#state transport department

[shysideho]

[joeygallagher]

State of California Department of Transportation R81B and R81A / END & BEGIN

Acrylic Ink on Arches Cold Press 300 Paper

12” x 16”

2024

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

As the federal government struggles to recruit young people, a recent survey found that 30% of those between the ages of 18 and 30 have either declined to apply or withdrawn applications for jobs because of strict marijuana policies required for security clearances.

The poll, published on the unofficial marijuana holiday April 20 by ClearanceJobs and the Intelligence and National Security Foundation (INSF), interviewed young adults about federal employment policies, focusing on cannabis.

Participants were first asked whether they’d consider working in a federal position that requires security clearance, and almost 80% said they either would or might consider applying; 40% also said that they’ve used marijuana in the past year.

One of the most notable findings is that 20% of participants said they’ve declined to apply for federal jobs because of the government’s restrictive cannabis policies. Another 10% said they’ve withdrawn applications because of the marijuana rules.

The survey also found that 25% said the government’s marijuana policy would prevent them from seeking employment requiring a security clearance in the future. While 39% said they’d be willing to abstain from cannabis in order to secure a federal job, 18% said they wouldn’t. And 15% said that they wouldn’t stop using marijuana after getting a security clearance.

Interestingly, most of the panel didn’t have a firm grasp on what the government’s cannabis policy actually is. 16% said that any marijuana use automatically disqualifies applicants for security clearance, 37% said there’s no eligibility impact, 24% said it is one of several factors that are considered for clearance, and 23% said they didn’t know.

Similarly, there’s confusion about the policies for people who’ve already obtained security clearances, with 9% saying those individuals can use marijuana anywhere, 31% saying they can use in a legal jurisdiction, 33% saying cannabis use is prohibited, and 26% saying they didn’t know.

Only 4% of participants correctly answered both questions about what the federal government’s security clearance rules are for applicants and those who are already cleared.

The survey involved interviews with 905 adults aged 18-30 living in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, California, Florida, Texas and Colorado. The interviews took place in February. The margin of error is +/- 3.23 percentage points.

While marijuana employment policies under federal prohibition remain strict, various agencies have moved to loosen requirements as more states have enacted legalization.

For example, the United States Secret Service recently updated its employment policy to be more accommodating to applicants who’ve previously used marijuana, making it so candidates of any age become eligible one year after they last consumed cannabis. Previously, there were stricter age-based restrictions.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has also revised its cannabis rules for job applicants. Applicants who’ve grown, manufactured or sold marijuana in compliance with state laws while serving in a “position of public responsibility” will no longer be automatically disqualified.

Late last year, draft documents obtained by Marijuana Moment showed that the federal Office of Personnel Management was proposing to replace a series of job application forms for prospective workers in a way that would treat past cannabis use much more leniently than under current policy.

The Biden administration instituted a policy in 2021 authorizing waivers to be granted to certain workers who disclose prior marijuana use, but some lawmakers have pushed for additional reform.

For example, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) said at a congressional hearing on marijuana legalization last year that he intended to file a bill aimed at protecting federal workers from being denied security clearances over marijuana.

Last year, the nation’s largest union representing federal employees adopted a resolution supporting marijuana legalization and calling for an end to policies that penalize federal workers who use cannabis responsibly while they’re off the clock in states where it is legal.

The Director of National Intelligence said in 2021 that federal employers shouldn’t outright reject security clearance applicants over past use, and should use discretion when it comes to those with cannabis investments in their stock portfolios.

The FBI also updated its hiring policies that year to make it so candidates are only automatically disqualified from joining the agency if they disclose having used marijuana within one year of applying. Previously, prospective employees could not have used cannabis within the past three years.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) also took a different approach to its cannabis policy in 2020, stating in a notice that it would not be testing drivers for CBD. However, DOT has more recently reiterated that the workforce it regulates is prohibited from using marijuana and will continue to be tested for THC, regardless of state cannabis policy.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) sent a letter to the head of DOT last year, stating that the agency’s policies on drug testing truckers and other commercial drivers for marijuana are unnecessarily costing people their jobs and contributing to supply chain issues.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also emphasized to its workers that they are prohibited from using marijuana—or directly investing in the industry—no matter the state law or changes in “social norms” around cannabis.

While the Biden administration did institute its waiver policy, it came under fire from advocates following reports that the White House fired or otherwise punished dozens of staffers who were honest about their history with marijuana.

