P.M. Executive Briefing - Aug. 17
This Afternoon's Headlines:
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Agency Sets Precedent in Permit for Bridge
Following a permit process that lasted since December 1992, the State Department has given presidential permission for the building of the Anzalduas bridge between the Rio Grande Valley in Texas and Reynosa, Mexico.However, the permit includes stipulations that construction cannot commence until April 2003 and the bridge cannot go into operation until the first day of 2005. In addition, "cargo import facilities will be constructed beginning no earlier than Jan. 1, 2015," unless the newly opened Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge hits a weekly average of 15,000 vehicles entering the United States before then.
While local residents savor the jobs, tolls, and lessened traffic volume that new bridges bring, government agencies dislike having to allocate more personnel to the border points. Also, the agencies sometimes disagree with the placement of the bridges. Journal of Commerce (08/17/99) P. 3; Hall, Kevin G.
Chubb Lets Shippers Review, Download Certificates Online
Chubb Group says that it has created a new way to complete and issue cargo certificates of insurance over the Internet, making the task easier.The Internet version of the Cargo Certificate Insurance System allows users to issue and examine certificates at multiple locations around the world.
The documents are stored in Chubb's computer system rather than the shipper's, leaving the user more storage space and, say Chubb officials, letting managers keep better track of shipment data. Access is gained through www.chubb.com by using a pre-assigned password.
Senior Vice President James A. Darling says that Chubb will continue to support its PC-based certificate version but is urging users to go to the Internet. Journal of Commerce (08/17/99) P. 8; Leming, John
Federal Disaster Loans Available for Businesses that Depend on Farming Business
The U.S. Small Business Administration issued a disaster declaration Monday allowing small businesses depending on agriculture as well as agriculture cooperatives to get low-interest loans of up to $1.5 million to make up for lost business due to the drought.Among the sorts of companies eligible for the loans are trucking firms that carry agricultural goods. Businesses in all of New Jersey and parts of Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont could be eligible. New Jersey Online (08/16/99)
High-Tech Company Fights for Clean Air on Two Fronts
A joint venture between Southern States Power Co. and Co-West Commodities' San Bernardino, Calif., rendering site will convert used cooking oil into the emissions-cutting additive methylester, which when added to diesel fuel creates bio-diesel.The project will receive funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Southern States expects California Air Resources Board approval before the end of August to sell bio-diesel, which it is slated to begin doing late next year.
In addition to reducing hydrocarbon emissions up to 30% and soot emissions by 15%, bio-diesel helps lubricate engines. On the other hand, it creates as much as a 4% increase in nitrogen oxides and could cut horsepower up to 2%.
"It's a great idea" if they can cut the nitrogen oxide emissions, says California Trucking Association environmental-affairs director Stephanie Williams, who also says the reduced power forces bio-diesel users to use more fuel.
But California Alternative Fuels and Energy Foundation President Jacques Yeager Sr., the retired director of E.L. Yeager Construction, says he will use the bio-diesel in his construction equipment.
Bio-diesel tends to be priced 50 cents or so above diesel. Southern States will also be building low-emission mining vehicles and importing Chinese electric bicycles at its new $7 million site at San Bernardino International Airport. The Business Press/California Online (08/16/99); Eventov, Adam
Pegasus TransTech and Staffware Join Forces to Offer State-of-the-Art Workflow Solution to the Transportation Industry
Pegasus TransTech and Staffware Corp. have signed a deal to work together to create e-business applications to improve data communications between trucking firms and other companies.Pegasus already specializes in document imaging, COLD, and workflow management for transportation firms, with more than 50 such companies already using Pegasus products.
"With Staffware, I can envision a day when we can automate the entire process of receiving an order, processing it, billing it, and having it paid without a single piece of paper being printed," says Pegasus’s Chieft Executive Officer Leslie Berlin.
Staffware Senior Vice President of Operations Joseph D. Barry Sr. says, "This partnership reflects the growing interest in automating business processes across enterprises. The transportation industry is the latest to undertake this challenge." Business Wire (08/16/99)
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