Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
According to United Nations Environment Programme data nine in 10 people in the world are affected by harmful air. A sobering thought if ever there was one. If there is a bright side here it is this: That number could be higher; thankfully it’s not! But, that doesn’t mean the extent of harmful air couldn’t … Read more
So, I’ve been paying very close attention to the travel news and, in particular, that part dealing with statistics and here is what I’ve learned: For travel this weekend connected with the Independence Day holiday, Americans traveling out-of-town number 48 million; those hitting the roadways journeying 50 or more miles, 42 million or 87.5 percent; … Read more
During this time when gas prices are through the roof – and perhaps the highest they’ve ever been in history – this could be the time to think not only about what but how much or how far Americans are driving. A driving rethink, call it. All of this brings to mind the California high-speed … Read more
With Air Quality Awareness Week fast approaching, the focus of discussion today centers on Fresno, a central California city that year after year sees some of the country’s worst air pollution. Having said that, what better time than this to bring attention to the air-quality deficit that Fresno has long been hamstrung by, done in … Read more
Whereas other northern-hemispheric-located countries have embarked on high-speed-train journeys beginning with Japan in 1964, the United States is only now starting to get on board. Here in America, construction of the country’s first true high-speed passenger rail system officially broke ground in Fresno, California on Jan. 6, 2015 with physical construction actually going on a … Read more
Extra-orbital space travel – only a handful of persons can ever say they’ve done that. A few more can lay claim to flying in sub-orbital aircraft at faster-than-sound speeds. So given the numbers that have a fascination with this sort of thing, the expectation is reasonable that if supersonic (or close to it) evacuated or … Read more
The below Oct. 15, 2020 news release is from the California High-Speed Rail Authority. The California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) today released its 2020 Sustainability Report: Building Resilience. The annual report details ongoing efforts to advance the nation’s largest and greenest infrastructure project and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in transportation. In the past year, the … Read more
In video footage, CBS transportation reporter Kris Van Cleave on special assignment covering a topic that I think gets too little attention in the grand scheme of things, high-speed railroading and high-speed trains, spoke with authorities in their particular areas of expertise on some of the finer points regarding Amtrak’s new Acela trains which the … Read more
The below Sept. 10, 2020 news release is from the California High-Speed Rail Authority. Today [Sept. 10, 2020], the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s (Authority) Board of Directors unanimously approved the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) for the approximately 50-mile project alignment section referred to as the “Central Valley Wye” part of the … Read more
By the end of the year, about 70,000 route-miles of railroad track in the United States are mandated to be outfitted with a fully functioning Positive Train Control or PTC system. Both in 2015 and 2018, expressed PTC mandates for those two years were not met. Will it be the same regarding the 2020 deadline? … Read more