Mr. O’Toole a tool for Big Oil? – Cato Institute scholar O’Toole opines that trains Are For Tourists

March 23, 2009 at 2:06 pm

(Source: NPR;  Photo Courtesy: Hans Splinter@ Flickr)

NPR.org, March 19, 2009 –  When I went to Europe, I loved to ride the trains, especially the French TGV and other high-speed trains. So President Obama’s goal of building high-speed rail in the United States sounded good at first.

Randal O'Toole is a Cato Institute Senior Fellow working on urban growth, public land and transportation issues. Courtesy of the Cato Institute

But when I looked at the details, I discovered that — while high-speed rail may be good for tourists — it isn’t working very well in Europe or Japan.

Japan and France have each spent as much per capita on high-speed rail as we spent on our Interstate Highway System. The average American travels 4,000 miles and ships 2,000 ton-miles per year on the interstates. Yet the average resident of Japan travels only 400 miles per year on bullet trains, while the average resident of France goes less than 300 miles per year on the TGV — and these rail lines carry virtually no freight.

Click here to read the entire “Opinion” of Mr. O’ Toole.  

Throughout the world and throughout history, passenger trains have been used mainly by a wealthy elite and have never given the average people of any nation as much mobility as our interstate highways.

NOTE: TransportGooru disagrees with the author at many levels, especially on the above quoted paragraph lifted directly from Mr. O’Toole’s article.  Mr. O’ Toole forgets the very fact that Railways are in deed the lifeline for many countries in the developing world.  Heck, nearly half of the world’s population now resides in India (Population: 1.4 Billion and China (Population: 1.6 Billion) are two good examples of how emerging economies help their citizens move around the country without having to own a private automobile. If anything, remote regions such as China’s Tibet and India’s Kashmir valley are now connected to the mainland by trains, making it easy for people who make less than $1 per day to move across the country.  Hope Mr. O’ Toole would realize that railways have in deed given the average people of India and China as much mobility as the American people enjoy from their interstate highways.

Dictionary.com Reference:    [tool]  Show IPA ,

Tool – a person manipulated by another for the latter’s own ends; cat’s-paw.

Ethanol Makers Vs. California Law Makers – A volatile mix in the making

March 21, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Some ethanol producers are unhappy with California’s proposed low carbon fuel standards.
California wants to take a big-picture look at decreasing carbon emissions from transportation, and in doing so, it has managed to step on some toes, mainly some ethanol producers. Since California is often a trend-setter on these type of things, this case could be a good example of what the rest of us might see in our own states down the road.

Biofuels play a big role in this, but it’s the way they’re doing it that has some people riled up. I’m a biofuel fan myself and have two vehicles (both 25-year-old-plus diesels, one of which was featured on CNN.com’s American Road Tripsspecial) that I run on biodiesel, so I find this all quite interesting.

California’s proposing a “Low Carbon-Fuel Standard” aimed at decreasing carbon, not only from tailpipe emissions but also from the overall production of fuels and their use. As part of this, it has proposed a rule limiting the use of ethanol in the strategy, mainly because it says ethanol from corn (because of its land use and impact on food crops) can have a higher impact than regular gasoline produced in the state (according to the Los Angeles Times).

Supporters of the proposal claim they aren’t trying to ban ethanol or anything; in fact, according to the fact sheet I linked to above, they’re advocating going from an ethanol blend fuel called E5 (5 percent ethanol, 95 percent gasoline) to E10 (10 percent ethanol, 90 percent gasoline) and E85 (85 percent ethanol) for flex fuel vehicles.

Click here to read the entire post. 

How much will you pay for parking if you car is half the size of a regular car? Smart fortwo owners get half-price parking in 350 NYC parking garages

March 20, 2009 at 7:35 pm

(Source:  Autobloggreen)

Click above for a high-res gallery of the smart fortwo
Question: Should you only pay half the price for a parking spot if your car only takes up half as much room as other vehicles? According to Central Parking System, Inc., which owns more than 350 parking garages in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and New Jersey, the answer is yes. CPS has partnered up with smart USA to offer drivers of the fortwo half-price parking in all of its garages.
Click here to read more. 

