Daily Planning News

May 22--DURHAM -- Budget writers in the N.C. Senate are tinkering with Gov. Pat McCrory's proposed shakeup of state transportation spending to make it even harder for local governments to obtain state aid for transit projects.

The draft Senate budget includes language that says transit projects of any sort -- including "intercity rail, commuter rail [and] light rail" -- can qualify only for the lowest-level allocations the governor has proposed.

That's the 30 percent of the money, statewide, that's destined for allocation on an equal-share basis to each of the N.C. Department of Transportation's 14 operating divisions.

May 21--SANTA CRUZ -- The Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments and the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission are working together to host two workshops in Santa Cruz County to create an integrated land use/transportation plan.

According to the association's population projections, the tri-county region of Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz counties will grow by more than 150,000 people, 40,000 housing units and nearly 65,000 jobs by the year 2035.

One component of the land use/transportation plan, call the Sustainable Communities Strategy, aims to reduce transportation-generated greenhouse gases during theses growth years and promote new ideas on where people live and the ways they travel.

May 22--WENDELL -- Mayor Tim Hinnant recently described himself as a road block to expanded transit across the Triangle.

The drafted plan he opposes would raise sales taxes by a half-cent to pay for expanded bus service to every Wake town and install a commuter rail between Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill.

Nor does Morrisville Mayor Jackie Holcombe, who served as president of the association during the transit discussion.

May 22--A classic fight between environmentalists and developers came down on the side of developers Tuesday with Fresno County supervisors agreeing to explore the potential for new restaurants, hotels and golf courses just north of the city of Fresno.

The decision to look at opportunities for growth along the rural San Joaquin River -- between Fresno and Friant -- came with a caveat: County money will not be used to pay for the study, as was initially proposed.

Still, the dozen or so county residents who condemned the study at this week's Board of Supervisors meeting fell short of their goal of stopping the exploration of development in the area altogether.

May 22--Summerset at Frick Park, a luxury residential development that's successfully transformed a former slag heap into a neighborhood of high-priced homes, will need help from local taxpayers to finish its work.

With a two-thirds of the project completed, developers say state money has dried up for the final push, which will add 217 housing units to the development overlooking Parkway East by the Squirrel Hill Tunnel.

They're now seeking tax-increment financing, or TIF, to divert $24 million in property taxes from the neighborhood to pay for infrastructure improvements, including roads and a new bridge.

May 22--Planners are revamping the Cape Fear region's transportation priorities, and they want the public's help.

The Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, which encompasses all of New Hanover County and parts of Brunswick and Pender counties, is asking for public input as part of its Cape Fear Transportation 2040 Plan.

The plan will prioritize transportation projects across various modes, including road, rail, air, bike and pedestrian, among others.

May 22--AMESBURY -- The Lower Millyard clean-up efforts hit a significant roadblock yesterday after the Environmental Protection Agency announced that Amesbury won't be awarded its annual grant this year.

Without the funds, Kezer said the city will need to identify alternative sources in order to keep the project on schedule.

"You go for your best option first, and in this case a straight up EPA grant covering the whole cost with one pot of money would've been best," Kezer said.

May 21--Think Manhattan is a hot place to live?

As many as 1,000 extra weather-generated deaths a year may occur in the borough by the 2080s under the worst case global warming scenario, according to a new joint study by the Columbia University Earth Institute and the Mailman School of Public Health.

"The critical message is that no matter how you feel about global warming, we have a well established vulnerability to heat waves," which have already been proven to be highly lethal, especially to the elderly, the very young, and those with pre-existing health conditions, said Radley M. Horton, associate research scientist at The Earth Institute and a co-author of the paper.

May 22--STOCKTON -- There are roughly $2 billion in passenger rail construction and improvement projects coming in the next year, including at least $300 million of spending earmarked for small businesses, for the Bay Area and Central Valley.

And those are opportunities area companies shouldn't pass up, said Michael Ammann, chief executive of the San Joaquin Partnership.

The partnership hosted a forum Tuesday morning in Stockton to detail the region's railroad resources and expansion plans -- including those of California's high-speed rail, Altamont Commuter Express and private freight hauling.

May 21--A broad group of consumer and environmental advocates, business officials and nonprofit leaders urged Georgia Power to add more renewable energy to its electricity mix over the next two decades.

