley, then cut westward through Merced and Santa Clara counties, with a stop in Gilroy before continuing to stops in San Jose and San Francisco. SJ Mercury 7/10/08
*Eco study OK'ed for bullet train -- The $42 billion to $45 billion enterprise to create the nation's first high-speed rail network reached a major milestone Wednesday as the California High-Speed Rail Authority's governing board approved an environmental impact assessment of the 800-mile system's entry into the Bay Area. The next step toward building the train system would be the passage of the $10 billion Proposition 1 bond measure on the Nov. 4 ballot, which would pay nearly a third of the cost of the system's "spine" from Anaheim to San Francisco. CC Times 7/10/08
High-speed rail route OK'd -- Before the vote, board Chairman Quentin Kopp read passages from the environmental report that described problems with the Altamont route. Those included the environmental, engineering and funding challenge of building a new rail bridge across San Francisco Bay near the Dumbarton Bridge and adding time to the main rail line's central attraction: a 2 1/2-hour trip between San Francisco and Los Angeles. SJ Mercury 7/10/08
Gov. Schwarzenegger Throws Support Behind High-Speed Rail -- Schwarzenegger told NBC11 he wants California to lead the way in transporting commuters across the state at near-record speeds while reducing global warming at the same time. Voters must approve $10 billion Proposition 1 this fall. Even Schwarzenegger admits the proposal would only pay for about one quarter of the cost of the entire train system. That is why opponents are determined to see it stopped dead in its tracks. NBC 7/10/08
*Pacheco It Is -- It's time now for HSR advocates to unite behind this project alignment and help ensure the bond is passed this November. The last piece is AB 3034, which goes before the Senate Appropriations Committee tomorrow in Sacramento. It's not clear what will happen - whether Leland Yee's changes, including reprioritizing the SF-LA "spine", will remain. California High Speed Rail Blog 7/10/08
Shipping and water:
*Ship engineer charged with polluting ocean -- A cargo ship's chief engineer and the companies that own and operate the vessel were charged Wednesday in federal court with using a "magic pipe" to illegally dump oil and other harmful waste into the ocean. Pantelis Thomas is charged with four counts of falsifying log books and other charges related to illegal dumping. His attorney Douglas Schwartz said Thomas plans to plead not guilty when he appears in U.S. District Court in San Francisco on Thursday. SJ Mercury 7/10/08
Cargo Ship Crew Pleads Not Guilty to Dumping Waste -- A "not guilty" plea is expected in San Francisco Thursday from the chief engineer of a greek cargo ship accused of illegal dumping. KTVU 7/10/08
*One Senator Blocks Passage of Clean Boating Act-- The Clean Boating Act of 2008 (S. 2766) narrowly missed passage by the Senate on June 26-- by one vote. The primary sponsor of the bill, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), requested an immediate vote that could have quickly passed the bill with a Unanimous Consent Agreement. However, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) raised an objection, putting action to a halt. Murkowski presented an amendment that would expand the Clean Boating Act to include some commercial vessels. At this submission, senators Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Nelson objected to the amendment inclusion, arguing the bill was the product of delicate compromise. The Log 7/10/08
In San Francisco, Mapping Out a Trail on the Water -- The nation’s inventory of recreational water trails is about to expand. In 2005, the California State Legislature sanctioned a plan for San Francisco Bay that was proposed by boating enthusiasts. Last fall, the Bay Conservation and Development Commission handed its vision off to the California Coastal Conservancy for implementation. Cities, counties and agencies ranging from the National Park Service to the East Bay Regional Park Service have plans to participate. NY Times 7/7/08
*Black cloud over estimates of tugboat, cargo ship soot -- Tugboats and cargo ships alike are pumping out far more soot than previously thought, according to new findings released today by federal and private scientists. Stubby tugboats plying busy harbors puff out more sooty black carbon than any other commercial vessels, and large cargo ships emit more than twice as much soot as previously estimated, according to the first broad study of commercial vessel emissions, say researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the University of Colorado. LA Times Blog 7/9/08
No comments:
Post a Comment