Climate engineering ideas no longer considered pie in the sky

WASHINGTON — As international efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions stall, schemes to slow global warming using fantastical technologies once dismissed as a sideshow are getting serious consideration in Washington. Ships that spew salt into the air to block sunlight. Mirrored satellites designed to bounce solar rays back into space. Massive "reverse" power plants that would suck carbon from the atmosphere. These are among the ideas the National Academy of Sciences has charged a panel of some of the nation's top climate thinkers to investigate. Several agencies requested the inquiry, including the CIA http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-climate-engineering-20140305,0,3602250.story#ixzz2wc295nuJ Article courtesy of the Los Angeles Times by Evan Halper

Electric cars can go only half as far in freezing weather, AAA finds

Testing by AAA has found that how far an electric vehicle can travel on one charge varies widely depending on the weather. Frigid temperatures can reduce that distance by 57%. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-aaa-electric-vehicle-range-20140320,0,3522803.story#ixzz2wc0Lciqi Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Jerry Hirsch

Non-car Transportation Rises Dramatically in California

Almost one-quarter of household trips in California involve non-car transportation, a figure that's more than double what it was in 2000, according to the recently released Caltrans California Household Travel Survey. California officials are using these figures to back up their plans for a $129 million "Active Transportation Program" that will fund "human-powered transportation projects and programs to increase the proportion of trips accomplished by biking and walking." http://www.laweekly.com/informer/2014/03/11/nearly-1-in-4-california-household-trips-involve-walks-bikes-buses-or-trains Article courtesy of Smartgrowth.com from LA Weekly by Dennis Romero

PeopleForBikes selects new Green Lane Project cities

The PeopleForBikes Green Lane Project has selected six new U.S. cities to join its intensive two-year program to build better bike lanes. Atlanta, GA, Boston, MA, Denver, CO, Indianapolis, IN, Pittsburgh, PA and Seattle, WA will receive financial, strategic and technical assistance to create low-stress streets and increase vitality in urban centers through the installation of protected bike lanes. The six cities were chosen from more than 100 U.S. cities that submitted letters of interest for the program. http://www.peopleforbikes.org/blog/entry/peopleforbikes-selects-new-green-lane-project-cities Article courtesy of Smartgrowth.com from Bikeforpeople.com blog

Use of Public Transit in U.S. Reaches Highest Level Since 1956, Advocates Report

PHILADELPHIA — More Americans used buses, trains and subways in 2013 than in any year since 1956 as service improved, local economies grew and travelers increasingly sought alternatives to the automobile for trips within metropolitan areas, the American Public Transportation Association said in a report released on Monday. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/10/us/use-of-public-transit-in-us-reaches-highest-level-since-1956-advocates-report.html?emc=eta1&_r=1 Article courtesy of Smartgrowth.com from NY Times by Jon Hurdle

SPACE JAM: Lowell terminal garage project will take out 561 parking spots

LOWELL -- Hundreds of parking spaces will be lost for commuters who leave their cars at the Gallagher Terminal, where commuter-rail trains run to Boston, when a parking garage next to the station is demolished and rebuilt. One of three parking garages on the site will be demolished. A second garage, which is located closest to Thorndike Street and where Lowell Regional Transit Authority buses park, relies on the first garage for vehicle access. In all, 561 parking spots will be lost for about a year beginning in early April. Article Courtesy of The Lowell Sun by Grant Welker Read more: http://www.lowellsun.com/news/ci_24891605/space-jam-lowell-terminal-garage-project-will-take#ixzz2uGjrGRzb

Huge thermal plant opens as solar industry grows

PRIMM, Nev. (AP) — A windy stretch of the Mojave Desert once roamed by tortoises and coyotes has been transformed by hundreds of thousands of mirrors into the largest solar power plant of its type in the world, a milestone for a growing industry that is testing the balance between wilderness conservation and the pursuit of green energy across the West. http://www.boston.com/business/technology/2014/02/13/huge-thermal-plant-opens-solar-industry-grows/J9oapTheyPlAfEvZiDB6aJ/story.html Article courtesy of The Boston Globe/Associated Press by Michael R. Blood and Brian Skoloff