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The train derailment and release of toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3 has resulted in at least 3,500 fish dead, according to an estimate from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Wildlife officers with the Ohio environmental agency found dead fish in Leslie Run, Bull Creek, and a portion of the North Fork of Beaver Creek, the agency told News5 on Monday. As of Feb. 8, some 3,500 minnow, sculpin, darter, and small sucker fish have been killed by the chemical release, the Department of Natural Resources told the outlet. Due to the spill, a water utility...

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is emerging as the chief obstacle to quick passage of President Biden’s $2.25 trillion infrastructure package that Democrats want to move through Congress sooner rather than later. Manchin is ramping up discussions with Republicans about what a scaled-down infrastructure package should look like, and some GOP senators are even optimistic that the moderate Democrat can be persuaded to block efforts to raise the corporate tax rate.

Automatic emergency braking will be standard in most cars in 2022. The technology is expected to cut the number of rear-end crashes in half, but hundreds of drivers say sometimes the system slams on the brakes – apparently for no reason. CBS News found reports of several accidents and injuries that drivers blamed on false activations of emergency automatic braking systems. Safety advocates and carmakers say in the vast majority of cases it works, but it is not perfect. For Cindy Walsh, getting behind the wheel of her 2018 Nissan Rogue raises her anxiety level. Since she bought the SUV...

<p>Ten automakers have committed to the government and a private safety group that they will include automatic emergency braking in all new cars, a step transportation officials say could significantly reduce traffic deaths and injuries.</p> <p>But safety advocates were swift to criticize the effort as a backroom deal that allows automakers to avoid the possibility that the Transportation Department will impose a legal requirement for inclusion of the braking systems in cars and set binding standards for the technology.</p>

German carmaker BMW is recalling 176,000 vehicles from the model years 2012 to 2014 over a problem with the power brake system. The company says in rare cases an interruption in the oil supply to a part can mean the loss of power braking assist. The brakes will still work, but the driver would have to press harder on the pedal. The recall covers 76,200 vehicles sold in the U.S.

In the aftermath of Japan's devastation, Conn. Sen. says it's time for temporary moratorium on building new nuclear plants (CBS News) Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman on Sunday called for a temporary moratorium on the construction of nuclear power plants in the U.S. in the aftermath of Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami, which damaged two reactors at a nuclear facility in the country's northeast. "The reality is that we're watching something unfold," he said in an interview for CBS' "Face the Nation." "We don't know where it's going with regard to the nuclear power plants in Japan right now. I think...

General Motors President Barack Obama will fine his competitor Toyota a whopping $16 Million dollars.  It's good to be the king! The announcement was made by loyal Liberal Democrat and Grand High Lord Minister of The People's Roads and Transport, Ray LaHood.

California Highway Patrol officers say their patrol car acted as a brake for a Toyota Prius with a stuck accelerator Monday. The car, headed eastbound on Interstate 8, was going at a high rate of speed because the accelerator was stuck, according to CHP spokesperson Brian Pennings. The patrol car moved in front of the Prius and engaged its brakes to bring the Prius to a stop, according to CHP. The car eventually stopped on the highway near the La Posta Bridge in the area of the Golden Acorn Casino.

The U.S., like much of the industrialized world, is currently enjoying a media feeding frenzy over cases of unintended acceleration in Toyota-made vehicles. No one knows whether the ultimate culprit will be ill-fitting floor mats, gas pedals manufactured by CTS, or drive-by-wire software that develops a mind of its own, possibly dooming occupants to swift, untimely death. But Toyota's (TM) problem is far worse than a media circus. No, Toyota is being torn apart by the U.S. inability to gauge real risk in our lives. This shortcoming gives rise to irrational fears and now it's spawning anecdotal "stories"—all making it...

To judge by press accounts and statements from government officials, those innocuous-looking Toyota sedans and SUVs in millions of American driveways are somehow kin to the homicidal '58 Plymouth Fury in the Stephen King novel "Christine"—haunted by technological poltergeists and prone to fits of mechanical mayhem. In the midst of three major recalls, Toyota has been hammered by daily newspaper and TV pieces suggesting it has been slow to address safety problems. U.S. transportation secretary Ray LaHood announced that anyone who owns one of the recalled vehicles should "stop driving it." (He quickly backpedaled on that pronouncement, but warned, "We're...

First, What to Do if Your Car (Not Just a Toyota) Starts to Accelerate Uncontrollably If your car starts accelerating unexpectedly, hit the brake (it's the one to the left of the gas) and shift into neutral. After you do this, the engine may race loudly but the car won't accelerate. Pull off the road, brake to a stop, shift to park, and shut off the car. This is a simple solution we guarantee will save your life in any car that suffers from unintended acceleration. For more, read our story “How To Deal With Unintended Acceleration,” which is based...

