Transit and infrastructure:
Richmond hoping ferry service can be revived -- Hundreds of homes have cropped up near Richmond's waterfront. Now, a regional water transit agency and Richmond city leaders are looking at bringing back the ferry. An environmental study will begin this summer and could take a year to complete. Locations for a terminal include an area that has within a half-mile more than 1,200 existing and approved housing units and businesses that employ just more than 2,000 people. Those numbers exceed some estimates that indicate at least 750 rooftops are needed within a half-mile to generate sufficient ridership. Inside Bay Area 7/10/08
Golden Gate Toll To Increase By $1 -- The toll for crossing the Golden Gate Bridge is going up again.The $1 increase approved Friday by the board of that oversees the famous span goes into effect on Sept. 1.Drivers using cash will pay $6, and those using the electronic payment system FasTrak pay $5. AP 7/11/08
*BART goes solar at Orinda station -- A solar energy company has landed a BART contract to install carports with photovoltaic panels on top to provide renewable power to run the lights, fare gates and ticket machines at the station — or about everything there except for the trains, which have a separate power source. "We would like to put solar in other stations, but this was the only scenario where we could make money," a spokesperson said. SJ Mercury 7/12/08
BART paying more in bet on solar power -- BART plans to power two maintenance facilities and a passenger station in the East Bay with solar energy - at almost double the cost of electricity purchased today off the grid. But BART officials said the higher cost is worth the investment to help combat global warming. And in the long run, they say, the bigger bill for solar may prove fiscally prudent if - as expected - the price of hydroelectric and fossil fuel-derived power continues to escalate. SF Chronicle 7/11/08
HSR as Strategic Value -- There's a fascinating op-ed in the Yomiuri Shimbun by Yoshiyuki Kasai, chairman of the Central Japan Railway Company, focusing on the strategic importance of HSR. Kasai makes a point I've been trying to push out here on the blog - that in the 21st century, a global economy is simply not competitive without something like high speed rail. Dependence on oil is the mounted cavalry of our time. High-Speed Rail Blog 7/13/08
*Higher gas prices mean increased tax revenue for California -- Pump prices here are almost always higher than in the rest of the country, partly because taxes — assessed to maintain roads and highways — are higher. The prices also reflect California's stringent clean-fuel requirements and a tight supply-and-demand situation. There are relatively few sources for the state's unique blend of gasoline. Californians pay nearly 75 cents in taxes on every gallon of gas to the state and federal government — more than any other state, according to the July report from American Petroleum Institute, a trade association that represents the oil and natural gas industry. California's 7.25 percent sales tax is generating what some say is a windfall for the government, because the amount collected is tied to the price of gasoline. Ventura County Star 7/13/08
Emissions:
Greenhouse gases: Citing cost, administration rejects proposal by EPA experts for curbing global warming -- The Bush administration, dismissing the recommendations of its top experts, yesterday rejected regulating the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming, saying it would cripple the U.S. economy. In a 588-page federal notice, the Environmental Protection Agency made no finding on whether global warming posed a threat to people's health or welfare, reversing an earlier conclusion at the insistence of the White House and officially kicking any decision on a solution to the next president and Congress. AP 7/12/08
Water and shipping:
*Feds set for mothball fleet study -- A study of the environmental impact, if any, of a mothball fleet on Suisun Bay water is set to begin this month. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) took an interest in the federal Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet's decomposition after the fleet's level of deterioration was made public last year. Large chunks of lead and toxin-containing paint had been reportedly peeled off into bay waters from obsolete ships set to be dismantled as they were cleaned. The Reporter 7/11/08
Shippers say dockworkers staged work stoppage -- Dockworkers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach staged an unapproved break Friday that brought work to a halt for 15 minutes amid ongoing contract talks, a spokesman for an association representing West Coast ports said. The workers deviated from their staggered break schedules and took a single coordinated break that temporarily brought port activity to a halt, Pacific Maritime Association spokesman Steve Getzug said. SF Chronicle 7/11/08
Budget crisis:
State overspent by $3.9 billion in fiscal year that just ended, controller says -- State Controller John Chiang delivered more grim evidence of the state's budget meltdown Thursday. Chiang's office released cash figures showing that California overspent by $3.9 billion in the fiscal year just ended. General fund expenditures for the 2007-08 fiscal year that ended June 30 totaled $107.3 billion, while total receipts were $103.4 billion. Sacramento Bee 7/11/08
Air travel:
SFO stop planned for world's biggest jet -- Emirates Airlines announced Thursday that it's planning to fly the world's largest passenger airplane to the Bay Area in two to three years. The Dubai-based company, which begins daily service to San Francisco in November, hopes to tap into the region's global business travelers and wealthy individuals who frequently travel abroad. On Aug. 4, Emirates, known for its luxury service, will show off the first fully outfitted Airbus A380 at San Francisco International Airport. The plane has 14 first-class suites, 76 business class seats and 399 seats in economy. SJ Mercury 7/11/08
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