Then-White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki attempted to minimize the fallout, without much success, and her office released a statement in 2021 saying that nobody was fired for “marijuana usage from years ago,” nor terminated “due to casual or infrequent use during the prior 12 months.”

[koravelliumavast]

Sometimes you have normal conversations. And sometimes you can sum up the conversation with making Molotov cocktails out of bacon grease.

[boththemanandthecold]

I'm having a real fucking shit day and the old man next to me on the bus smells like cigarettes and it's making me so fucking nauseous

[huntingtonnow]

Road Closures Wednesday on the Northern State

The state Department of Transportation said Friday that one westbound lane on the Northern State Parkway between Exit 39 (Round Swamp Road) in Huntington and Exit 38 (Sunnyside Boulevard) in Oyster Bay,  will be closed to traffic beginning at 10 p.m. Wednesday,  until 5 a.m. the following morning. There will also be intermittent full stoppages of westbound traffic lasting approximately 15 minutes…

[xtruss]

Arguments For And Against E-Bike Registration And Licensing

— August 15, 2024 | By Charlotte Robertson

Photograph By Daniel Krieger

Last month, with great fanfare, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed State Legislation intended “to raise awareness about the safe use of e-bikes and products that contain lithium-ion batteries and protect New Yorkers,” she announced in a press release.

The eight-bill package, set to go into effect in January, 2025, makes important strides in the area of battery safety. It also requires mopeds to be registered at the point of sale, and alters Department of Motor Vehicle accident reports to include a new category for e-vehicle collisions with pedestrians, so they can be tracked.

What is not included in the package, to the consternation of some public-safety advocates, is “Priscilla’s Law.”

Named for Priscilla Loke, a teacher who was killed in Chinatown in 2023, by the driver of an electric Citi Bike who fled the scene, Priscilla’s Law would have required all e-bikes to be registered and display license plates. It was introduced by Queens City Councilmember Robert Holden last fall, and accrued 34 co-sponsors — the amount required to trigger an automatic hearing in the City Council.

But the hearing never happened. According to Holden, two councilmembers, Rita Joseph and Sandy Nurse, rescinded their support after Transportation Alternatives, a nonprofit organization whose stated mission is “to reclaim New York City from cars,” Wrote a Letter to every councilmember, urging them to reject Holden’s bill, leaving it at a legislative standstill.

West Side Rag reached out to Holden, Transportation Alternatives, and the NYC E-Vehicle Safety Alliance (NYC-EVSA), a grassroots organization of pedestrians, many of whom have been hit by e-vehicles, for insight into the opposing sides of the e-bike-registration controversy.

The Arguments

“By licensing e-bikes, bikers can be held accountable for accidents,” Holden contended in a call with West Side Rag. Without a clearly identifiable license plate, reporting bike accidents is difficult, he added, as it is not uncommon for riders to leave the scene.

“Priscilla’s Law is clearly part of a much more concentrated war on bikes generally,” said Alexa Sledge, director of communications for Transportation Alternatives, also in a phone interview with the Rag. “E-bike licensing would be both ineffective and a bureaucratic nightmare … ” she added.

Those were the reasons local Councilmember Gale Brewer cited for not signing onto Holden’s bill. “I do not believe a blanket e-bike registration rule will make streets safer,” she said, “nor is NYC DOT [Department of Transportation] equipped to establish, manage, or enforce it.” Brewer did support the lithium-ion safety bills.

Carol Hilfer, who was hit by an e-bike on June 24 of this year, believes that e-bikes should be treated differently than regular bicycles. “An e-bike, to me, is just a motorcycle. It’s not a bicycle.”

Hilfer was crossing Central Park West at 90th Street this past June when an e-biker ran a red light and knocked her to the ground. The resulting hematoma on her leg took weeks to heal. “The idiot on the e-bike — it was a Citi Bike — he’s got earbuds in his ears, oblivious to everything,” she said. Once she managed to stand up, the biker sped away.

Marian Lewis, 85, another e-bike hit-and-run victim, agreed that e-bikes pose a new danger to pedestrians. “I’ve timed [e-bikes] on Central Park West [to see] how long it takes one in the bike lane to go one block. It’s just a couple of seconds. They’re so fast.” In March 2021, an e-biker collided with Lewis on 93rd Street and Central Park West, breaking her hip. The biker fled and Lewis was rushed into emergency surgery, remaining in the hospital for eight days before being transferred to rehab.

“This bill is really trying to bring order and get the chaos out of our city,” Holden told the Rag. “If you’re reckless, if you hit people, you should be held accountable.”

