DOT 164-09
Friday, October 9, 2009
Office of Public Affairs
News Digest
DOT Approves Transfer of Texas Reserve Center for Maritime Industrial Park. The U.S. Department of Transportation has approved the transfer of a former Navy facility in Orange, TX, to local authorities to become a maritime industrial park. The former Naval Reserve Center will be converted to a commercial seaport by the Orange County Navigation and Port District. The 13.73-acre property was disposed of by the Department of the Navy under the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process for the development and operation of a port facility. Under law, the Secretary of Transportation may transfer surplus federal property for development of port facilities at no cost to the non-federal public agencies acquiring them. Orange County’s 10-year master plan calls for the development of port capacity, especially to take advantage of changes in trade patterns expected to occur after the Panama Canal is widened. This development will significantly benefit both Orange County and the surrounding Texas communities by fostering job creation and encouraging economic redevelopment. Contact: Susan Clark (202) 366-5067.
BTS Update of National Transportation Statistics Includes Freight Ton-Miles Tabulations through 2007. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today updated a special tabulation of ton-miles of freight by mode for 2007. BTS estimates for air, truck, rail, water, and pipelines were developed using a more comprehensive approach than was used in prior estimates. The special tabulation shows that freight ton-miles decreased 0.5 percent from 2006 to 2007, the first year-to-year decline since 1989. Rail, which has the most ton-miles of any mode, also had the largest decrease, declining 2.0 percent from 2006 to 2007. Truck ton-miles rose 2.0 percent while domestic water transportation decreased 1.5 percent. The new tabulation, with modal numbers through 2007, can be found here: http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/html/table_01_46b.html. BTS also updated the following tables as part of the quarterly National Transportation Statistics update: Annual U.S. Motor Vehicle Production and Factory (Wholesale) Sales (Table 1-15); Retail New Passenger Car Sales (1-16); World Motor Vehicle Production, Selected Countries (1-22); Age and Availability of Amtrak Locomotive and Car Fleets (1-30); U.S. Waterborne Freight (1-50); Highway-Rail Grade-Crossing Safety and Property Damage Data (2-5); U.S. Commuter Air Carrier Safety Data (2-10); U.S. Air Carrier Fatal Accidents by First Phase of Operation (2-11); U.S. General Aviation Safety Data (2-14); Transit Safety Data by Mode (2-32; 2-33a); and Railroad and Grade-Crossing Fatalities by Victim Class (2-35). National Transportation Statistics can be found here: http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/. Contact: Kim Riddle (202) 366-5128.
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