High Speed Rail

• Last Thursday, the House of Representatives voted in favor of another $4 billion for high-speed rail projects, on top of the $8 billion that was part of the stimulus package.

• The Government Accountability Office’s summary of building costs in Europe range from $37 million to $53 million a mile. The Japanese lines cost from $82 million to $143 million a mile. (Higher costs in Japan reflect difficult earthquake-prone terrain and expensive land.)

• Cost estimates in the United States range from $22 million a mile, for a Victorville, Calif., to Las Vegas route, to $132 million a mile for connecting Baltimore and Washington. (New York Times)

NASCAR (from Saint Petersburg Times)

• One car NASCAR car owner’s travels were chronicled from Charlotte, NC to Phoenix, AZ for a single race. According to the above article, the owner flew 1537 nautical miles and his team’s trucks consumed “more than 8,000″ miles (or 2000 gallons of fuel at 4 miles per gallon).

• National daily gasoline consumption in the U.S. is estimated to be about 380-million gallons. (Note: the article is from 2006).

- 2nd Green Revolution