Starbucks coffee – $1.75; Cost of not having a cup while on duty – a Nuclear catastrophe! Two U.S. Navy vessels collide in Strait of Hormuz

March 20, 2009 at 7:13 pm

Source: Los Angeles Times;  Photo Via : U.S. Navy handout / EPA)

USS New Orleans and USS Hartford collide in Strait of Hormuz

 Pics: Photos released by the U.S. Navy show the New Orleans, left, participating in a training exercise in the Pacific Ocean November 2008 and the Hartford moored off the U.S. Naval Academy in Chesapeake Bay March 1999.
The nuclear-powered submarine Hartford and the amphibious transport dock New Orleans were heading into the Persian Gulf at the time. Fifteen sailors are slightly injured.

A nuclear-powered Navy submarine collided with another U.S. warship in the narrow Strait of Hormuz early today in what officials are calling the first incident of its kind in the Persian Gulf.
At least 15 sailors aboard the Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered submarine Hartford were slightly injured when it collided with the amphibious transport dock New Orleans, the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet announced.  The Navy said the Hartford’s nuclear propulsion plant was undamaged. But the collision ruptured the New Orleans’ fuel tank and caused the spillage of 25,000 gallons of diesel fuel.
Defense officials in Washington said there appeared to be serious damage to the upper part of the sub, called the sail. Initial assessments indicated it could be repaired. The extent of damage to the other vessel was less clear.

Click here to read the entire article.

Mars Institute to drive HUMMER-based rover through Northwest Passage

March 20, 2009 at 6:56 pm

(Source: Autobloggreen; Scientific American)

It might seem a bit paradoxical to drive a HUMMER for 1,200 miles across the thin ice of the Northwest Passage with the goal of investigating climate change in the arctic circle, but that’s exactly what a crew from the Mars Institute is planning to do. The team will be charting the thickness of the ice as it moves at about 12 miles per hour over the surface, but the information gathered during the trek will really just be a bonus. The team’s first priority will be to see how the HUMMER-based rover fares in these harsh conditions. At some point, the Mars Institute hopes that this data will prove useful in helping NASA design human-toting vehicles that will be able to traverse the surface of Mars.
The Scientific American reports :  The trip using a modified armored Humvee vehicle will provide comprehensive data about the thickness of winter ice in the waterway through Canada’s high Arctic, said Pascal Lee, chairman of Mars Institute and leader of the expedition.  (Above Image on Right:  An ice-free Northwest Passage seen in this handout satellite photo from NASA taken in Sept. 2007. Photograph courtesy: Vancouver Sun via Terra Satellite/NASA, Reuters)

The scientists also hope to learn more about what happens to the microbes left behind by humans as they explore remote areas, amid concerns from some scientists about the detrimental impact of such journeys in space.

Click here to read the entire Autoblog article.

President Obama Announces $2.4 Billion in Funding to Support Next Generation Electric Vehicles

March 20, 2009 at 1:40 pm

(Source: U.S. Department of Energy; Photo Courtesy: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty via Autoblog)

DOE Support for Advanced Battery Manufacturing and Electric Vehicle Deployment to Create Tens of Thousands of U.S. Jobs

On March 19th, President Barack Obama announced the availability of $2.4 billion in funding to put American ingenuity and America’s manufacturers to work producing next generation Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles and the advanced battery components that will make these vehicles run. The initiative will create tens of thousands of U.S. jobs and help us end our addiction to foreign oil. Americans who decide to purchase these Plug-in Hybrid vehicles can claim a tax credit of up to $7,500.

“This investment will not only reduce our dependence on foreign oil, it will put Americans back to work,” President Obama said. “It positions American manufacturers on the cutting edge of innovation and solving our energy challenges.”

While visiting Southern California Edison’s Electric Vehicle Center, the President announced the following:

  • The Department of Energy is offering up to $1.5 billion in grants to U.S. based manufacturers to produce these highly efficient batteries and their components.
  • The Department of Energy is offering up to $500 million in grants to U.S. based manufacturers to produce other components needed for electric vehicles, such as electric motors and other components.
  • The Department of Energy is offering up to $400 million to demonstrate and evaluate Plug-In Hybrids and other electric infrastructure concepts — like truck stop charging station, electric rail, and training for technicians to build and repair electric vehicles.

 

Click here to read the entire DOE press release. Or, Click here to read the President’s remarks.  Shown below is Part I of the video from the event, courstey of  You Tube (Part I & Part II).