Sledge set forth the following argument: “The more people on the road riding bikes at any point in time, the safer that area is going to be for people on bikes, because cars are used to seeing them. Licensing e-bikes would dissuade ridership and, therefore, make the streets more dangerous.”

“Well, why would it dissuade ridership?” demanded Janet Schroeder, co-founder of NYC-EVSA. “Because someone doesn’t want to be held accountable for their egregious riding? Then those are exactly the people that should be dissuaded,” she said.

E-bike licensing could lead to discriminatory police stops, Sledge said. She pointed out that a large percentage of e-bike users are delivery workers, who are predominantly immigrants and men of color: “If we institute this bike licensing law, that’s giving a brand-new power to the NYPD to allow them to pull over anyone they want who’s riding a bike. Time and time again, when it comes to traffic stops…we’ve seen it’s been done in a racist way.”

“Transportation Alternatives is playing the race card,” Councilmember Holden responded. “[The NYPD] is going to stop bike riders breaking the law, period. They’re not going to distinguish between the color of their skin,” he said.

As for other safety measures the city could adopt, Sledge suggested better protections for delivery workers. “If you’re a worker for DoorDash, and DoorDash is requiring that you do what is safely a 20-minute bike ride in 12 minutes — that’s not acceptable,” she said.

She also called for the city to build more protected bike lanes, which would deter riders from biking on the sidewalk, she said. “The root of the problem of e-bike safety is that there is not enough space for bikers,” she said. “With these massive levels of density and not enough space for anyone in our streets except for people who are driving cars, this problem becomes even more serious.”

According to Sledge, cars pose a much greater threat to pedestrians than bikes, and if more people rode bikes, less people would drive cars.

Holden, on the other hand, expressed skepticism about waning car use. “There’s record registration for cars in New York City,” the councilmember said. He argued that more bike lanes do not prevent bikers from breaking the law, but licensing and registration will.

“An e-bike doesn’t have any restrictions. You’re really a phantom — you’re invisible,” he said. “That’s why so many of them don’t adhere to any traffic regulations at all. You need penalties,” he added.

Holden told the Rag that “a lot of councilmembers get, you know, campaign donations from Transportation Alternatives,” and that’s why they hesitate to support his bill. “I’m not represented or paid for,” he said. “I’m doing this for the cause.”

Jacob deCastro, interim associate director of communications for Transportation Alternatives, denied these allegations in a phone interview with the Rag. He pointed out that Transportation Alternatives is a 501C Organization and is, therefore, prohibited from contributing to political organizations.

[minnesotafollower]

Congressional Hearing on Visits to U.S. Airports by Cuban Officials 

On July 9, the Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security of the House Committee on Homeland Security held a hearing on visits to the U.S. by Cuban officials to U.S. airports where flights from Cuba are received. This was after a May 20, 2024 (Cuban Independence Day) visit by Cuban officials hosted by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at the Miami International…

[head-post]

US fines Emirates $1.5m for flights in prohibited airspace

The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) fined Emirates $1.5 million for operating flights codenamed JetBlue Airways in prohibited airspace, according to Reuters.

The department reported on Thursday that between December 2021 and August 2022, Emirates operated a significant number of flights under the JetBlue Airways code between the United Arab Emirates and the United States in airspace prohibited by the Federal Aviation Administration for US operators.

The conduct also violated a consent order issued in October 2020. The order requires the company to pay $200,000 under the 2020 agreement and another $200,000 if it violates the order within a year.

An Emirates spokesperson reported in a statement that the airline intended to operate flights at or above the restricted level. However, during the flight, air traffic control did not authorise the ascent or instruct the flights to fly below that level.

Our pilots duly followed ATC (air traffic control) instructions, a decision which is fully aligned with international aviation regulations for safety reasons.

JetBlue, whose code-sharing with Emirates ended in 2022, declined to comment. The agency said the flights in question crossed the Baghdad Flight Information Region, where the Federal Aviation Administration had banned all US air carriers, all US commercial operators and codeshare operators from flying without special permission. Emirates could face another $300,000 fine if it violates the rules again within a year.

The company’s spokesman stated that the airline no longer operated flights with US carrier codes over Iraqi airspace. It also told USDOT that it prioritised the safety of passengers, employees, and other airspace users.

