BUSINESS Briefs

W.Va. officials ponder 911 call-center finances

HUNTINGTON - West Virginia officials are examining how to bolsterthe finances of the state's 911 call centers, and consumers couldwind up paying more for such services.

The 911 call centers are facing declining revenues and increasingtechnology demands. A report issued Friday to West Virginia'sspeaker of the House and Senate president details the current stateand local telecommunications tax structure and advises lawmakers tomake significant changes.

Deputy revenue secretary Mark Muchow tells The Herald-Dispatchthat the state needs to move in the same direction as Virginia andNorth Carolina by adopting what he calls an equitable tax structure.

If such a change occurs, landline, mobile and voice-over-internet customers could see their 911 tax based on a percentage oftheir total bills, rather than the current flat fee.

HUD concedes obstacles to home ownership

WASHINGTON - Housing Secretary Shaun Donovan says he thinks it'sunlikely that home prices will continue to drop and calls it a goodtime to buy a home.

Donovan acknowledges that officials must find ways to provideaccess to home ownership that doesn't require a 20 percent downpayment.

Donovan warns that officials must not "overcorrect" the problemsthat led to the housing crisis. He says the federal government can'tgo so far in the other direction of housing regulation that iteffectively denies new housing for deserving people with good creditratings.

The housing secretary says the Obama administration has madeprogress in resuscitating the housing market but acknowledges that"we are not where we need to be."

Donovan spoke Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union."

McDonald's plans to run UAE vehicles on biofuels

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - A Dubai-based company said it willconvert used vegetable oil from McDonald's outlets into biofuels topower the fast food giant's delivery trucks in the country.

Neutral Fuels, a joint venture between Neutral Group and anEmirati businessman, said Sunday that it started testing the biofuellast year and expects to start producing it for McDonald's nextmonth.

The fuel company would not say how much oil will be produced butsays it's enough to power the fast food chain's vehicles in theUnited Arab Emirates.

McDonald's already fuels its vehicles in England and Austria withconverted biofuel.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner has 1st landing in Japan

TOKYO - Boeing Co.'s long-delayed 787 completed its maiden trans-Pacific journey and landed in Japan, where the more fuel-efficientjet will undergo testing this week with All Nippon Airways inpreparation for its first commercial launch.

The "Dreamliner" touched down at Tokyo's Haneda Airport fromSeattle early Sunday to applause and a white "Welcome to Japan"banner held by flight attendants and workers. Two fire trucks shotout celebratory arches of water as the aircraft approached thehangar.

The 787's much-anticipated arrival marks the near-end of a longwait by ANA, the first customer in line for the next-generationaircraft. The twin-engine jet is made mostly of carbon fiber andother composite materials instead of aluminum, making it lighter and20 percent more fuel-efficient than other mid-sized airliners,according to Boeing.

- the associated press