GM to introduce new plug-in rechargeable midsize crossover SUV in Buick 2011 lineup

Some facts about General Motors Co.’s plug-in rechargeable midsize crossover sport utility vehicle expected to be included in the automaker’s 2011 Buick lineup:

General Motors to expand plug-in hybrid system to new midsize Buick SUV

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — General Motors will introduce a Buick crossover sport utility vehicle powered by a plug-in rechargeable system in 2011, a top GM production executive said Thursday.

General Motors to expand plug-in hybrid system to new midsize sport utility vehicle

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — General Motors Co.’s product development chief said Thursday the company will introduce a plug-in rechargeable midsize crossover sport utility vehicle in its Buick lineup in 2011.

Federal judge approves expansion of Smoky Canyon phosphate mine into roadless area

BOISE, Idaho — An environmental group promises to appeal a federal ruling that on Tuesday approved the expansion of a phosphate mine into a roadless area near Yellowstone National Park.

Federal appeals court reinstates Clinton-era ban on road building in national forests

WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court Wednesday blocked road construction in at least 40 million acres of pristine national forests.

Obama ventures back to hard-hit Indiana pledging grants and hope, says nation will not give up

WAKARUSA, Ind. — Promising new jobs and money, President Barack Obama on Wednesday told a hurting Midwestern region that its recovery will be like America’s: tough but certain.

Obama ventures back to hard-hit Indiana, proclaims factories ‘coming back to life’

WAKARUSA, Ind. — Trumpeting a “made in America” message, President Barack Obama on Wednesday unveiled a national investment in electric cars as the latest effort to rebuild an economy that keeps shedding jobs.

Obama ventures back to hard-hit Indiana, touts $2.4B in grants for electric car manufacturing

WASHINGTON — Venturing back to a region reeling in deep unemployment, President Barack Obama’s latest mission in Indiana is to show that the costly stimulus plan he lobbied for is producing tangible help — $2.4 billion in taxpayer grants to create electric cars and tens of thousands of jobs.

Worker finds human foot among recyclable waste in sorting plant at western NY landfill

SENECA, N.Y. — Officials in western New York are trying to figure out how a bare human foot got mixed in with recyclable trash on a conveyor belt at a landfill.

Report says early costs of climate bill will be modest, with prices rising 20 percent by 2030

WASHINGTON — Climate change legislation before Congress would boost electricity prices by about 20 percent by 2030, although most of the increases wouldn’t begin until after 2020, a government analysis concluded Tuesday.

Climate experts: ‘Cash for clunkers’ won’t do much to reduce greenhouse gas pollution

WASHINGTON — “Cash for clunkers” could have the same effect on global warming pollution as shutting down the entire country — every automobile, every factory, every power plant — for an hour per year. That could rise to three hours if the program is extended by Congress and remains as popular as it is now.

Buying a cheap local phone may be simplest solution for cell service overseas

WORCESTER, Vt. — To prepare for a trip to Tuscany, Paul Boffa visited a local Verizon store to learn about options for taking his mobile phone with him.

Report concludes only broad action on climate will achieve required pollution cuts

WASHINGTON — If global warming is to be addressed without breaking people’s pocketbooks, no single answer will do the job, a research group tied to the electric utility industry says in a new study that concludes the problem must be attacked from many directions.

Nissan rolls out zero-emission electric car at new environmentally friendly headquarters

YOKOHAMA, Japan — Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn made a quiet entrance Sunday at the Japanese automaker’s new headquarters building — driving the company’s zero-emission vehicle on stage for its inaugural public viewing.

Environmental groups ask US to reconsider approval of Utah’s 1st new uranium mine in 3 decades

SALT LAKE CITY — Two environmental groups have asked federal land managers to reconsider their approval of Utah’s first new uranium mine in three decades.

China court accepts first lawsuit against government by environment group

BEIJING — A court in southwest China has accepted the country’s first lawsuit filed by an environmental group against a local government, a member of the group said Friday.

Waste Management posts sharp drop in 2nd-qtr profit on falling recycling and energy prices

Waste Management, the nation’s largest trash hauler, said Thursday its second-quarter profit dropped sharply due largely to falling recycling and energy prices.

Waste Management posts sharp drop in 2nd-qtr profit due to falling recycling prices

HOUSTON — Waste Management, the nation’s largest trash hauler, says its second-quarter profit fell sharply due largely to a continuing drop in recycling prices.

Australian PM promises 50,000 ‘green’ jobs to combat climate change and unemployment

SYDNEY — Australia’s prime minister promised Thursday to create 50,000 “green” jobs and apprenticeships to combat climate change and unemployment simultaneously.

Congress wants to restore hydrogen research funding sought by auto industry

WASHINGTON — Congress moved to restore funding for hydrogen research prized by the auto industry despite questions from the Obama administration over the time it will take to build a fleet of vehicles and a network of fueling stations.

Wary auto recyclers say they’ll try to cash in on government’s cash for clunkers program

DENVER — Not all auto recyclers are relishing the government’s new cash for clunkers program, which requires car dealers to destroy the gas-guzzlers they get as trade-ins from new car buyers.

Greenpeace: China’s top 3 energy suppliers emit more greenhouse gases than Britain

BEIJING — China’s three largest energy suppliers emitted more greenhouse gases than all of Britain last year, environmental watchdog Greenpeace China said in a report issued Tuesday.

Backpackers go for green vacations with stints on European farms

SANTA EULALIA DEL MONTE, Spain — Backpackers pining for European adventure have discovered life on the farm, shoveling manure, feeding pigs and making butter as a recession-beating way to sate their wanderlust.

Nissan gives preview of electric car for mass-production next year in green strategy

YOKOSUKA, Japan — Nissan Motor Co. showed off its super-quiet, zero-emission electric car Monday — a key green offering for Japan’s No. 3 automaker, which has fallen behind in hybrid technology.

Environmental group claims the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile violated Hawaii’s ban on vehicular ads

HONOLULU — Not everyone would love to be an Oscar Mayer Wienermobile these days. The Outdoor Circle, an environmental group dedicated to protecting Hawaii’s scenery, claims the beloved hot dog-shaped vehicle is in violation of the Hawaii’s ban on vehicular advertising.

Want to see a light with no bulb? Philips sells DIY kits to tinkerers, designers

AACHEN, Germany — Someday, our ceilings and walls might radiate light, illuminating indoor spaces as brightly and evenly as natural daylight.

First full-hybrid-mode, full-size truck has fuel-saving technology

Maybe there should be a movie called “Honey, I Grew the Hybrid.”

Rights group: Companies buying minerals fuel 12-year Congo conflict

KINSHASA, Congo — International companies are fueling the conflict in eastern Congo by not checking the origins of the minerals they buy, a human rights group said.

Interior department halting new uranium mining claims near Grand Canyon

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Thousands of mining claims dot 1 million acres near the Grand Canyon, and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says his department has a responsibility to ensure those resources are developed in a way that protects communities, treasured landscapes and watersheds.

Climate campaigners say EU carbon trading program may allow polluters avoid emissions cuts

BRUSSELS — Climate change campaigners claimed Monday that flaws in the European Union’s carbon trading program could allow major polluters avoid any real reduction in greenhouse gas emissions during the economic downturn.