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| CLEAN-VEHICLE RESEARCH INITIATIVE MAKING PROGRESS. MIDCOURSE SHIFT IN STRATEGIC PLAN NEEDED. |
| A public-private effort to develop technologies for more fuel-efficient automobiles and to investigate the feasibility of hydrogen-based vehicles has made significant progress in most research areas, says a new report from the National Research Council. While several barriers hinder the program from achieving its full objectives, the potential benefits -- reducing dependence on imported oil and minimizing harmful environmental effects -- justify the cost of the research. A strategic reassessment of the overall program plan that accounts for new national and changed research priorities also should be developed, said the committee that wrote the report. |
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| U.S. PUSH FOR DIESEL POSES RISK TO PUBLIC HEALTH, SCIENTISTS SAY. |
| Diesel fuel is now at the center of a delicate balancing act between smog production and global warming. Some lawmakers and car manufacturers advocate widespread diesel use in passenger vehicles as a strategy for reducing the production of so-called ''greenhouse gases'' thought to cause global warming. But according to a new study, replacing gasoline vehicles in the United States with diesel vehicles - equipped even with the most modern pollution controls - may increase smog production over most of the country. |
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