Georgia Power has no plans to increase its use of solar power beyond a program announced last year.

Clean energy advocates said at a hearing Tuesday that consumers could be saving money and breathing cleaner air if the utility beefed up its renewable energy and energy-efficiency programs.

May 22--RUMFORD -- In February, the Maine Department of Transportation presented its $1.812 billion Work Plan for 2013, 2014 and 2015 to the Legislature.

The bulk of the projects and costs are in Oxford County.

Thirty-five projects from paving to bridge replacement total more than $25.3 million, according to the plan.

May 21--NEW HAVEN -- Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, state Department of Housing Commissioner Evonne Klein, Mayor John DeStefano Jr., and other state and local officials Tuesday announced $13.8 million in grants to fund 11 affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization programs in Connecticut, according to a release.

These investments will bolster economic development and make Connecticut more a more competitive state."

New Haven will receive $1.5 million to expand its Neighborhood Renewal Program to include transitional neighborhoods--blocks situated between stable neighborhoods and those with greater need, the release said.

May 22--TWIN FALLS -- With summer temperatures quickly approaching, it's time to hit the road and soak up the sunshine.

Between individual city's road construction to-do lists and the Idaho Transportation Department's own set of projects, there are more than a dozen bridge resurfacings and reconstructions along with three large junction reconstructions.

Just north of the Perrine Bridge, ITD is in the middle of its second stage of the I-84/U.S.

May 21--In all likelihood, Grays Harbor Transit will be eliminating weekend bus services, citing budget issues.

The change will leave little option, aside from some private taxi services, for public transportation on the Harbor on weekends.

"Our grants that we applied for did not come in like we thought they would," General Manager Mark Carlin told The Daily World.

May 21--A St. Petersburg lawmaker wants the Florida Public Service Commission to study the cost of the proposed Levy County nuclear plant compared to a natural gas facility.

Petersburg, said in a news release and letter to the commission this week that a Tampa Bay Times analysis that showed Levy would cost more than a natural gas facility over 60 years warrants a comprehensive review by the state.

The Times analysis also showed that Duke Energy would make $4 billion from the Levy nuclear project compared to $369 million for an equivalent natural gas facility, according to the Times analysis.

May 21--CHARLESTON -- Toll booths might some day mushroom along roads across West Virginia, giving motorists in other regions a taste of what driving has cost southern residents nearly six full decades.

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin is expected to get his first look July 1 at ideas put forth by a special panel he created in August to examine long-term highway needs.

Once the Blue Ribbon Commission on Highways issues its preliminary findings, members plan to conduct a number of regional meetings to see what residents across the state think about its proposals.

EU's planned solar duties against China "grave mistake": German vice chancellor

BERLIN, May 20 (Xinhua) -- German Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Philipp Roesler said at the weekend that European Commission's agreement to back a proposal to levy punitive duties on Chinese solar panels is a "grave mistake."

Roesler told Welt am Sonntag newspaper in an interview on Sunday that punitive duties are the wrong instrument to deal with the dispute, adding that he expects the European Commission to prevent an all-out trade conflict and solve the dispute through a negotiation and dialogue.

Three days after a train crash near the Fairfield-Bridgeport line left more than 70 people injured and threw public transportation into near chaos, there's still a lot we don't know.

Investigators are focusing their probe on a small section of rail where one train derailed and collided with another during rush hour Friday.

Three of the injured passengers remained hospitalized Monday at Bridgeport Hospital, one of them in critical condition.

May 21--OGDEN -- The 2-plus inches of rainfall the Ogden/Northern Wasatch mountains received over the weekend were welcome, bringing the area back up to its monthly average for May.

But the total wasn't enough to turn the tide on a snowpack that has been shrinking in the Rocky Mountains for the last three decades, according to a British environmental report.

But the bad news is, according to a recent environmental study out of London, the Rocky Mountains are warming.

May 21--Thanks to humanity's addiction to fossil fuels, carbon dioxide levels are the highest they've been in at least 3 million years.

For some perspective on this, the last time CO2 levels reached 400 parts per million, the Sahara desert was thick with forests and the Arctic was just as inviting as the Caribbean in terms of temperature.

Humans were just a gleam in evolution's eye at that point.

