OCS development: A new law and a new beginning

Abstract

This article reviews the conflicts that led to the establishment of a special Congressional Committee on offshore oil and gas exploration, development, and production and the attempted resolution of various issues by that Committee and the Congress in the 1978 Amendments to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1953. A short review is provided of the history of Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) development, of the conflict between the federal government and other interested entities and persons, and of the Congressional mechanism to respond to these conflicts. A more detailed analysis is provided of the most significant OCS issues. The article describes the various risks and benefits of offshore activity and the various benefits and risks of proposed changes in the law concerning such development. A review of the Congressional mechanism to assess these risks and benefits and balance them is included in a discussion of the various issues and legislated solutions. Finally, the article notes the need for continuing oversight and review of the benefits and risks and how effective the 1978 Amendments are in balancing them.     

Risk and reward in public transport contracting

This paper synthesizes evidence from the workshop on risk and reward in public transport contracting. It broadens the usual risk/reward framework to encompass strategic/tactical level issues, identifying high level community goals as the ultimate risk/reward pay-off. The evolution of tactical level public transport planning is reviewed, noting considerable change in functional roles between purchaser and provider in some jurisdictions. No single “best” approach is evident but an emerging interest in relational contracting founded on trust is apparent. Risk allocation between purchaser and provider is considered, a key debate concerning the extent to which providers should be exposed to revenue risk.     

The potential for British coastal shipping in a multimodal chain

A strategy to revitalize coastal shipping within Great Britain is investigated. An examination of the regulatory environment shows government, at both the EU and British levels, aware of the environmental benefits of coastal shipping compared to road freight transport, if only mildly supportive in tangible terms. The geography of Great Britain and the modern preference for just-in-time deliveries have severely restricted the ability of coastal shipping to compete effectively with road freight transport. The primary objective of the paper is to investigate whether coastal shipping could be integrated into a multimodal door-to-door supply chain, where it is currently hampered by high costs of transhipment, slow transport speeds, and the incongruity of load sizes between land and sea modes. Integration requires the co-operation of all organizations within the multi-modal supply chain. However, coastal shipping companies have been known to be individualistic and mistrusting of alliances. Therefore, a Delphi study is undertaken to investigate the standpoint of leading managers in such companies towards multimodal integration. The results of the Delphi study indicate that managers are in favour of multimodal developments, in particular cooperation between coastal shipping and road haulage. However, there was agreement that the business is highly competitive, and this may prevent the forms of collaboration required for multimodal systems. The secretive nature of the coastal shipping sector could impede joint marketing to promote a mode of transport that is often 'invisible' to shippers. There was little consensus on the relationship that should exist between coastal shipping and ports, a topic worthy of further investigation.     

Evaluation of road-rail interaction in Thailand

The main line of the State Railway of Thailand to serve the Northeastern region of the Kingdom was built in 1900 to the town of Korat and subsequently extended to its northern extremity at the Laos border. The Friendship Highway, a modern highway parallel to the railway and serving the same transportation corridor, was completed in 1958 as far as Korat. In 1965 the northern extension of the Friendship Highway was opened to Nong Khai, the northern terminus of the railway.The effect of the nearby and parallel highway on freight traffic - for upland crops, vegetables, rice, kenaf, and forest products - is shown in terms of tonnages dispatched by the railway and in relation to the production of those commodities. Passenger traffic originating on the Northeastern railway line is analysed. Statistics indicating the shift in modal split between road and rail, for both freight and passengers in the Kingdom, are presented for a six-year period. An estimate of the loss in revenue for the Korat-Nong Khai segment of the railway has been made for both originating passengers and certain classes of freight traffic. Clearly demonstrated is the unceasing trend toward road haulage of freight and the use of highway buses by intercity passengers. This paper is intended to draw attention to the magnitude of the problem rather than to suggest definitive solutions.     

ESI,专业化的虚拟仿真技术推动数字化造船

在工程仿真领域,有一家以提供专业化的仿真解决方案享誉业界的公司引起了记者的注意,这家公司何以能在激烈的全球CAE行业中赢得越来越多的市场?其解决方案的特点是什么?其未来发展和技术研发方向是什么?面对中国技术创新的巨大机遇,以及中国已成为造船大国并向造船强国转型的时机下,该公司如何布局中国的CAE市场?其仿真技术和方案能给中国船舶工业转型过程技术创新带来什么益处?带着这些问题,在一个初冬的早晨,本刊记者对这家的全球运营官ChristopherSt.John博士进行了专访。     

Behavioural responses to vehicle emissions charging

Road pricing as an economic construct is not a new phenomenon in transportation research. Whilst fuel taxation and tolling of roads are common ways of raising revenue in many countries, these initiatives are primarily aimed at road infrastructure financing. Worldwide there has been growing interest in pricing structures designed to also manage the growing levels of traffic congestion and, in recent times, an increasing focus on generating reductions in carbon emissions from vehicle ownership and use. This paper presents a stated choice experiment undertaken in response to the increasing interest in the environmental externalities of travel behaviour. The aim of this choice experiment is to identify the potential to switch to more fuel efficient cars that emit lower emissions, under differing pricing and technology scenarios. Results indicate that annual and variable emissions surcharges targeted very specifically to vehicle emission rates have a noticeable role in modifying vehicle purchasing decisions.     

法国南特第一列Incentro轻轨列车

简要介绍了法国南特轻轨车辆的设计思路、结构特点和模块化设计。