Midwest High Speed Rail Association http://bit.ly/kJEegX [From "The Vision"] Our analysis to-date shows the following: HSR Impacts on Chicagoland • $13.8 billion per year increase in business sales for the Chicago Metro area alone • 104,000 new jobs and an additional $5.5 billion in wages each year in the Chicago Metro area resulting from increased … Continue reading »
Posted on April 29, 2011 …
Clean Water: Foundation of Healthy Communities and a Healthy Environment
White House http://1.usa.gov/k9cKVR [PEN-e posting] This report from the White House, dated April 27, 2011, states that the nation’s water resources would benefit from promoting partnerships to conserve water, notes steps necessary to ensure water quality, invest in communities restoring important waterbodies, make more efficient use of water resources, enhance the use and enjoyment of … Continue reading »
IUCN/NRDC Workshop to Identify Areas of Ecological and Biological Significance or Vulnerability in the Arctic Marine Environment: Workshop Report
IUCN/NRDC http://docs.nrdc.org/oceans/files/oce_11042501a.pdf [PEN-e posting] This report from the IUCN and the NRDC states that “Human activity is expanding in the Arctic marine environment, in part due to warming ocean temperatures and the dramatic loss of summer sea ice. New and expanding human uses include fishing, shipping and offshore oil and gas development. All have the … Continue reading »
Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country – Your Handbook for Earthquakes in the Central United States
US Geological Survey http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/119/ This handbook provides information to residents of the Central United States about the threat of earthquakes in that area, particularly along the New Madrid seismic zone, and explains how to prepare for, survive, and recover from such events. It explains the need for concern about earthquakes for those residents and describes … Continue reading »
Structural Integrity of Offshore Wind Turbines: Oversight of Design, Fabrication, and Installation
National Research Council, Transportation Research Board (download pre-publication version with free registration) http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13159 [Description] Structural Integrity of Offshore Wind Turbines: Oversight of Design, Fabrication, and Installation explores the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE) approach to overseeing the development and safe operation of wind turbines on the … Continue reading »
H.R. 1229: Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act
Congressional Budget Office http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/121xx/doc12159/hr1229.pdf [Summary] H.R. 1229 would modify the standards and procedures governing federal leases and permits for private companies to develop oil and gas resources on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). It would extend the duration of certain leases set to expire by December 31, 2011, as well as other leases affected by … Continue reading »