May 21--Residents of a north Boulder neighborhood have hit a dead end with the city in their efforts to get a stop sign, crosswalk or any other traffic-slowing measure installed at what they say is a "horrifically" dangerous intersection leading to a park.

But city officials say they've studied the site, and there's not nearly enough traffic at the Dakota Ridge intersection in question to warrant a stop sign or crosswalk.

Additionally, Bill Cowern, transportation operations engineer, said the city cut funding in 2003 for neighborhood traffic mitigation, such as speed bumps and traffic circles.

May 21--Sidewalks, streets and other public transportation projects could get a boost in Oak Park if the village receives a federal grant trustees agreed to seek this week that could be worth millions.

The board of trustees Monday supported village staff's application for a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation that would go specifically toward enhancing public infrastructure in the village's downtown districts, which include Lake Street from Harlem Avenue to Euclid Avenue, north and south of Lake Street and public streets that connect the Downtown Oak Park Business District and the Hemingway Business District and the Pleasant District.

The village has applied for the same grant at least two times in the past unsuccessfully, said Village Manager Cara Pavlicek, but Trustee Ray Johnson said Monday some communities apply up to eight times before being rewarded money.

May 21--The "green" energy provisions of a 2008 state energy law have saved consumers $170 million, according to Ohio State University findings that run counter to the argument that the law's requirements have contributed to an increase in bills.

"It appears to be a win-win for the ratepayers and for the Ohio economy," said Joseph Fiksel, a co-author of the study and executive director of OSU's Center for Resilience.

The report's sponsor is Advanced Energy Economy Ohio, a group that opposes a legislative push to revise the state energy policy.

Fee Based Service Expands in Florida DANIEL ISLAND, S.C., May 21, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SchoolWheels Direct ("SWD"), a subsidiary of Student Transportation Inc., (STI) (TSX:STB) (Nasdaq:STB), North America's third-largest provider of school bus transportation services announced it has been selected by parents of Brevard County Florida to provide school bus transportation services for students to the area's "Choice Schools".

The Brevard Public School Board recently voted to close three schools as part of more than $30 million in budget cuts.

Approximately 2,500 Brevard students are impacted by the cuts and parents have been notified to find alternative means for transportation.

May 21--Wind energy could be stored underground among volcanic rock formations in two places in Eastern Washington, making the seasonal and intermittent power that wind generates more practical, according to a new study.

Sites north of Boardman in Benton County and about 10 miles north of Selah in the Yakima Canyon could store enough wind energy to power about 85,000 homes each month, according to the study, conducted by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Bonneville Power Administration.

About 13 percent of the Northwest's power supply comes from wind.

May 21--The light continues to fade at Solar Power Inc.

Reporting another quarterly loss Monday, the Roseville solar-energy developer said it has burned through much of its cash and again warned shareholders it's in danger of going out of business.

Solar Power is a victim of an industrywide bust in the solar business, caused largely by massive overproduction on the part of Chinese solar-panel manufacturers.

Transportation officials said Tuesday would be the last day of hampered rail commutes from Connecticut to New York City because of last week's train accident.

A Metro-North train derailed Friday and sideswiped another train, injuring 70 people and tearing up 2,000 feet of track.

Both Metro-North and Amtrak will resume full service Wednesday, The Hartford Courant reported.

May 21--New signals at 46 intersections that adapt to the flow of traffic could reduce congestion significantly in steadily growing Lexington, a study Monday says.

The proposal sets the stage for town leaders to decide if modern technology is a quicker and cheaper way to lessen bottlenecks instead of $80 million in new roads.

"It certainly has the potential to be our long-term solution," Mayor Randy Halfacre said.

May 21--Throughout the financial downturn, Twin Transit has continued to provide riders six bus routes, each with numerous stops, at a fairly low price.

But that consistent service -- coupled with decreased profits during the recession -- has brought Twin Transit to a critical point.

The transit agency has become untenably reliant on its fund balance, and, if revenue and spending remain at current levels, its reserves will be depleted by 2015, according to Twin Transit General Manager Rob LaFontaine.

It's a sultry day in Naperville, and the heat bounces off the station platform concrete.

Right on cue, warning bells go off and a silver Amtrak train glides in: the California Zephyr, bound for Rocky Mountain country, San Francisco and the Pacific Ocean.

