Infrastructure

Rail Series: CA should consider Medium-Speed Rail alternative

Editor’s Note: The following is a complete compilation, in one posting, of the six-part series we ran on Medium-Speed Rail as an alternative to High-Speed Rail. Dec. 26, 2012 By Stan Brin By now, everyone in California knows the voter-mandated

Will California media ignore fracking’s long, safe history?

CalWatchdog Staff December 25, 2012

Dec. 26, 2012 By Chris Reed The escalating battle over using hydraulic fracturing — better known as fracking — for highly promising oil and natural gas exploration in California isn’t just another front in the state’s long-running war between environmentalists

No ‘time out’ for city in rail authority’s cross-hairs

CalWatchdog Staff December 21, 2012

Dec. 21, 2012 By Chris Reed The nervousness is growing in Bakersfield as the California High-Speed Rail Authority moves toward locking into a route that will disrupt the lives of thousands of people — and maybe for no reason. The

Rail Series: Who will own it? Who will pay for it?

CalWatchdog Staff December 18, 2012

This is Part 6 of a series on Medium-Speed rail alternatives to California’s High-Speed Rail project. Click to read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5. Dec. 18, 2012 By Stan Brin In any discussion of rail expansion, two gorillas always appear: How

Rail Series: Surmounting the Tehachapi Barrier

CalWatchdog Staff December 17, 2012

This is Part 5 of a series on Medium-Speed rail alternatives to California’s High-Speed Rail project. Click to read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 and Part 6. Dec. 17, 2012 By Stan Brin Now comes the hard part. As Ned Ryerson, that great observer

Rail Series: Medium-speed train tracking costs less than high-speed rail

CalWatchdog Staff December 14, 2012

This is Part 4 of a series on Medium-Speed rail alternatives to California’s High-Speed Rail project. Click to read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 and Part 6. Dec. 14, 2012 By Stan Brin How much does it cost to lay an additional pair of

Regulations stalling power plant conversion

CalWatchdog Staff December 14, 2012

Dec. 14, 2012 By Wayne Lusvardi In George Orwell’s novel “1984,” “doublespeak” meant the reversal of the meaning of words: “war is peace,” “ignorance is strength” and “freedom is slavery.” Ever since the California Electricity Crisis of 2000-01, California has been

Rail series: A capitalist solution for California train travel

CalWatchdog Staff December 12, 2012

This is Part 2 of a series. Click to read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 and Part 6. Dec. 12, 2012 By Stan Brin Before I go any further, I would like readers to understand that this proposal is strictly a real-world alternative

Green water grab sinks farmland, blocks salmon runs

CalWatchdog Staff December 11, 2012

Dec. 11, 2012 By Wayne Lusvardi An Indian proverb says, “A bird thinks it a favor to give a fish a lift in the air.” In a similar way, politicians think it is a favor to help lift salmon upstream

Rail series: Medium-Speed Rail runs over High-Speed Rail

CalWatchdog Staff December 10, 2012

This is Part 1 of a series on Medium-Speed rail alternatives to California’s High-Speed Rail project. Click to read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 and Part 6. Dec. 10, 2012 By Stan Brin By now, everyone in California knows the voter-mandated High-Speed Rail