gildone

Without a Car in the World: Photo essay of car-free residents in Los Angeles: http://www.yesmagazine.org/planet/without-a-car-in-the-world-1

Really dumb if the IEA's latest projection for record oil demand in 2011 materializes: http://omrpublic.iea.org/omrarchive/12aug08full.pdf And supply doesn't keep pace: http://www.energybulletin.net/node/53807 The US‘s EIA is now expecting that crude output from the Gulf of Mexico will fall by an average of 120,000 b/d next year due to the consequences from the Deepwater Horizon explosion, such as the six month drilling moratorium and delays resulting from tougher regulation. The IEA takes an even more pessimistic view, saying that the BP spill places the ability of the oil industry to access new reserves on a ―knife edge‖. The Agency estimates that nearly 50 percent of the new oil supplies needed by 2015 would have to come from offshore fields, much of it from deep water. With operating and regulatory standards likely to be tightened and sensitive areas such as the Arctic seeing permitting delays, the pace of offshore oilfield development could slacken. Only time will tell...

Some of us aren't that old, Noozer. You'll have to cut a little slack :wink: Letter in last week's Dispatch: Kasich's stance on 3C Troubling: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/editorials/stories/2010/08/11/kasichs-stance-on-3c-proposal-is-troubling.html

And in the 50s and 60s people weren't so anti-government and tax averse. They recognized that things of value cost money, and in that sense were more mature. Also able to easily see the utility of highways and airports. There were millions who grew up with nothing but trains and the robber baron image of railroads had not yet faded.

Except that a few round trips per day at 79 mph on the 3C (i.e. the 3C Quick Start) was always supposed to be the first step of the Ohio Hub plan-- which was created under a REPUBLICAN administration with the support of a REPUBLICAN legislature. They were for it before they were against it. The feds are paying the capital and ODOT has a plan to pay the operating subsidy for the 3C with state funds that are not constitutionally limited to highways. No federal funds are currently coming out of highway funds for rail. Also, you have to remember one of the primary reasons the government makes infrastructure investments: jobs and economic development. So, you have to look at the economic return of the project relative to the costs. If all we did was look at the costs and ignore the economic benefit, we would have never built highways and airports. Other states are realizing positive economic returns for their intercity rail "investments" and they recognize them. Don't forget, there is a not insignificant freight component to the 3C project too. It's not just about passengers and transportation options. It's also about creating jobs and attracting companies through improved freight logistics. The 3C has become a tough sell because the Republicans decided to make it a wedge issue for the election and the Ohio Contractor's Association (OCA) has become paranoid about the state spending any transportation moneys on anything but roads. The OCA is well funded. They made rounds to newspaper editorial boards around the state earlier this year (and, as I understand it, their efforts were responsible for the slug of negative editorials that came out then) and they are lobbying intensely against it-- this despite the fact that the OCA was for it before they were against it too. And, we can't forget the role of the Ohio Trucking Association which doesn't want the freight railroads to receive any benefit and the Ohio Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Owners Association which is paranoid about anything reducing driving, gas purchases, and traffic to their convenience stores. These are also well funded organizations.

Government supported trains bad, government supported roads good. The libertarian doesn't even know what it means to be libertarian. I'd like to ask both him and Kasich to name one highway in the state that has turned a profit.

^How did this past week's meeting go?

I'm sure CVSR's goal here would be to increase access to the National Park and thus their core business. I don't really see how they would allow it to dilute their primary mission. I think the NPS would like to make CUVA more accessible to city residents too, without encouraging more car traffic-- hence their interest in the project. CUVA' s new park superintendent starts (started) this month. We'll have to wait and see what his stance will be, though I don't see why he wouldn't be interested in finding a way to make it work. Given the complications, I don't see how this could go forward without the NPS getting involved, as well as some federal earmarks from Congress. Perhaps there also needs to be some liability limits given to the railroads via the legislative process too. Liability insurance is a major hurdle for passenger rail projects, be they tourist railroads, commuter, or intercity. It's an especially difficult hurdle for tourist railroads.

Why do reporters love saying this so much? Our highways have never turned a profit and neither has our aviation system.

I think Governor Strickland should push to hold one of the gubernatorial debates at a rail manufacturing facility... maybe the currently idled Alliance Castings plant in Alliance. AC makes trucks, knuckles, and couplers for freight cars (except they aren't making anything right now). A significant part of the 3C project (and the spinoff economic benefits) is freight. Put Kasich on the spot about his stance.