Cross-country train travel maintains a certain romance, and the Zephyr is one of Amtrak's iconic trains that stops in the suburbs.

May 21--ASOTIN -- It took more than a decade, but the Ten Mile Bridge project is finally a wrap.

A new concrete bridge on Snake River Road has replaced the old cattle guard, single-lane span over a creek about 5 miles south of Asotin.

"I think it's good for the county and tourists to have the project done," said Jim Bridges, Asotin County public works director.

May 21--Perrysburg City Council will vote today on a contract for Ride Right for a public transportation service that could start July 1.

"That is the tentative date.

The city and Ride Right hope the service can start sooner, depending on whether Ride Right gets its drivers, vehicles, phone line, and location set up before July 1.

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - Commuter rail service between Connecticut and New York City is expected to resume in full by Wednesday morning rush hour, five days after a derailment and crash injured scores of passengers, transit authorities said Monday.

The crash in Fairfield at rush hour Friday evening injured 72 people, including one who remained in critical condition Monday.

Commuters struggled Monday to find transportation, and many commuters reported rides to work and back home far longer than on typical days.

May 20--SPRINGFIELD -- The city-owned gravel parking lot on the corner of North Fountain Avenue and West Columbia Street will get a facelift later this year.

A $9 million, three-story, 450-space parking garage is still planned for the location, City Engineer LeoShanayda said.

The project will run concurrently with the $1.2 million two-way street conversion and streetscape improvements on Fountain Avenue, which are expected to begin after Memorial Day.

May 21--On Friday evening at rush hour, two Metro-North railroad trains, one heading east out of Grand Central Terminal in New York City, the other heading west out of New Haven toward the Big Apple, approached each other on parallel tracks near Bridgeport.

In the busiest rail corridor in the country, trains pass each other all the time.

That meant the two active tracks were getting a lot of business.

SAUGATUCK, Mich. - The windswept dunes lining Lake Michigan's western shoreline seem to invite peace and serenity.

The point where the Kalamazoo River flows into the great lake has proved a sandy battlefield pitting Aubrey McClendon, co-founder and former CEO of Chesapeake Energy Corp., against an active group of locals intent on stopping his residential development plans there.

The Saugatuck Dunes are a local treasure known nationally, a place where artists came to paint for more than a hundred years, but the good vibes end there.

May 19--TRAVERSE CITY -- America is headed for an energy crisis filled with power blackouts and gasoline shortages, making today's gas prices something to fear for in coming years.

So predicts John Hoffmeister, who knows more than a little bit about energy.

Hoffmeister told the Traverse City Economics Club that America's energy future is perilous if the country doesn't get an "intervention" on its energy policy and cure a dysfunctional, polarized political climate.

May 20--State environmental regulators determined that oil and gas development damaged the water supplies for at least 161 Pennsylvania homes, farms, churches and businesses between 2008 and the fall of 2012, according to a cache of nearly 1,000 letters and enforcement orders written by Department of Environmental Protection officials and obtained by The Times-Tribune.

The determination letters are sent to water supply owners who ask state inspectors to investigate whether oil and gas drilling activities have polluted or diminished the flow of water to their wells.

One in six investigations across the roughly five-year period -- 17 percent of the records -- found that oil and gas activity disrupted water supplies either temporarily or seriously enough to require companies to replace the spoiled source.

May 20--WHAT HAPPENS TO SEMIS DURING THE I-25/PASEO REBUILD?

That question comes from Jim Chivers, who emails "there's a (wallboard) plant on El Pueblo NW at the Jefferson Street intersection, and I am curious to know what, if any, consideration has been factored into the proposed construction at El Pueblo for that truck traffic.

As I travel El Pueblo to Jefferson and live in the area, I'm just wondering where that truck traffic is going to be going?

May 20--YORK, Pa -- Every summer, tourists come to Gettysburg in their cars, trucks and vans, causing congestion on area roads.

More visitors than usual are expected in Gettysburg this summer for the 150th events, and planners have been looking for ways to lessen the traffic that will result.

"We began to look at how we are going to maximize the use of public transportation in Gettysburg," Farr said.

May 20--It's just a 4-mile stretch of country road, but Highway 156 is a vital link between the Monterey Peninsula and the Bay Area -- and now it could become the first toll road north of Los Angeles.