Here are some of the headlines from my Ward's Auto Subscriber newsletter... January's U.S. Sales Gain Largest Since July 2005 Ward’s estimates Toyota’s sales stoppage cost the auto maker 20,000-25,000 units at month’s end, likely reducing the SAAR by about 200,000 Feds Say LaHood Comments Misconstrued; Prius Brakes Investigated Toyota Grapples With P.R. Bungles, Tarnished Brand Ward's Blogs: Recall's Impact on Toyota's Image? Toyota Blames Overly Sensitive ABS for Prius Brake Problems The software code that will allow the brakes to override the throttle in the Camry is ready to be added. Toyota January Sales Dragged Down; Lowest January...

WASHINGTON -- Toyota has hit another pothole. The company has gotten over 100 complaints in the US and Japan about brake problems involving it popular Prius hybrid, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said. Two involved crashes resulting in injuries. Japan's transport ministry ordered an investigation early today. The complaints are the latest in a spate of quality troubles for the auto maker as it grapples with massive global recalls due to sticking accellerators. The Prius is not part of that recall of nearly 4.5 million vehicles.

To Americans, high-speed trains evoke the gee-whiz factor of a trip to Tomorrowland: Ride futuristic cars that zoom you to a destination in a fraction of the drive time — without having to fight your way through an airport. Read a book, do paperwork, take a nap while you whoosh ahead in high-speed comfort. To governments, they evoke benefits to the common good — reduced freeway traffic, lower carbon pollution and more jobs. But this country has never built a high-speed "bullet" train rivaling the successful systems of Europe and Asia, where passenger railcars have blurred by at top speeds...

January 2, 2008 Recent developments in regeneration technology are almost ready for prime time. Both Hydraulic Hybrid Vehicles http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_vehicle and Power Generating Shock Absorbers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_absorber are both being field tested and may be soon headed for mass production. Transport company UPS has committed to purchasing seven "series" hydraulic hybrid delivery vehicles while Electric Truck, LLC has exclusively optioned commercial rights to a technology from Tufts University that uses Regenerative Shock Absorbers to recharge the batteries of any hybrid electric and electric-powered vehicle while it is driven. Regenerative shock absorbers The regenerative electromagnetic shock absorber uses an electromagnetic linear generator to...

I've watched the prayer threads here on Freeper, I figured you might like to see a praise posting. While driving a short time ago, my brakes failed suddenly as I was approaching a stop sign. I tapped the brakes, there was a weird click, but the truck kept moving. I put all my weight on the brake pedal, even glanced down to make sure I was hitting the right one. The truck kept moving. I tried switching to park or reverse, the truck kept moving. I tried to reach the emergency brake, but its in a weird spot, and my...

Tire companies, big box stores, and the government are putting the brakes on the use of lead wheel weights. Through EPA's National Lead-Free Wheel Weight Initiative, partners have agreed to phase-in the use of lead-free alternative wheel weights and reduce the amount of lead released into the environment by 2011. "Our partners have pledged to reduce or eliminate their use of lead wheel weights," said Susan Parker Bodine, assistant administrator of EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. "Their efforts will remove millions of pounds of lead from the environment and the waste stream." Eliminating lead wheel weights is...

Seinfeld unhurt after Hamptons car wreck 1 hour, 31 minutes ago EAST HAMPTON, N.Y. - Jerry Seinfeld was in a harrowing rollover wreck but was unhurt after the brakes on one of his vintage cars failed. Seinfeld was driving alone when the brakes on his 1967 Fiat BTM stopped working Saturday evening, East Hampton Town Police Chief Todd Sarris told the New York Post. Seinfeld tried the emergency brake, to no avail, and then swerved to keep the car from careering into an intersection, Sarris said. The two-door sedan flipped over and came to a stop just yards from the...

CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez vowed Sunday to tackle everyday problems from soaring crime to trash-strewn streets, adopting a more pragmatic approach to governance and toning down his revolutionary rhetoric a month after a stinging electoral defeat. Voters in December rejected a radical overhaul of Venezuela's constitution that would have greatly expanded Chavez's powers and enshrined socialism. Chavez acknowledged his government would have to review its priorities. "I'm forced to reduce the speed of the march," Chavez said, urging new members of his Cabinet to "accept reality" and "put their feet on the ground." "This will be the year...

Siemens VDO’s Electronic Wedge Brake (EWB) has shown an average 15% reduction of braking distances on ice and snow compared to vehicles equipped with conventional hydraulic brakes. The automotive supplier achieved these results during intensive testing near the Arctic Circle in Arjeplog, Sweden. EWB. The brake calipers (1) span the brake disk (2) from two sides. The brake disk is braked by a pad (3) which is moved by an electric motor (4) by several rollers (5) along wedge-shaped inclined faces The EWB, which will go into series production in 2010, is an important milestone in Siemens VDO’s development of...