Category Archives: transportation

Mid-America Pipeline and Enterprise Products Fined for Spills

As part of a consent decree recorded today in the U.S. District Court in Omaha, Nebraska, in addition to paying a $1,042,000 civil penalty, the companies have agreed to undertake various measures aimed at reducing external threats to their pipeline, enhance their reporting of spills, and spend at least $200,000 to identify and prevent external threats to the pipeline involved in the spills. Continue reading

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Bowing to Pressure, Fiat Suspends Business in Iran

The auto industry represents 20% of Iran’s GDP that is dominated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. UANI has developed model legislation, The DRIVE Act, to force auto manufacturers to choose between American taxpayers and the regime. The DRIVE Act requires automakers to certify they are not engaged in any business in Iran, or engaged in the implementation of any agreement with Iranian entities in order to be eligible for U.S. government contracts or financial assistance. Continue reading

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Iran Auto Production Down 27% as UANI Blasts Peugeot and Nissan for Ongoing Business with Islamic Revolutionary Guard

The auto industry represents 20% of Iran’s GDP that is dominated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. UANI has developed model legislation, The DRIVE Act, to force auto manufacturers to choose between American taxpayers and the regime. The DRIVE Act requires automakers to certify they are not engaged in any business in Iran, or engaged in the implementation of any agreement with Iranian entities in order to be eligible for U.S. government contracts or financial assistance. Continue reading

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BP Fined $8 Million for Clean Air Act Violation in Indiana

BP North America  will pay  an $8 million penalty and invest more than $400 million to install pollution controls and cut emissions from BP’s petroleum refinery in Whiting, Indiana because of air pollution violations under the Clean Air Act. The … Continue reading

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Americans Want Highways and Bridges Fixed. So Who Pays?

A new survey from HNTB Corporation finds two-thirds of Americans “who intend to vote” during this year’s presidential election claim that a candidate’s standing on American transportation infrastructure will influence their decision. More than one in five (22%) claim this will be “extremely influential” on whom they vote for. Nearly nine in ten (89%) Americans feel it is important for the federal government to fund the maintenance and improvements of interstate highways.

Therein lays the potholes, crumbling concrete and rusting bridges in evidence all around us. Who pays? Overall, 4 in 5 (80%) of those surveyed claim they would rather increase funding and improve roads and bridges than continue current funding levels. You would never know this by observing the behavior of our ruling elites, though. Continue reading

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Largest U.S. Airlines Barely Profitable in Q4

These data, combined with record levels of long-term unemployment and a moribund housing market, one wonders how anyone in the ruling class can claim the recession is over? Continue reading

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NHTSA Wants Stability Control on Large Trucks and Buses

NHTSA estimates that a standard requiring ESC on the nation’s large trucks and large buses would prevent up to 2,329 crashes, eliminate an estimated 649 to 858 injuries, and prevent between 49 and 60 fatalities annually. Many of these vehicles are now offered with ESC, a computerized system that uses automatic application of individual or multiple wheel brakes to correct for oversteer or understeer. Continue reading

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Opel Woes Continue as EU Auto Sales Decline In April. Latest Turnaround Plan Faces Fierce Union Fight over Plant Closings

Worrisome for GM shareholders, including the U.S. taxpayers who still own 32% of the world’s largest, but only marginally profitable, automaker after a $50 billion bailout, Stracke told employees that Opel will stay with existing labor agreements through 2014. With the European auto market headed for its fifth straight year of sales declines and with no upturn predicted for years, it’s impossible to see how Opel will cease being a drag on GM earnings. Continue reading

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Mercedes Predictive Cruise Control Uses GPS to Save Fuel

As the first GPS-based cruise control system, what the German truck making giant calls Predictive Powertrain Control intervenes to control speed, braking, and can now also regulate the transmission where it perform a single or double downshift of gears ahead of time when fitting. Continue reading

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Honda Uni-Cub Electric Unicycle Enters Testing in June

Honda Motor Company today unveiled its new Uni-Cub personal mobility device, a computer-controlled electric unicycle that looks to be a production ready outgrowth of the U3-X first shown in 2009. The compact EV with a saddle provides the same freedom of movement in all directions that a person has while walking. Since it doesn’t replace body parts, Uni-Cub is not technically a prosthetic device, but will have widespread applications in manufacturing or warehousing and any other indoor occupation that requires walking. Continue reading

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Airlines Post Record On-Time Performance but Complaints Up

Between January and March this year, the nation’s largest airlines posted their best on-time arrival rate for the first quarter of any year since the Department of Transportation began collecting comparable flight delay data in 1995. Supporters cite this as a clear example of the effectiveness of government regulation back by stiff fines. Continue reading

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Smart Escooter Coming in 2014

Daimler has confirmed that the Smart E-Scooter will go on sale in 2014 at an unspecified price. First introduced as a concept from its Chinese studios at the Paris Motor Show in 2010, the fully electric Escooter is part of a range of electric vehicles including the Smart Fourtwo and Smart Ebike that are targeted for the European Union, which wants to ban all internal combustion engines from inner cities. Continue reading

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Bankrupt Hawker Beechcraft Pensions Only 56% Funded

Collectively, Hawker Beechcraft’s three pension plans are only 56% funded, with $769 million in assets to cover $1.4 billion in benefits. If Hawker Beechcraft ended the plans under the bankruptcy, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation of the U.S. Federal government would pay $533 million of the $611 million shortfall. PBGC is the company’s largest creditor. Continue reading

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California Drivers Unaware Motorcycle Lane Splitting is Legal

The California Office of Traffic Safety today released results of the first-ever survey of California motorists and motorcycle riders on the subject of lane splitting, where motorcycles travel between two lanes with other vehicles travel ling the same direction. Lane … Continue reading

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SAE Auction of Unique Roush Mustang Coming to Ford Field

What’s said to be a unique pony car has a custom silver body and graphics, a Roush 5-liter supercharged V8 engine using Ford Racing’s “Aluminator” long block. The engine is rated at 625 horsepower and 540 ft-lbs of torque, numbers you can believe because of SAE standardized test procedures that stopped creative math calculations by performance car marketers. Continue reading

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