In a report released Thursday, the Transportation Agency for Monterey County says converting the outdated two-lane Highway 156 into a nearby four-lane toll road between Highways 1 and 101 could be mostly paid for by modest tolls, ranging from $1.60 to $2.50 a trip.

The potential impact could extend beyond the Central Coast, creating momentum to build more toll roads statewide, including over the Pacheco Pass parallel to Highway 152 and along Highway 12 through Solano and Contra Costa counties.

Monessen has been sued in two counties over the rezoning of an industrial tract along the Monongahela River where a proposed artist colony headquarters would be located.

The rezoning bans construction of new buildings or industrial facilities within 600 feet of the river.

Plant manager Paul Champagne said the company has pledged to invest $50 million to reopen the plant, adding as many as 180 jobs.

The first work day after two trains collided proved a frustrating commute for many trying to get in to New York City from Connecticut's suburbs, officials said.

Last week's crash in Fairfield, Conn., between two Metro-North trains that injured 70 people, has shut down a shared rail line also used by Amtrak for the next several days while the rail cars are removed and damaged tracks are repaired.

Metro-North set up a shuttle bus system to offer riders who were forced off the train a lift to the next station, The New York Times said.

May 20--More capital-area workers are ditching their cars and taking transit to commute, according to a study of regional commuter patterns released Wednesday.

The city of Frederick has worked to stay on top of the trend by listing TransIT needs in the city's annual priorities letter and supporting events promoting commuter options, city planner Tim Davis said.

In Frederick, the number of workers choosing transit increased from 1.3 to 3 percent.

WORCESTER - Henry C. Papuga, former manager of the Milford Water Co., told a judge Friday he realized almost immediately that he had made a terrible mistake after he made a spur-of-the-moment decision to add bleach to water samples in an effort to end a prolonged 2009 boil water order in his hometown.

Saying it was "a very poor decision on my part," the 62-year-old Mr. Papuga apologized to everyone affected by his actions, particularly the residents of Milford, whom he had served for 27 years as manager of the privately owned water company.

Judge David Ricciardone sentenced Mr. Papuga to a year in the House of Correction on Friday, but suspended the sentence for five years with probation after finding him guilty of six counts of tampering with an environmental monitoring device and two counts of making false statements on chain-of-custody forms related to the samples.

Climate change is an issue that needs to be discussed thoughtfully and objectively.

The rhetoric has driven some policymakers toward costly regulations and policies that will harm hardworking American families and do little to decrease global carbon emissions.

The Obama administration's decision to delay, and possibly deny, the Keystone XL pipeline is a prime example.

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - Connecticut commuters endured slow trips to work Monday following last week's train collision that injured 72 people and disrupted rail service into New York City.

From there, he planned to board a shuttle bus to Stamford where he could catch a train to Grand Central Station in New York.

A shuttle train was operating about every 20 minutes Monday morning between New Haven and Bridgeport.

Two Metro-North trains collided in Connecticut during the evening rush hour yesterday, injuring 60 passengers and causing massive delays on the New Haven line and Amtrak that could last for days, authorities said.

The accident happened about 6:10 p.m. near the Bridgeport- Fairfield border when an eastbound train from Grand Central Terminal carrying 300 people derailed on a section of track near a viaduct undergoing renovation, authorities said.

A New York-bound train from New Haven carrying 400 passengers then collided with the train, sending passengers and crews flying.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]Many urban areas were not designed with an eye for encouraging recreation and fitness.

Indeed, this issue is inherent in much of the infrastructure in the United States, creating significant barriers to park access and utilization.

The Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation, and Open Spaces Department is developing a Parks and Open Space Master Plan to reduce park inequity and increase physical activity.

BRIDGEPORT, Connecticut -- Tens of thousands of commuters are bracing for a difficult trip around southwest Connecticut and to New York City beginning Monday as workers repair the Metro-North commuter rail line crippled by a derailment that injured scores of passengers.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy warned Sunday that traffic in southwest Connecticut could be a mess for as much as a week until service is restored to the commuter rail line.

Each day, approximately 30,000 Metro-North customers use the 12 stations on the New Haven line between South Norwalk and New Haven where service has been shut down, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates Metro-North.