Extract
Regional News - North America.
New York (AirGuide - Regional News North America) Sep 4, 2011
Petraeus voices concerns about cuts to defense budget Gen. David Petraeus is preparing to take over as head of the CIA. As he leaves the military, he is warning about the consequences of significant cuts to the Department of Defense budget. The military has "relearned since 9/11 the timeless lesson that we don't always get to fight the wars for which we're most prepared or most inclined," Petraeus said. "Given that reality, we will need to maintain the full-spectrum capability that we have developed over this last decade of conflict in Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere." Sep 2, 2011 Germany stops introduction of American scanners at its airports Germany's Interior Minister said U.S. body-imaging scanners result in too many false alarms, as the country halted its introduction of the devices. Germany had been testing two scanners and determined they led to too many "unnecessary alarms." Such scanners are being used in dozens of U.S. airports. Sep 2, 2011 Black Hawk helicopters help fight New Orleans marsh fires In Louisiana, UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters are helping to fight fires in a New Orleans marsh. Helicopters from the Louisiana National Guard have dropped more than 1 million gallons of water on the blaze, says Gov. Bobby Jindal. "This type of flying takes a tremendous skill set, and it is the experience of our pilots and crews that have allowed us to work in the tight impact area with numerous aircraft during less than ideal conditions," said Col. Patrick Bossetta, commander of the Guard's State Aviation Command. Sep 2, 2011 Opinion: California lawsuit against aviation gas is misguided David Hadley, head of the Beach Cities Republican Club in California, argues that a lawsuit seeking to block the sale of leaded aviation gas in the state goes too far. Citing the state's 12% unemployment rate, Hadley says general aviation should be encouraged because it provides jobs. "Maybe there is a connection between ever-more-fantastic environmental policies and our state's economic woes," he writes. Sep 2, 2011 Fewer willing to give up civil liberties for security, poll finds Just a quarter of Americans interviewed for a recent poll said they were willing to allow the government to intrude upon their their civil liberties to prevent additional acts of terrorism. That's down from 47% in January 2002. Meanwhile just 22% of participants said they had confidence in the government's ability to protect citizens terror attacks. That's down from 41% a week after September 11, 2011. Sep 2, 2011 Travel agents show their value in times of weather disasters Hurricane Irene proved how travel agents are an invaluable part of the travel industry, with agents across the U.S. scrambling around the clock to make sure none of their clients were left alone in the storm, noted columnist Dori Saltzman. "Our main focus has been to provide unwavering support and guidance to our guests ... while assisting them with reworking cruise, hotel, car and airline reservation needs," said Michelle Duncan, president and CEO of Odyssey Travel. Sep 2, 2011 Rail carloads of automobiles, large equipment rose last week Freight shipments of automobile and other heavy equipment by North American Class I's and regional carriers increased by 5.3% in the week ending Aug. 27, according to the Association of American Railroads. A total of 23,363 rail cars were filled with vehicles and heavy equipment. This is the largest weekly increase since early March. However, total carload and intermodal shipments slipped from year-ago levels. Sep 2, 2011 EPA regulations may strain Texas power grid, power officials say Federal environmental rules would put the Texas power supply "at increasing risk of emergency events," according to a report released by power grid operator Electric Reliability Council of Texas. The quick implementation of the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, scheduled for Jan. 1, will hinder ERCOT's ability to properly evaluate the potential impacts of the regulation, the operator said. Such a time period allows "no realistic opportunity to take steps that could even partially offset the substantial losses of available operating capacity," according to ERCOT. Sep 2, 2011 Rail incidents FRA reports drop in rail incidents during first half of 2011. Rail incidents in the first half of the year declined by 7.9% compared to the same period in 2010, according to the Federal Railroad Administration's Office of Safety Analysis. The initial report was based on 736 reporting railroads. Sep 2, 2011 AAR reports dip in weekly rail traffic The Association of American Railroads on Thursday reported a slight dip in weekly rail traffic, with U.S. railroads originating 299,943 carloads for the week ending Aug. 27, down 0.8% compared with the same week last year. Intermodal volume for the week totaled 236,051 trailers and containers, down 0.5% compared with the same week last year. Sep 2, 2011 ...See the full content of this document
