Free Republic

The federal government may have staved off the imminent threat of default Tuesday when President Barack Obama signed a bitterly fought budget deal, but the woes and uncertainty for states have just begun. In California, some of the most likely cuts include nutritional programs for low-income women and children, the federal portion of the controversial high-speed rail project, clean drinking water programs, and subsidies for farmers. Also potentially at risk are federally funded university research projects and military bases, policy-watchers said Tuesday after hastily reviewing the plan to cut national spending by $2.1 trillion over 10 years. None of the...

SACRAMENTO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's vision of a "hydrogen highway" - 100 fueling stations by 2010 that would make it practical for California motorists to use non-polluting hydrogen-powered fuel-cell vehicles - has hit a roadblock. Each of the last three agencies that received state funding to build a fueling station has decided not to pursue the project, ... In addition, three stations have recently closed, including one in Richmond that served county buses and was dismantled this week. That means the state is now down to 23 stations amid concerns that the technology is not viable in the near future...