Free Republic

GENERAL MOTORS introduced America to the Chevrolet Volt at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show as a low-slung concept car that would someday be the future of motorized transportation. It would go 40 miles on battery power alone, promised G.M., after which it would create its own electricity with a gas engine. Three and a half years — and one government-assisted bankruptcy later — G.M. is bringing a Volt to market that makes good on those two promises. The problem is, well, everything else. For starters, G.M.’s vision turned into a car that costs $41,000 before relevant tax breaks ... but...

TOKYO – Toyota's president apologized Friday for the massive global recalls over sticking gas pedals as the automaker scrambles to repair a damaged reputation and sliding sales. But Akio Toyoda, appointed to the top job at Toyota Motor Corp. last June, said the company is still deciding what steps to take to fix brake problems in the popular Prius gas-electric hybrid. Speaking at a hastily announced news conference that lasted an hour, a stern-looking Toyoda promised to beef up quality control. "We are facing a crisis," he said, publicly confronting the automaker's safety problems for the first time since the...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's pick for the No. 2 post at the Environmental Protection Agency is removing himself from consideration. Jon Cannon, a professor of environmental law at the University of Virginia, says he is withdrawing as the nominee for deputy EPA administrator because of scrutiny surrounding the America's Clean Water Foundation.

Stage 17: St. Jean de Maurienne to Morzine-Avoriaz -200.5km Course: This is almost identical to the stage in 2000 when Marco Pantani attacked on the first climb (the 15km, 6.4-percent Saisies) and forced Armstrong's U.S. Postal squad to chase for 100km over the Aravis, Colombière and Châtillon climbs to the foot of the day's main obstacle: the mighty Col de Joux-Plane (11.7km at 8.7 percent). It was partway up the Joux-Plane that Armstrong bonked and could only watch as Ullrich and others rode away from him, and he conceded almost two minutes by the finish in Morzine. History: Morzine has...

Sometimes it's useful to have a few quotes from the leadership of the opposing side of an issue. With that cheery thought in mind, I thought I'd share a few with you. I've also included some resources you can use to obtain source documentation, should you wish to become more closely acquainted with the figures in question. ========================== "We must... reclaim the roads and the plowed land, halt dam construction, tear down existing dams, free shackled rivers, and return to wilderness millions and tens of millions of [acres of] presently settled land." - Dave Foreman, quoted by Dixy Lee...

2002 PUBLIC INTEREST ENVIRONMENTAL LAW CONFERENCECan Endangered Species Survive Bush? Thousands of Greens muster at UO conference to defend the Earth.by Alan PittmanAs the dark lord gathered the forces of evil in Mordor and prepared a final assault on the Earth, a group of elves, hobbits, dwarves and good-natured humans gathered in Rivendell to discuss how to combat the forces of evil that threatened the land.That's fantasy in Lord of the Rings, but the thousands of environmentalists who gathered in the river city last week for the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (PIELC) at the UO may feel similarly...