Technology Briefs - Aug. 10 - Aug. 16
The Latest Headlines:
- Georgia Makes Plea to EPA on Fuel
- At-Speed Toll Lanes to Be Added to N.J. Bridge
- AirIQ's 2Q Net Loss Widens
- EPA Reviews Baton Rouge Decision
- At-Speed Toll Lanes to Be Added to N.J. Bridge
Georgia Makes Plea to EPA on Fuel
Georgia officials urged the Environmental Protection Agency to rethink requiring drivers in 13 metro Atlanta counties to use more expensive reformulated gasoline beginning in January, the Associated Press reported.EPA issued a mandate that the area begin using reformulated gasoline after the region failed to meet the Clean Air Act’s ozone air quality standard last year. A similar mandate was issued for Baton Rouge, La., but the agency said recently it would reconsider the reformulated gasoline mandate there, AP said.
Georgia officials said they hoped EPA would give the state more time to determine if reformulated gasoline is really cleaner than the current low-sulfur blend sold around Atlanta, according to AP. Transport Topics
At-Speed Toll Lanes to Be Added to N.J. Bridge
Motorists taking the Outerbridge Crossing between Perth Amboy, N.J., and Staten Island, N.Y., next summer can expect a quicker ride through the toll plaza if they have the E-ZPass electronic payment tag, the Associated Press reported.wo highway-speed E-ZPass lanes are to be installed at the toll plaza, which is on the New York side, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said.
Drivers would be able to cruise under receivers at 45 mph, the bridge’s speed limit, instead of slowing to the 15 mph posted for the regular E-ZPass toll lanes.
Five similar highway-speed toll plazas are operating on the New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway and on the Atlantic City Expressway, AP said. Transport Topics
AirIQ's 2Q Net Loss Widens
AirIQ Inc., a Canadian wireless communications and security company, said its net loss for the second quarter was C$2.4 million or 3 cents per share, compared with a loss of C$2 million or 4 cents a year earlier.The company said in a statement revenues rose 34.7% to C$2.7 million. The decrease in net loss per share was due to an increase in the weighted average number of common shares, AirIQ said.
At the end of the second quarter, AirIQ had about 115,000 total customers for its telematics products, which include rental vehicle, commercial transport and heavy equipment customers. Transport Topics
EPA Reviews Baton Rouge Decision
The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was reviewing its decision requiring about 400,000 Baton Rouge drivers to use a cleaner burning, reformulated gasoline, the Associated Press reported.The state agency released a court document that said EPA expected to make a decision on the fuel, taking new information into account. EPA did not return a call to Transport Topics seeking comment.
Motorists in the five Baton Rouge-area parishes were scheduled to begin using reformulated gasoline June 23 after failing to meet an air-quality standard under the Clean Air Act, AP said.
A federal appellate court delayed that deadline after opponents said the new gasoline would emit more toxic chemicals into the air and could raise the price up to 15 cents more a gallon. Transport Topics
