Cross-Country Hydro-Car Tour Wraps Up In LA

(NEWSER) - The government’s Car Allowance Rebate System—the “Cash for Clunkers” plan—goes into effect today, but it might not be such a good deal for you or the environment, Elisabeth Leamy and Nathalie Tadena write for ABC News. New-car buyers who trade up more than 4mpg in mileage get $3,500; make it 10 mpg and you get $4,500. But you could also skip the credit, buy a perfectly good used car, and save more than $10,000. More»

Coal, oil, companies suppressed experts' findings for years

(NEWSER) - A coalition of industries linked to fossil fuels lobbied for more than a decade to cast doubt on global warming—while the companies' own scientists advised them that climate change was irrefutable, the New York Times reports. The Global Climate Coalition, financed by the oil, coal, and auto industries, conducted a multimillion-dollar ad campaign to challenge the environmental consensus, despite an internal report as early as 1995 that the impact of carbon emissions "is well established and cannot be denied." More»

Move would boost economy, environment

(NEWSER) - As Detroit extends its tin cup to DC, the government is making a lengthy list of preconditions and checking it twice. Why not keep things simple and nationalize the struggling GM? Any government loan wouldn’t be big enough, and despite all the misplaced anger directed at the Big Three, they still churn out great cars, writes Dan Neil in the Los Angeles Times. It would be a sound investment that allows the government to pursue pet goals like greener vehicles. More»

We need urgent action, Gore warns

(NEWSER) - Al Gore doesn't want a White House job, but he does have advice for Barack Obama: Use the bailout plan to transform the Big Three automakers. As vice-president, Gore rolled out a billion-dollar program to pay for fuel-efficient Detroit vehicles—"but as soon as they felt they were off the hook, they pulled the plug and walked away," Gore tells Newsweek. Now Obama can transform Michigan into a hybrid electric car hub, he says. More»

Bush & Co. refused to open report mandated by Supreme Court

(NEWSER) - The White House didn’t like the findings in a Supreme Court-mandated report on pollutants from the EPA—so it simply refused to open the email, the New York Times reports. Instead, the administration has successfully pressured the agency into releasing a watered-down, recommendation-free report. Among the omitted sections: analysis showing that tougher automobile regulation could produce $500 billion to $2 trillion in economic benefits. More»