Read more HERE

[joeygallagher]

State of California Department of Transportation SR9-1 / LOADED

Acrylic Ink on Arches 300 Cold Press Paper

12” x 16”

2024

[hope-for-the-planet]

Under what legal experts called a “historic” settlement, announced on Thursday, Hawaii officials will release a roadmap “to fully decarbonize the state’s transportation systems, taking all actions necessary to achieve zero emissions no later than 2045 for ground transportation, sea and inter-island air transportation”, Andrea Rodgers, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs in the case, said at a press conference with the governor.

[thedalatribune]

© Paolo Dala

Distracted Driving

Distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, talking to people in your vehicle, fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation system - anything that takes your attention away from the task of safe driving.

Texting is the most alarming distraction. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that's like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.

You cannot drive safely unless the task of driving has your full attention. Any non-driving activity you engage in is a potential distraction and increases your risk of crashing.

National Highway Safety Administration United States Department of Transportation

[heritageposts]

From the Freedom Flotilla, April 27 2024:

On Thursday afternoon, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition was contacted by the Guinea Bissau International Ships Registry (GBISR), requesting an inspection of our lead ship – Akdenez. This was a highly unusual request as our ship had already passed all required inspections; nevertheless, we agreed. The inspector arrived on Thursday evening. On Friday afternoon, before the inspection was completed, the GBISR, in a blatantly political move, informed the Freedom Flotilla Coalition that it had withdrawn the Guinea Bissau flag from two of the Freedom Flotilla’s ships, one of which is our cargo ship, already loaded with over 5000 tons of life-saving aid for the Palestinians of Gaza. In its communication informing us of this cancelation, the GBISR made specific reference to our planned mission to Gaza. It also made several extraordinary requests for information, including confirmation of the ships’ destination, any potential additional port calls, and the discharge port for humanitarian aid and estimated arrival dates and times. It further demanded a formal letter explicitly approving the transportation of humanitarian aid and a complete manifest of the cargo. Again, this is a highly unusual move from a flagging authority. Normally, national flagging authorities concern themselves only with safety and related standards on vessels bearing their flag, and are not concerned with the destination, route, cargo manifests or the nature of a specific voyage. Just like when you register your car, the authorities don’t require you to detail to them every place you are going to go with the car. Sadly, Guinea-Bissau has allowed itself to become complicit in Israel’s deliberate starvation, illegal siege and genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. Israel is showing the world the extent to which it will go to deny Palestinians the aid they need to stay alive, in direct contravention of International Humanitarian Law, UN Security Council resolutions, and two orders of the International Court of Justice. [...] without a flag, we cannot sail. But, this is not the end. Israel cannot and will not crush our resolve to break its illegal siege and reach the people of Gaza. The people of Gaza and all of Palestine remain steadfast under the most horrific, unimaginable conditions. We take strength from their incredible, inexplicable ability to maintain their humanity, dignity and hope when the world has given them no reason to do so. It is our responsibility to keep that hope alive. WE WILL SAIL.

The Freedom Flotilla, which was set to depart from Turkey on the 27th of April with 5000 tons of life-saving aid, has now been delayed because Israel and the United States has pressured Guinea Bissau to withdraw its flag from the Flotilla's lead ship.

Seeing as how their tactics worked on Guinea Bissau, organizers now fear that Israel and the US will exert the same pressure on whichever country the Freedom Flotilla attempt to register their ship under next.

To help the Freedom Flotilla reach Gaza, please keep an eye out for further updates from the organizers. Right now, as of April 27th, they're asking people to help boost their visibility, and to donate to their member campaigns.

For more info, see their webpage.

[rhk111sblog]

Three Countries (Japan, South Korea and India) will try to replace China’s funding of three Railway Projects in the Philippines worth a total of Usd 5 billion. Meanwhile, the last Project that the United States (US) and their Filipino Doggies managed to kick China out of, the Sangley Point International Airport (SPIA) Project, is yet to make a Groundbreaking and is already at least three Years late

[batboyblog]

Things Biden and the Democrats did, this week #26

July 5-12 2024

The IRS announced it had managed to collect $1 billion in back taxes from high-wealth tax cheats. The program focused on persons with more than $1 million in yearly income who owned more than $250,000 in unpaid taxes. Thanks to money in Biden's 2022 Inflation Reduction Act the IRS is able to undertake more enforcement against rich tax cheats after years of Republicans cutting the agency's budget, which they hope to do again if they win power again.

