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Show The Salt Lake Tribune NATION Friday, June16, 2000 A9 Bill Touts Drunken-Driving Standard States wouldforfeit cash for roads for not adopting 0.08 blood-alcohollevel Ifthe U.S. Senate version ofa major transportation funding THE ASSOCIATED PRESS bill is passed, Utah will get $269 WASHINGTON — Renewing a battle theylost two years ago, ser million for transit, highways and Olympic-related projects in ators are backinglegislation that = the nextfederal budget. would set a tough national stan- dard for drunken driving. Underthe provisionincluded in a fiscal 2001 transportation spending bill approved by the Senate standard for lion,transit projects, including the $118.5 million University of TRAX light-rail line, wouldbe declared “eligible” for cleared the Senate on Thursday by a 99-0 vote and nowgoes toa such things as terminal remod- on Houseversion of the transpor- Committee percent 0.08 nationwide highways would get $215 mil- funding, and aviation projects would get several million for blood- Appropriations alcohol content would becomethe tation budget. Under the Senatebill, Utah Utah The transportation appropriationsbill for fiscal-year 2001 House-Senate conference committee to be reconciled with the Tuesday, adopt that standard wouldforfeit a shareof their highway trust fund money. The language is not contained in the $15.7 billion Housebill that passedlast month. President Clinton welcomed the committee action. “This is a reasonable, common-sense standard that could save an estimated 500 lives a year, while still permitting adults to drink responsibly and moderately,” he said. TheSenatein 1998 voted 62-32 to put a similar provision in a high- waybill, but the House didn’t go along andthefinal bill provided financial incentives, but no require- ments for states to enact the 0.08 standard, national. drinking-age of 21 was phased in. “We can save hundreds oflives a year by taking get-tough attitude,”he said. The risk of a fatal crash is 11 times greater for a person with 0.08 blood-alcohol content than for a nondrinking driver, Mothers AgainstDrunk Driving says. But the lower limit faces stiff opposition from the rest» want and beverage industries, which say it would end up targeting social drinkers instead of alcohol abusers, and dispute howthelimits are calculated. MADDsays a'137-pound woman. would reach 0.08 after three drinks inan hour. But John Doyle, American Bev- port. “we are shifting our focus off the ball and shifting the nation’s eyes awayfrom 0.17 abusers.” Onanothersafety measure, the Senate bill, as its House counter- part, bans theuseof federal funds to carry out proposed Transportation Departmentrules that would revise 60-year-old rules on operating hoursfor truckers. The department contends that one-third ofthe 5,200 truck-related fatalities last year were linked to have a 0.08 blood-alcohol content extend the commentperiod before the new rules go into effect, but they are strongly opposed by the onsafety ifthey result in more new drivers and moretrucks operating was and byfocusing on the lowerlimit during the day. 1984 when the average blood- The answeris easy with the ZCMI Gift Card. It works Tita (esiar- 17) ola Ua register, and Dad can use it like a gift certificate at over 400 stores coast-to-coast. they could have a negativeeffect alcohol content of a person involved in a traffic accident is 0.17 the Looking for the perfect eee LN Ls trucking industry, which says Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., a chief rrononent of the tougher stan ‘a similar approach said im 12. Current rules allow up to 16 hours of driving in a day. The department has agreed to after drinking two glasses of wine He June rules allowing long-distance operators to do no more than12 hours ofdriving in a 24-hour period, with two hoursof break time within the stringent standards of 0.1 percent over two hours, is driver fatigue, and has proposed erage Institute spokesman, cited other governmentfigures concluding that a 120-pound woman would blood-alcohollevels. Day Lake City International Air- Currently, 18 states and the District. of Columbia have 0.08 laws. The other 32 states haveless Father’s eling and expansionat the Salt legal drunkenness. States that fail to ive Dad the CHMMeNeecn Senate Bill Would Give Utah Transit Funds Midwest Turns to FTC For Answers to Rising Gas Prices THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — The government is nocloser to understanding whydrivers in Chicago and Milwaukee are paying nearly 40 cents moreper gallon than the rest of the nation, a topofficial said Thursday. But, said Environmental Protection Agency chief Carol Browner, a preliminary investigation has turned up “no reasonable answer” that any market force is to blame. She said there is no evidenceof a supply shortage in the region. And the cleaner- burning gasoline that companies were required to start producing as of June 1 would not explain the large spike, either. “The oil companies .. . owe us an answer,” Brownersaid after meeting in the Capitol office of ‘House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., with lawmakers from Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana. Browneris handing informationgathered in recent days byfield investigators in the twocities over to the Federal Trade Commission. That agency, which Browner noted may have more successsince it has subpoena powers, already had announced it would examine whetherprice-fixing or collusion in the oil industry was driving up prices. Gift Cards are available for any occasion and can be purchasedatall stores in any amountfrom *10-*500. Plus, you can order anytime at www.zemi.com orcall toll free 1-800-452-6323. ABI WE’VE GOT THE GIFTS FOR DAD - FATHER’S DAY IS SUND BOSS 3-PC. SET FOR DAD FROM HUGO BOSS BOSS 3-PC. SET ONLY *42 A ‘54 value Set includes: 1.7-0z. Eau de Toilette Spray *2.6-0z. Deodorant Leather-like container ee SnCRIT - "exclusive! FLAG T-SHIRT @ uss IN 6 SIZES ORDER ANYTIME: TOLL FREE 1-800-452-6323. A DIVISION OF MAY DEPARTMENT STORES q 2 |: > : |
