Toxic air kills more than car crashes in some areas, researchers find
Los Angeles Times Nov 13, 08 2:40 AM CST
(Newser)
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Health problems caused by pollution choke $28 billion out of California's economy every year, according to a new study. Most of the cost is linked to 3,000 smog-related deaths each year, along with days of work missed by workers with respiratory problems aggravated by pollution spewed from tailpipes and smokestacks, reports the Los Angeles Times.
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US shuns hyper-efficient diesel vehicle
BusinessWeek Sep 6, 08 1:34 PM CDT
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Ford may be best-known for its fuel-guzzling trucks and SUVs, but this November it’s releasing the Fiesta ECOnetic, a sporty subcompact that gets an astonishing 65 miles-per-gallon, BusinessWeek reports. There’s just one catch: It’s not being sold in the US. “We know it’s an awesome vehicle,” says Ford’s president. “But there are business reasons why we can’t sell it.” The biggie: It runs on diesel.
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Diesel down as well, but still high; ethanol hovers in the low $3 range
CNNMoney Jul 26, 08 1:04 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Gas prices dipped below $4 today for the first time in almost 2 months, CNN reports. A survey by AAA showed that a gallon of regular cost an average of $3.983, 2 cents lower than yesterday. The move continues a trend over roughly the last week in which prices have dropped 10 cents, and they could fall an additional 25 cents by the end of summer, AAA says. The drop mirrors a similar fall in the cost of crude oil.
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Some 62% of new car buyers look to the gas-sippers
Wired Jul 17, 08 10:45 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Sales of hybrid cars could soar to 2 million a year by 2013 as higher gas prices and concerns about global warming spark surging interest in fuel efficient vehicles, Wired reports. Well over half—62%—of new car buyers are already considering a hybrid, according to a recent survey. Consumers who aren't satisfied with the current hybrid options will have as many as 88 models to choose from in the next few years.
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Increasing supply fails to dent price
Wall Street Journal Jul 10, 08 2:21 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Soaring gas prices are changing Americans driving habits, cutting consumption to the lowest levels in five years, reports the Wall Street Journal. Gas consumption dropped by 3.3% to 9.3 million barrels a day compared with last year's Fourth of July holiday. Some 62% of Americans are changing summer plans because of rising gas prices, and 15% have canceled vacations altogether.
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Shed a tear for the lonely trucker... or don't
Associated Press Jun 30, 08 11:00 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Here's one more casualty of soaring oil prices: Nevada brothels catering to lonely truckers are seeing business plummet. Sky-high diesel prices means that long-haul truckers have less discretionary income, so many brothels are offering promotions to give business a boost. At one establishment, customers get double what they pay for if they use a government stimulus check.
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Gas, electricity see 17%-18% increases as nation cuts subsidies to trim demand
Wall Street Journal Jun 19, 08 1:13 PM CDT
(Newser)
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China will raise domestic energy prices starting tomorrow, the Wall Street Journal reports, with gas and diesel costs jumping 18%. China’s heavily subsidized fuel is still cheaper than international rates, and the move may be an attempt to appease foreign governments, who blame Beijing's intervention for letting demand rise unchecked in the world's second-largest oil consumer.
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Strike idles tens of thousands of vehicles
EiTB24 Jun 9, 08 4:40 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Spanish truck drivers went on strike at midnight to protest skyrocketing fuel prices, erecting blockades across the country and snarling traffic on the border with France, the EiTB network reports. Drivers who attempted to continue operating found their tires slashed, windshields smashed and headlights destroyed. Fuel prices in Spain have risen more than 35% this year.
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Irrigation systems are also caches of diesel fuel
CNN Jun 6, 08 2:33 PM CDT
(Newser)
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With oil prices stuck in triple digits, any form of gas is becoming precious booty for thieves, CNN reports. The latest targets: farmers running diesel-fueled irrigation pumps. Fuel tanks, often sitting unguarded in fields, can be a quick score of around 250 gallons in the middle of the night. In Kern County, California, alone the sheriff estimates that $300,000 worth of diesel was stolen in the past 3 months.
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High fuel prices enrage drivers
Daily Telegraph (UK) May 27, 08 9:24 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Truck drivers came from miles around to protest high fuel prices in London today, the Daily Telegraph reports. Lining along specially-closed sections of highway, the drivers blared horns and waved signs, demanding a reduction in the government’s diesel tax. “I think soon the public will actually join us,” said one hauler. “The car drivers will start coming out soon; it’s going to snowball.”
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Drivers stay on road, despite high gas prices
CNN Apr 1, 08 2:11 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Most trucks kept rolling today, despite plans for a strike protesting spiking diesel prices. Independent truck-drivers had discussed staying off the roads, reports CNNMoney, but only sporadic shutdowns have been reported. "We've heard from a lot of members who have no intention of participating," says a spokeswoman for the Owner-Operators Independent Drivers Association.
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Fishing vessel doomed by high waves off Alaska coast
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Mar 23, 08 7:44 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Four crew members of a Seattle-based fishing boat died today after the vessel sank amidst high seas off the Alaska coast, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. Officials rescued 42 members, but a search continues for one missing staffer, according to the AP. The boat began sinking shortly before 3 a.m., when it lost control of its rudder 120 miles from Alaska’s Dutch Harbor.
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'We're talking about decades' before cars can be weaned off fossil fuels
Der Spiegel Mar 5, 08 12:00 PM CST
(Newser)
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Green was the color of opening day yesterday at the International Auto Salon in Geneva, another show full of hybrids and other low-emission vehicles, with green lighting and nature-friendly slogans to prove car companies care, Der Spiegel reports. Still, cautions General Motors' CEO to those set to pronounce the gasoline era dead, "We're just at the beginning of this changeover."
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City switches its
entire diesel fleet to
soy-based biofuel
New York Times Dec 6, 07 4:26 PM CST
(Newser)
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San Francisco may have the biggest green fleet in America now that all 1,500 diesel vehicles—including ambulances, fire engines, buses and street sweepers—run on B20, a combination of soy-based and diesel fuels. The transformation is part of the city's plan to reduce toxic emissions to 20% below 1990 levels in the next four years, the New York Times reports.
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Tyson, ConocoPhillips team up to produce biofuels
Bloomberg Apr 17, 07 10:05 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Two corporate giants are teaming up to produce biofuels and boost their bottom lines. Tyson Foods, the world's biggest meat producer, and third-largest U.S. oil company ConocoPhillips will be using about half of Tyson's animal fat to make a renewable diesel fuel, which will account for about 3% of ConocoPhillips's total production.
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