HUD and USDOT Announce Joint Sustainable Communities Initiative

March 20, 2009 at 12:18 pm

 (Source: The Transport Politic)

HUD and DOT will encourage communities to combine federally-mandated metropolitan area housing and transportation plans 

During the campaign, now-President Barack Obama argued that the federal government could contribute to the planning and development of neighborhoods around the country through a livable communities initiative, arguing that “Our communities will better serve all of their residents if we are able to leave our cars to walk, bicycle and access other transportation alternatives.” Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan testified today on the issue in front of the House Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing (part of the Appropriations Committee).

Both Secretaries argued that transportation and housing had to be planned together in order to handle the rising costs of both for most American households. Each pointed out that providing housing near public transportation allows for lower transportation costs and argued that transportation and housing in the United States should be organized in order to address climate change concerns.

HUD and DOT will establish a Sustainable Communities Initiative, which will encourage transit-oriented development. The initiative will encouraged integrated planning with HUD and DOT working together on neighborhood projects by encouraging metropolitan areas to consolidate their current government-mandated five-year housing plans and four-year transportation plans, both of which are used to determine federal formula appropriations to communities. The program will also consider transportation costs when determining the level of affordability in communities and develop “livability measures” to benchmark improvements that can be made to communities through federal funding. Finally, HUD and DOT programs and research will be “harmonized.”

Click here to read the entire article.  Click here to read a related article on tihs subject from the TransportGooru archives.

Brookings scholar articulates the connections between housing and transportation and the need for integrated planning

March 20, 2009 at 10:12 am

(Source: Brookings Institute)

Brookings Senior Fellow Robert Puentes tells a House Appropriations panel this week that “how and where we build in the future carries far-reaching implications for the health of our environment, our energy security, and our economic recovery and will continue to impact our metropolitan areas’ success and our ability to compete globally.”

Unfortunately, the U.S. track record here is not good.  Puentes’ research shows that between 1980 and 2000, the growth of the largest 99 metro areas in the continental U.S. consumed 16 million acres of rural land, or about one acre for every new household.5Indicative of this outward sprawl is the fact that more than 70 percent of the 100 largest metros’ recent population growth over the same period of time occurred outside of principal cities—the largest and most established cities within each metro in terms of population and employment.

Click here to read or download Mr. Puentes’ testimony to the House Appropriations panel.  Shown below is the read-only version of the PDF document.

Hybrid cars sales in the US are falling at a ‘breakneck pace’

March 18, 2009 at 3:30 pm

(Source: Financial Times)

Despite the US government’s determination to increase efficiency standards and become energy independent, hybrid cars sales in the US are falling at a ‘breakneck pace’ – even faster than overall car sales, reports the LA Times:

Last month, only 15,144 hybrids sold nationwide, down almost two-thirds from April, when the segment’s sales peaked and gas averaged $3.57 a gallon. That’s far larger than the drop in industry sales for the period and scarcely a better showing than January, when hybrid sales were at their lowest since early 2005.

In July, U.S. Toyota dealers didn’t have enough Prius models in stock to last two days, and many were charging thousands of dollars above sticker price for the few they had.

Today there are about 80 days’ worth on hand, and dealers are working much harder — even with the help of $500 factory rebates — to move the egg-shaped gas-savers off lots from Santa Monica to Miami.

The gist of the story is even though hybrids are more expensive and therefore less attractive to consumers in these recession-bound times, car makers are compelled by government regulations to continue developing them. Hybrid cars are not particularly profitable for the industry either; Toyota only recently began to turn a profit on its Prius.

Click here to read the entire article.

Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save (CARS) Act revives “Cash for Clunkers” scrapping plan in U.S.

March 18, 2009 at 11:42 am

(Source:  Autobloggreen)

 It’s rare for the Detroit 3 automakers, the UAW and various politicians to agree on anything meaningful, but that’s exactly what appears to be happening after Rep. Betty Sutton of Ohio (D) introduced a bill in Congress called Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save bill (CARS Act) that revives the so-called “Cash for Clunkers” plan. This bill would offer consumers up to $5,000 to trade in a vehicle that’s at least 8 years old in exchange for a new one built in the United States that gets at least 27 mpg if it’s a car or 24 mpg if it’s a truck or SUV. The total payout would be based on the new vehicle’s mileage rating.

General Motors, Ford and Chrysler are all supporting the bill, as is the United Auto Workers union. Vehicles built in either Canada or Mexico would need to get at least 30 mpg and would be eligible for up to $4,00.
Click here to read the entire article.