Transportation Daily News July 28

Transit and infrastructure:

 

California school districts ending or reducing bus service for students -- Thousands more California students will have to find their own way to school this fall, as districts slash bus routes to cope with budget shortfalls and high fuel costs. Critics worry that the cuts will increase traffic around schools, shift costs to parents already struggling with rising gas prices and prompt more absenteeism, hurting students' academic achievement. But paramount is the fear that the reductions will endanger students as more walk or drive to school. LA TImes 7/28/08

 

Funds for Highways Plummet As Drivers Cut Gasoline Use -- An unprecedented cutback in driving is slashing the funds available to rebuild the nation's aging highway system and expand mass-transit options, underscoring the economic impact of high gasoline prices. The resulting financial strain is touching off a political battle over government priorities in a new era of expensive oil. A report to be released Monday by the Transportation Department shows that over the past seven months, Americans have reduced their driving by more than 40 billion miles. WSJ 7/28/08

 

Emissions:

 

*State bid to limit emissions hits court snag -- California's effort to limit vehicle emissions of gases that contribute to global warming hit a snag Friday when a federal appeals court ruled that the state and environmental groups acted too early when they sued the Bush administration in January for blocking the law. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco dismissed a lawsuit filed by California, 15 other states and five environmental groups over the Environmental Protection Agency's refusal to let the state enforce its limits on greenhouse gas fumes from new cars and trucks. SF Chronicle 7/26/08

 

*EPA conducts tests on air in Oakland neighborhood -- Federal environmental officials paid visits to a handful of West Oakland homes early Friday, testing for possible dangerous levels of hazardous compounds in the air. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tested about a half dozen homes, a business and a day care center near the former Lane Metal Finishers site on 30th Street and San Pablo Avenue. The state Department of Toxic Substances Control earlier found elevated levels of volatile organic compounds in five samples taken 8 feet below the surface of the former metal plating location. SJ Mercury 7/26/08

 

Shipping:

 

*Navy fears Calif. shipping rule will affect range -- The Navy now fears its testing grounds could be irreparably compromised with a law passed Thursday by California air regulators. They have ordered cargo ships to use cleaner-burning - but more expensive - fuel within 24 nautical miles of the coast. At issue is the sea lane used by cargo ships entering and exiting the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. With the new air regulation, shipping companies looking to save money by burning less of the cleaner fuel could take a more direct path between the ports and international waters. That would put them on course for the Navy's training ground. Modesto Bee 7/26/08