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Officials with the Iowa Department of Transportation have said the state should pump an additional $200 million into its roads and bridge fund, at a minimum, to maintain the current system.In response to the DOT’s request, lawmakers this year are considering a hodgepodge of road-related fee increases, including a boost in the cost of Iowans’ annual vehicle registration fees, to generate the needed funds. But getting a majority of lawmakers to vote to increase fees on taxpayers during an election year may prove to be difficult.If funding isn’t increased, the state’s bridges will continue to deteriorate, DOT spokeswoman Dena Gray-Fischer said.The DOT replaces or makes significant repairs to about 20 bridges each year, although only 15 are slated for such improvements this year.At the same time, the DOT estimates that between 20 and 30 bridges become structurally deficient each year.
Ford's new green-er engine isn't a hybrid
Kudos for Ford for taking the lead and rolling out a new generation of advanced gasoline engine technology. The move is fresh evidence that Detroit has more mileage boosting tricks up its sleeve than you may have guessed. The Detroit Free Press is reporting that Ford is set to unveil a new internal combustion gasoline engine that takes a big leap forward in gasoline engine efficiency. It's not some new advanced hybrid. Rather the engine combines a pair of off-the shelf technologies of the sort long called for by auto experts such as the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). Called EcoBoost, Ford's advancement combines turbo-charging and direct fuel injection technology to achieve up to 20% better mileage. The first model to get the green treatment will be the 2009 Lincoln MKS (photo).
Freon leak prompts evacuation of Bell Helicopter plant
Hundreds of Bell Helicopter employees evacuated the engineering building in Hurst on Monday after an air-conditioning system component sprung a freon leak. About 500 pounds of R-22 refrigerant, an odorless, colorless and nontoxic gas, was released. Bell spokesman Mike Cox said the evacuation was orderly and no employees were injured. -- Bob Cox Internet traffic restored on two cut undersea cables CAIRO, Egypt -- Traffic has returned to normal on two undersea Internet cables in the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf, cable owner FLAG Telecom said Monday. The cables were cut last month, causing disruptions across the Middle East and parts of Asia. But the fate of a third cut cable, off Alexandria, Egypt, was still unknown. -- The Associated Press Continental employees to receive $158 million in profit sharing HOUSTON -- Continental Airlines said Monday it will pay a record $158 million in profit sharing Thursday to employees, based on the carrier's 2007 results.
Malibu Hybrid's minimal advantage isn't worth the cost
We have established that General Motors knows how to make a two-mode hybrid. Witness the Green Car of the Year, the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid, which utilizes a powerful electric motor in concert with an internal combustion engine. Still, GM continues to build its "mild" hybrids, using the belt-alternator-starter system, yielding in the Chevy Malibu a grand total of 2 mpg in city-highway fuel economy over the standard four-cylinder. This option costs a whopping $1,795 and could only be worthwhile if buyers put in for the $1,300 federal tax credit. To compare, a Toyota Camry Hybrid option costs $200 (over the four-cylinder XLE) and yields an increased fuel economy of 31 percent. .
UAE gas supply is 2o% below peak demand
Abu Dhabi: When summer temperatures soar and power stations work at full capacity, gas supplies in the the UAE are around 20 per cent below demand, an official said on Wednesday. Power demand and the population in the UAE are rising 10 per cent to 13 per cent per year, Khalid Al Awadi, gas operations manager at retailer Emirates General Petro-leum Corporation (Emarat) told an energy conference. When air-conditioning units worked at full blast across the country last summer, gas demand peaked at around 5.5 billion cubic feet per day (cfd), a billion cfd above current maximum supply of 4.5 billion cfd, he said. "The peak shortfall is about one billion cfd per day, which is being met with expensive diesel oil," he told reporters. Apart from burning oil products such as diesel, industrial users also turned to coal in some parts of the UAE last year.
Conservation can carry load
The Dept. of Energy (and other government agencies, and most economists) live in la la land, where "demand" magically creates supply. Once upon a time a group of economists were thrown in a dungeon, with no food. They were worried, until one of them said: "Let's create a free market here between us, and supply each other with sandwiches". Sorry, but the "invisible hand" is about to slap us in the face. The planet is round, i.e., finite, and endless "growth" is an impossibility. BTW, note that the article did not suggest shutting down the nuke plant - but predicted that electricity prices will rise significantly regardless. A rising price is how supply and demand meet: demand will be depressed to meet available supply. Same as is now happening with oil.Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 11:23 am .
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