Whale Presence Narrow Shipping Lanes –
The U.S. Coast Guard announced a proposal to narrow shipping lanes in the Santa Barbara channel in an effort to preserve marine mammal life. In the last four years, there were reports of four blue whales killed after being struck by vessels in the area. The USCG maintains that the shift will not only help the growing number of whales near the channel, but will also create a more defined route for freighters in the area. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration designated the Channel Island shipping lanes as part of the “Whale Advisory Zone.”
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U.S. and China on the Verge of Trade War Over Solar Power Industry – This week, the U.S. Commerce Department said it would investigate whether Chinese companies are selling solar panels in the United States at unfair discounts. The trade dispute between the U.S. and China could result in import tariffs on Chinese panels. The Chinese government is very concerned about this case and has responded angrily to the accusation. Should the U.S. show signs of imposing new tariffs on imports would result in a major trade war.
Read more from New York Times .
A Solution to California’s Rail Bottleneck – Construction has begun on a $208 million project that will speed up intermodal traffic in the Colton, CA area. The project hopes to reduce train and vehicle congestion where the east-west and north-south rail lanes meet. The Colton Crossing project is being funded partly by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s TIGER grant program – which aims to build critical infrastructure and create jobs. The project is expected to be completed in 2014.
Read more from JOC .
Greece Gets New Prime Minister – This week, Greece named former European Central Bank vice-president Lucas Papademos as leader of its national unity government. Papademos promises to seek cross-party cooperation to keep Greece in the Eurozone, which will help the country’s monetary stability. Although the Greek economy is facing huge problems, he is very confident that the problems will be resolved quickly and at a small cost. The new Prime Minister stated that he is not a politician, but he has “dedicated more of (his) professional life to exercising financial policy both in Greece and in Europe,” making him the best option for the country’s future.
Read more from MSNBC .
