The rule in driving these days seems to be that bigger is better, with
light trucks and sport utility vehicles overtaking the road. But as
automakers bask in their high profits from the pricey vehicles, a new
challenge looms…how to make them more fuel efficient. The trucks guzzle
substantially more gas and emit more pollutants than passenger cars and
the government is putting pressure on automakers to clean them up. Now,
an unlikely candidate is emerging to solve the problem. The Great Lakes
Radio Consortium’s Julie Edelson Halpert reports:
Tag: emissions
Electric Cars Drive Into Zoos
Environmentally friendly electric trucks can be spotted driving
around in some Midwestern cities. On college campuses, including the
University of Michigan, electric pickup trucks are used in campus
courtyards, botanical gardens and other places where noise or exhaust
are
a problem. The next place you’re likely to see electric trucks will be
your local zoo. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tamar Charney has
the story:
State May Stop Testing Auto Emissions
Minnesota legislators are close to passing a bill which would eradicate
the state’s vehicle emissions testing program. The Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Jesse Hardman has more:
Ohio Ignores Feds
22 States, including all the Great Lakes States except Minnesota, have
been ordered by the federal EPA to slash their nitrogen oxide
pollution. Some of the states are suing to block the order, but Ohio is
going one step further – – it is IGNORING the order. The Great Lakes
Radio Consortium’s Bill Cohen reports:
Mercury Emissions Hit the ‘Net’
The U-S Environmental Protection Agency will soon require some coal-burning power plants to report how much mercury their smokestacks are emitting. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports that the E-P-A will post the information on the Internet:
Farmers Trade Carbon Emissions
As the U.S. seeks ways to reduce global warming, "emissions trading" is
getting a closer look. The concept is already working in the utilities
industry to reduce sulfur emissions. Now economists see emissions
trading as a solution for reducing carbon dioxide. Among the plan’s
beneficiaries — America’s farmers. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s
Haven Miller has more:
Utilities Bear Cost of New Regulations
The Environmental Protection Agency is requiring 22 states to reduceemissions that lead to smog. The states will likely go after electricpower plants that burn fossil fuels. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’sLester Graham reports that the power companies say they’re beingtargeted unfairly and the consumer cost will be high:
The Cost of Cheap Electricity
Concern about the environmental impacts of deregulating the electricitymarket have taken a back seat to promises of cheaper power and customerchoice on both sides of the border. But, as Great Lakes RadioConsortium Commentator Suzanne Elston has discovered, proponents ofgreen power just got a very strong ally:
Commentary – Polluter Pays
The Federal Clean Air Act requires businesses that emit certain air pollutants to cover the costs of regulating that pollution at the state level. It’s designed to be a market-based approach which theoretically, should give polluters a fiscal incentive to reduce their emissions. But Great Lakes Radio Consortium Commentator Lana Pollack says that not all businesses are paying their fair share: