From the News Wires

Washington Post editorial says that members of government can take an important step towards reducing our dependency on foreign oil by making a tough political decision — increasing our federal fuel tax and creating more incentives to conserve energy.

U.S. retail gasoline demand drops 3.9 percent from last summer, according to MasterCard. (Reuters)

North American airlines are set to lose $5 billion in 2008, and next year isn’t looking a whole lot better. (San Francisco Chronicle — George Raine)

Cato Institute Senior Fellow Randal O’Toole attacks planners and smart growth, vilifies public transportation, and defends auto-centric development and sprawl in his new book. (Marketwire)

A car-crazy architect questions the value of creating a built environment that centers around accommodating automobiles. (Imman News — Arrol Gellner)

California took a big step towards curbing sprawl and carbon emissions through the passage of a new smart growth bill, but the legislation’s impact will be limited unless the state ensures that public transportation is adequately funded. (Beyond Chron — Casey Mills)

A chunk of ice shelf nearly the size of Manhattan has broken away from Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic, scientists said.

Interest for wind turbines small enough to mount on a roof is spreading from coast to coast, even though their installation is hardly ever recouped in electricity savings.

Campaigners are launching a High Court challenge to stop a toxic ship being taken apart in a North East, England shipyard.

Environmental campaigners said Wednesday they would go to the courts in a bid to stop an asbestos-contaminated French aircraft carrier from being broken up in Britain.

The company running the state's largest mine agreed Wednesday to pursue building a 55-mile pipeline costing tens of millions of dollars to route its wastewater to the Chukchi Sea, settling a pollution lawsuit that nearby villagers filed.

Facing sharp criticism, Chile has introduced measures to improve the sanitary conditions of its salmon industry and reduce the levels of antibiotics used to treat the fish.

Carbon emissions may not be all that matters to the planet.

We already know the many reasons not to drink bottled water, but fossil fuels are really bottled energy.

Freelance writer and Milwaukee resident Kristine Hansen finds that living on the east side of the city with little more than a bike and her two feet for transportation opens a world of possibilities. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

California’s insurance commissioner pushes a proposal to allow drivers to pay insurance rates that go up or down depending on how much they drive. (San Francisco Examiner — Tamara Barak Aparton)

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signs a measure putting a proposal for a 700-mile high-speed rail system between the Bay Area and Southern California on the state’s November ballot. (San Francisco Chronicle)

A project to extend Houston’s light rail system is expected to be completed in 2012, but without a regional transit agency capable of examining broader options for public transit, the system will be of no help to those seeking to travel to the city’s suburbs or airports. (Houston Chronicle)

The U.S. Department of Transportation low balls gas prices estimates for an analysis of fuel economy standards, predicting that gas will average only $2.42 a gallon in 2016. (Associated Press — Joan Lowy)

An insurance lawyer yesterday claimed an asbestos-related condition was a "good thing" because it proved the body's defences were in good working order.