The Biden administration announced a $244 million dollar investment in the federal government’s registered apprenticeship program. This marks the largest investment in the program's history with grants going out to 52 programs in 32 states. The President is focused on getting well paying blue collar opportunities to people and more people are taking part in the apprenticeship program than ever before. Republican pledge to cut it, even as employers struggle to find qualified workers.

The Department of Transportation announced the largest single project in the department's history, $11 billion dollars in grants for the The Hudson River Tunnel. Part of the $66 billion the Biden Administration has invested in our rail system the tunnel, the most complex Infrastructure project in the nation would link New York and New Jersey by rail under the Hudson. Once finished it's believed it'll impact 20% of the American economy by improving and speeding connection throughout the Northeast.

The Department of Energy announced $1.7 billion to save auto worker's jobs and convert factories to electronic vehicles. The Biden administration will used the money to save or reopen factories in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, and Virginia and retool them to make electric cars. The project will save 15,000 skilled union worker jobs, and created 2,900 new high-quality jobs.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development reached a settlement with The Appraisal Foundation over racial discrimination. TAF is the organization responsible for setting standards and qualifications for real estate appraisers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics last year found that TAF was 94.7% White and 0.6% Black, making it the least racially diverse of the 800 occupations surveyed. Black and Latino home owners are far more likely to have their houses under valued than whites. Under the settlement with HUD TAF will have to take serious steps to increase diversity and remove structural barriers to diversity.

The Department of Justice disrupted an effort by the Russian government to influence public opinion through AI bots. The DoJ shut down nearly 1,000 twitter accounts that were linked to a Russian Bot farm. The bots used AI technology to not only generate tweets but also AI image faces for profile pictures. The effort seemed focused on boosting support for Russia's war against Ukraine and spread negative stories/impressions about Ukraine.

The Department of Transportation announces $1.5 billion to help local authorities buy made in America buses. 80% of the funding will go toward zero or low-emission technology, a part of the President's goal of reaching zero emissions by 2050. This is part of the $5 billion the DOT has spent over the last 3 years replacing aging buses with new cleaner technology.

President Biden with Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau and Finnish President Alexander Stubb signed a new agreement on the arctic. The new trilateral agreement between the 3 NATO partners, known as the ICE Pact, will boost production of ice breaking ships, the 3 plan to build as many as 90 between them in the coming years. The alliance hopes to be a counter weight to China's current dominance in the ice breaker market and help western allies respond to Russia's aggressive push into the arctic waters.

The Department of Transportation announced $1.1 billion for greater rail safety. The program seeks to, where ever possible, eliminate rail crossings, thus removing the dangers and inconvenience to communities divided by rail lines. It will also help update and improve safety measures at rail crossings.

The Department of the Interior announced $120 million to help tribal communities prepare for climate disasters. This funding is part of half a billion dollars the Biden administration has spent to help tribes build climate resilience, which itself is part of a $50 billion dollar effort to build climate resilience across the nation. This funding will help support drought measures, wildland fire mitigation, community-driven relocation, managed retreat, protect-in-place efforts, and ocean and coastal management.

The USDA announced $100 million in additional funds to help feed low income kids over the summer. Known as "SUN Bucks" or "Summer EBT" the new Biden program grants the families of kids who qualify for free meals at school $120 dollars pre-child for groceries. This comes on top of the traditional SUN Meals program which offers school meals to qualifying children over the summer, as well as the new under President Biden SUN Meals To-Go program which is now offering delivery of meals to low-income children in rural areas. This grant is meant to help local governments build up the Infrastructure to support and distribute SUN Bucks. If fully implemented SUN Bucks could help 30 million kids, but many Republican governors have refused the funding.

USAID announced its giving $100 million to the UN World Food Program to deliver urgently needed food assistance in Gaza. This will bring the total humanitarian aid given by the US to the Palestinian people since the war started in October 2023 to $774 million, the single largest donor nation. President Biden at his press conference last night said that Israel and Hamas have agreed in principle to a ceasefire deal that will end the war and release the hostages. US negotiators are working to close the final gaps between the two sides and end the war.

The Senate confirmed Nancy Maldonado to serve as a Judge on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Maldonado is the 202nd federal Judge appointed by President Biden to be confirmed. She will the first Latino judge to ever serve on the 7th Circuit which covers Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin.

Bonus: At the NATO summit in Washington DC President Biden joined 32 allies in the Ukraine compact. Allies from Japan to Iceland confirmed their support for Ukraine and deepening their commitments to building Ukraine's forces and keeping a free and Democratic Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. World leaders such as British Prime Minster Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, praised President Biden's experience and leadership during the NATO summit