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Category Archives: Transportation

Experts to explore COVID-19’s impact on the air and space industry at virtual meeting

ABA – “U.S. Representative Rick Larsen, the U.S. House Aviation Subcommittee chairman, will give the keynote address, “Seeing the aviation industry through COVID, CARES Relief, and Recovery,” at the American Bar Association Forum on Air & Space Law’s 2021 Virtual Update Conference on Feb. 24 at 12:30 p.m. ET. The online conference will feature leading… Continue Reading

Airports have taken steps to reduce coronavirus transmission but risks still remain

“Researchers with the Aviation Public Health Initiative (APHI), a project of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, today released its Phase Two Report “Assessment of Risks of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission during Air Travel and Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions to Reduce Risk.” The Phase One “Gate-to-Gate” Report focused on public health considerations aboard the aircraft, with scientific… Continue Reading

Bitcoin consumes ‘more electricity than Argentina’

BBC News: “”Mining” for the cryptocurrency is power-hungry, involving heavy computer calculations to verify transactions. Cambridge researchers say it consumes around 121.36 terawatt-hours (TWh) a year – and is unlikely to fall unless the value of the currency slumps. Critics say electric-car firm Tesla’s decision to invest heavily in Bitcoin undermines its environmental image. The… Continue Reading

Mask Mandate: Does the Federal Aviation AdministrationHave Authority to Require Masks on Flights?

CRS Legal Sidebar –Mask Mandate: Does the Federal Aviation Administration Have Authority to Require Masks on Flights?, February 8, 2021: “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cautions that although air circulation and filtration systems in passenger aircraft help reduce the spread of most viruses, sitting within six feet of others on flights may… Continue Reading

How a Google Street View image of your house predicts your risk of a car accident

MIT Technology Review: “Google Street View has become a surprisingly useful way to learn about the world without stepping into it. People use it to plan journeys, to explore holiday destinations, and to virtually stalk friends and enemies alike. But researchers have found more insidious uses. In 2017 a team of researchers used the images… Continue Reading

We use 6.8 billion face masks a day. Researchers want to turn them into roads

Fast Company – And the roads could be even stronger than traditional roads, according to new research in the journal ‘Science of the Total Environment: “The disposable masks you see every day have to go somewhere. Many, if not most, end up in a landfill. Researchers have developed a new material that turns all those… Continue Reading

Economy and COVID-19 Top the Public’s Policy Agenda for 2021

“As the United States faces twin crises of high unemployment and a global pandemic, large majorities of Americans want Joe Biden and Congress to prioritize strengthening the economy and addressing the coronavirus outbreak in the coming year. Yet there are wide partisan gaps over most of the 19 items asked about in a new Pew… Continue Reading

The Biden-Harris plan to beat COVID-19

Executive Action – National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness January 21, 2021 (200 page PDF): “The National Strategy provides a roadmap to guide America out of the worst public health crisis in a century. It outlines an actionable plan across the federal government to address the COVID-19 pandemic, including twelve initial executive… Continue Reading

Executive Order on Promoting COVID-19 Safety in Domestic and International Travel

“…Sec. 2.  Immediate Action to Require Mask-Wearing on Certain Domestic Modes of Transportation. (a)  Mask Requirement.  The Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Secretary of Transportation (including through the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)), the Secretary of Homeland Security (including through the Administrator of the Transportation Security… Continue Reading

Biden launches sweeping COVID-19 changes on first full day in White House

Reuters – “U.S. President Joe Biden moved swiftly on his first full day in the White House on Thursday to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, his top priority as he turns the page on four years of Donald Trump’s tumultuous leadership…Biden will sign a series of executive orders related to the pandemic later on Thursday, including… Continue Reading