A nationwide report on how well states and communities plan
for growth finds the Great Lakes region not planning much at all. The
Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham has more:
Tag: transportation
Commentary – Plutonium to Stay in U-S
The U-S recently announced that it’s abandoning plans to export
weapons-grade plutonium to Canada. U-S activists opposed the idea of
shipping the material along American highways. As Great Lakes Radio
Consortium commentator Suzanne Elston observes, in winning the battle
over transport, those activists may have lost the war:
Corn Diesel Fuel Cuts Emissions
Diesel engines power everything from big rigs, to bulldozers, to buses.
But emissions from diesels can cause respiratory problems…and may be a
potential cancer risk. So the Environmental Protection Agency has
started targeting diesel engines with new regulations to cut their
emissions. Now, it looks like a new fuel – made partially with corn —
may help. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Wendy Nelson reports:
The Midwest Moves on High Speed Rail
Nine states in the Midwest want high-speed passenger rail. They might getit… but they’ll have to pay for most of it themselves. The Great LakesRadio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports… it’s not likely much help willbe coming from Congress:
A New Great Lakes Ice-Breaker ?
There’s a breakthrough in getting money for replacing the ship
responsible for keeping shipping lanes on the Great Lakes clear of ice.
A Wisconsin member of Congress says that after six decades of service,
they need to retire the coast guard ice-breaker “Mackinaw.” The Great
Lakes Radio Consortium’s Mike Simonson has more:
Federal Proposal May Drown Farmland
It doesn’t happen very often, but for the last year, a republican
governor, the farming community, and environmentalists have been working
together to protect endangered wetlands, by taking certain farmlands out
of production. But now, a new federal proposal could be separating the
groups. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Jonathan Ahl has the story:
Where the Rubber Meets the Road
The phrase "where the rubber meets the road" is taking on new meaning
in some states. Ohio, for example, is testing rubber in the mix of
asphalt it uses to repave roadways. Ohio and other states say this is
one way to recycle old tires. But, as the Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Julie Grant Cooper reports, researchers aren’t sure it’s
cost effective:
The Cost of Alternative Fuels
While many motorists have enjoyed the lower gasoline and diesel fuel
prices the last couple of years… those lower prices have made
alternative fuels such as natural gas relatively more expensive. The
Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports… the managers of
one bus fleet are wondering if running less polluting buses is worth the
cost:
Grade Crossings a Problem for High Speed Rail?
While investigators are trying to figure out what led to an Amtrak
passenger train’s collision with a tractor-trailer truck in Illinois…
some proponents of faster trains say accidents like that one could be
avoided with upgraded service. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s
Lester Graham reports…high-speed rail supporters say faster trains would
mean safer tracks:
Plutonium Hits the Road
World leaders have agreed to help the U.S. and Russia find and test
methods of disposing excess nuclear warhead material. One option is to
create what’s called MOX (MOCKS) fuel to be burned in a nuclear
reactor. MOX fuel is created when uranium oxide is mixed with
weapons-grade plutonium. There are plans to test MOX fuel in Canadian
nuclear reactors this spring. But shipping the material to Canada
worries people on both sides of the border. The Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Todd Witter reports: