Headlines
NJ: State’s model for toxic clean-ups fails audits
IN: Daniels unopposed – editorial
FL: Leasing alligator alley – benefit or boondoggle?
CA: LA county transit support lanes
MS: Airport parkway set to be toll road

News Summaries
NJ: State’s model for toxic clean-ups fails audits
More than two out of three privately supervised toxic clean-ups in a
Massachusetts program that New Jersey wants to adopt failed audits with
serious violations, according to records released today by Public
Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Despite these red
flags, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is
rushing to embrace further privatization of its troubled toxic
remediation program as a cost-free panacea. PEER
IN: Daniels unopposed – editorial
Regardless of whether one agrees or disagrees with his actions, Gov.
Mitch Daniels has without question invoked change. Perhaps his most
significant – and most controversial – action was the 75-year lease of
the Indiana Toll Road. Other significant steps include a major shift
toward privatizing other government services, adoption of statewide
daylight saving time, an overhaul of property taxes, money for full-day
kindergarten and moving the ISTEP+ standardized testing from fall to
spring. While Democrats are talking a lot this spring about health
care, the economy and education in generalities, this fall’s campaign
between Daniels and the winning Democrat will most likely focus on
whether Daniels’ record has helped or hindered Indiana.
Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne)
FL: Leasing alligator alley – benefit or boondoggle?
Try predicting the value of your home 75 years from now. Or forecasting
the return on an investment over 99 years. It’s a tricky business, but
one state officials soon could be banking on to boost revenue.
Alligator Alley, the 78-mile stretch of Interstate 75 between Naples
and Fort Lauderdale, has caught the state’s eye as a candidate for
leasing to a private company. Tolls have been raised only nominally
since the road was completed in 1969, but privatizing the road could
mean big changes. Naples Daily News
CA: LA county transit support lanes
The freeway may soon not be so free in the land of the automobile. Los
Angeles County transit officials voted Thursday to support a plan that
would charge drivers tolls to use some freeway lanes. The federal
government recently offered $213.6 million to the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority to help convert some carpool lanes to toll
lanes to reduce congestion during busy hours and fund transportation
improvements. The Mercury News (San Jose)
MS: Airport parkway set to be toll road
The Mississippi Department of Transportation is looking for a private
company to build the airport parkway and operate it for 50 years as a
toll road. WAPT (Jackson)