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• Say it ain’t so! A conference at Berkeley reflected growing concern about the practicality of California’s HSR projects. Projected ridership seems unrealistic, and unless it reaches a certain level, emissions won’t be lower than those from air travel. (Berkeley)
• GE inked a deal with China’s Rail Ministry that will allow it to pursue high-speed projects in the US with the help of a Chinese manufacturer (GE can’t build HS locomotives, yet). They’ll work with another Chinese manufacturer to build their most efficient diesel train. (Earth2Tech)
• China’s airlines are up the creek, and they know it. The country’s largest carrier is adding shuttle services, and passengers will only need to check in half an hour before their flight. How long do you have to check in before a train ride? (Bloomberg)
• The biggest obstacle to California HSR is systematic: instead of convening opposed parties on issues like land-use, the government both designs and plans and forces opponents to file lawsuits in order to have their voices heard. (CAHSR)

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• A federal ruling says the Army Corps of Engineers was negligent in its maintenance of a navigation channel in New Orleans and therefore is to blame for the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. 100,000 people could receive billions in payouts from the government. (WaPo)
• A group of Senators is scrambling to pass a third short-term extension of the transit bill, which has failed to garner attention due to the health-care debate. A DoT official says federal funding for highways and mass-transit could drop by 30% if something isn’t done soon. (NYTimes)
• Transit fares in New York will rise in 2011 and again in 2013, if not sooner. MTA Chief Jay Walder called for a permament overhaul of the MTA, saying the agency can’t rely anymore on bailouts from the state. (Reuters)
• Wealthy investors are turning to infrastructure investments as safe, long-term bets. Target returns for infrastructure reach as high as 18 percent for unlisted investments, and they offer the added bonus of feeling good about building bridges and roads. (Globe and Mail)
• A New Zealander whines about a trip through Los Angeles: the taxi driver doesn’t speak English good, and doesn’t drop him at the door of the airport shuttle; the airport is a hassle and there’s nothing to do. He’d much rather be in Shanghai or Amsterdam, where the airports are veritable carnivals of fun. (Stuff)

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• The Energy Dept says the US can get 20% of its electricity from wind by 2030. That is, if between 2018 and 2030 we install as much wind power each year as we have in total right now. (EnviroCapital)
• Turns out paying more for airline tickets to buy carbon offsets is a total joke. Quantifying the emissions-reduction potential of those programs is impossible, and it distracts people from doing things like, you know, actually flying less. (NYTimes)
  
• Airlines took a “pummeling” in the last year, as people simply refused to pay for business or first class seats. To make matters worse, airlines are telling their own employees to fly economy! (LATimes)
• Last week, Obama signed legislation that will drop “helicopter money” on the same home builders who way over-built and helped pave the way to a recession. The kicker? There’s such a surplus of homes, the money won’t even be used to create jobs. (NYTimes)
• Also last week, Sen. Schumer was all up in arms about the Chinese company that planned to build a wind farm in Texas and soak up US stimulus dollars. Well, that company, A-Power, now says it’s going to build a factory. In America. (NYTimes)

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• Speaking to students in Shanghai, President Obama expressed optimism about the future of Chinese-American relations and spoke of the “burden of leadership” that bore on both nations with regard to climate-change policy. He also called China’s high-speed rail development “fine work.” (ENS)
• Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim says that Latin America must invest in infrastructure, including water treatment and alternative energy products, to create employment and promote growth. Slim is banking on the potential of deepwater and land-based drilling in Mexico. (Reuters)
• The Obama administration wants to set and enforce safety standards on the nation’s subway and light-rail systems, which to date has been the domain of regional and state bodies. Transportation Secretary LaHood will present the plan to Congress next month. (NYTimes)
• East LA finally has its trains. The area has been heavily dependent on public transportation for years, and local leaders hope the new connection will spark development. (LATimes)
• An economist says that if we built cars today at the weight, horsepower and torque we built them at in 1980, cars today would be 50% more fuel efficient. This review says says the study is a total bust. (Jalopnik - pic via)

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