I wouldn't put it that way. Railroads pretty much had a free run of it until they abused their position and near monopoly power at the peak of the robber-baron era. People were angry and the government reacted to that anger. The problem is, when the railroads started getting competition from highways and aviation, the government didn't adjust the regulatory climate to keep pace until January 1980 when Carter signed the Staggers Act. Now in some areas of the country captive shippers are feeling squeezed again and they've been squawking to Congress and the STB, These are the roots of the contentious relationship. Because so far, the feds have done very little to encourage rail development, USDOT never developed a comprehensive transportation vision for the country like they were supposed to per their enabling legislation in the 60s, and Congress has had little interest in leveling the playing field among transportation modes as far as funding. They've taken some steps recently with the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act and the stimulus funds, but they haven't put enough money behind it.

So what? There was more to their trip than the Arch. At least, I got that impression pretty clearly from the article. I don't care what mode you choose, you rarely ever get a chance to do everything you might like to do, but that doesn't mean you and your kids don't have a great time and have great memories to take with you. We've taken my young son on several train trips. He's never felt like he lost out on anything the times we take the train (or when we've driven and not been able to do everything he'd like). My wife and I have never felt like we've lost out either. Usually, when we take the train, the train ends up being his favorite part of the trip. The train is usually our favorite way to travel-- that is when we're able to do it since rail service in most of the US is so infrequent and sparse. Our son gets a lot more antsy in the car (I know part of that is because he's strapped in the booster seat for long periods, unlike the train). The quality time we get on the train is different. We can be a lot more active with him reading stories, playing games, etc. And, my wife and I like arriving at our destination not feeling beat up from the drive. (Just to make sure I'm clear, all this doesn't mean we never drive. Sometimes we do. Sometimes we don't).

^Ridership would really soar in Ohio if we had good daylight service.

Leisurely train trip a fun adventure for a mom and kids http://www.cleveland.com/travel/index.ssf/2010/08/leisurely_train_trip_a_fun_adv.html The trip my kids and I took in June was our first on Amtrak. It was part vacation, part transition, as we needed a way to get to our new house in San Antonio. My husband took a new job there and had already moved. Left behind to finish up the school year and wrap up our lives in Cleveland, we found a perfect excuse to meander across the country visiting friends and family we wouldn't see as much once we left the Midwest... There are easier ways to get to Texas from Cleveland, but I challenge anyone to have more fun doing it than we did...

Yep. The man doesn't want me to have any freedom of choice as to how I want to travel around Ohio. No way I'm voting for him either. Someone needs to tell this to Matt Leingang at the AP.

oops. double post. sorry...

German Autobahn closes for a day for a gigantic party: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/07/german-autobahn-party.php

Why is asphalt getting so expensive? Coking refineries are turning it into gas and diesel: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/07/peak-asphalt-why-we-are-running-out-of-the-stuff.php

Here's a link to Patricia Quinn's July 15th interview on Cincinnati's WLW. I haven't had time to listen to it yet, but as I understand it, she did very well handling all of the curve balls the host, William Cunningham, tried to throw at her: http://media.ccomrcdn.com/media/station_content/1209/100715_2_WILLIE_1279221135_20459.mp3

What?!?? How can you come to the table with the money unless you talk to the railroad to find out what their "wants" are first so you know how much money to come to the table with?

The Unpaving of Rural America: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/07/trend-watch-unpaving-rural-america-back-the-stone-age.php Roads to Ruin: Towns Rip Up the Pavement http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704913304575370950363737746.html Article mentions complaining about the condition of the roads, but opposing additional taxes to keep them in good repair. But, one person mentioned privatizing. Hmmm. Don't want to pay taxes for the roads, but privatizing won't hit your wallet just as much (if not more)?

1/4 of American bridges declared deficient or obsolete: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/07/trend-watch-quarter-american-bridges-declared-structurally-deficient-functionally-obsolete.php

Didn't Silver Lake lose their lawsuit about the proposed dinner train on the Cuy Falls-Hudson segment of the line (i.e. railroads, interstate commerce, and all that)? And doesn't that apply to any proposed commuter service too? If so, I don't think they have much say anymore, unless they can pull what their mayor did several years ago with the AMATS committee and get the whole project removed off of the AMATS agenda.

As I understand it, CSX is the hold up right now (I'm not being critical) because of their concerns about liability. I seem to recall reading that somewhere a month or two ago.

I wouldn't say hate roads. What we don't like is that we've over-invested in roads and deliberately ignored the wide array of benefits of and need for a truly balanced, well integrated transportation system. Roads were supposed to give us choice over the "robber baron railroads". Now, we have no alternative in most of the country to what is the equivalent of forced car ownership. By the way, I read Brent Larkin's latest inaccurate, uninformed, ignorant hit-piece. How did he make it so far in the newspaper business with such lousy research skills? Another reason not to subscribe to the PD.