In the latest sad setback for environmentalists in the battle over corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration decided Friday not to increase fuel-efficiency requirements for 2004-model-year pickup trucks, minivans, and sport-utility vehicles. Last year, Congress voted to lift a six-year-old, industry-backed ban that prevented NHTSA from examining fuel-efficiency standards for the light trucks. The decision not to increase such standards was a blow to environmentalists, who argued that boosting the standards would be critical to protecting natural systems and national security alike. The current standard requires light trucks to average 20.7 miles per …

How far would you go to stop urban sprawl? That's the question of the hour in King County, Wash., where a private anti-sprawl proposal is pushing the conservation envelope on several fronts. At issue is a proposed $185 million purchase of second-and third-growth forest just east of Seattle. The land purchase by the Evergreen Forest Trust would be the most expensive private conservation deal in U.S. history and would protect a huge tract of land -- 104,000 acres, or an area twice the size of Seattle itself. Sounds great, but there are several catches. First, parts of the land, all …

As if all the political strife weren't enough, here's more grim news from the Middle East: The Dead Sea, the lowest spot on Earth, is getting even lower. In the last decade, the sea, which already lies more than 1,300 feet below sea level, has fallen an additional 20 feet. Scientists attribute the change to a drop in the water table around the Dead Sea, which allows the ground to settle and compact. The declining water table, in turn, is blamed on the steady siphoning of water from the area for agricultural, industrial, and residential uses in the parched region.

A technique invented to reduce corrosion of steel components on ships could also prevent exotic species from stowing away in the ballast water of cargo ships. The technique, which was designed by Mario Tamburri of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in collaboration with Japanese scientists, involves pumping nitrogen gas into ballast tanks, thereby virtually eliminating oxygen in the water and suffocating fish, crabs, mussels, clams, and other critters lurking in the tanks. Ballast tanks, which are used to maintain stability in ships, are a major conveyance of exotic species: A large cargo ship can have up to a dozen …

The U.S. Supreme Court will begin today to consider a lawsuit over private property development in Lake Tahoe that has had lot owners and land-use planners squared off for more than two decades. At issue is a 1981 moratorium on the development of certain lots where runoff from rain and snowmelt would pollute the lake. The moratorium affected several hundred families, many of whom hoped to retire to Lake Tahoe but have been unable to do anything with their lots but pay taxes on them. The families sued, asking the California-Nevada planning agency that imposed the moratorium to compensate them …

My grandmother, the family provider in World War II's market of scarcity, pleaded -- or was it flirted? -- with the butcher for meat. My father, who couldn't hit his hat with a hammer, volunteered for military service and wound up in Boston army ordinance helping "our boys" make munitions. On "the home front," my mother taught my sister and me to paste savings stamps in a book to buy war bonds. Image: NARA. Abroad, my Polish cousin, a secret agent, did underground duty in Paris. My uncle, a bombardier, flew the B-17s of "Bloody Hundredth" fame, while his wife …

As if flying didn't already make you nervous: Air quality aboard commercial jets can be hazardous to passenger's health and the airlines, but federal regulators have done little to address the problem, according to a report released yesterday by a panel of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. The report said the systems for collecting health data about cabin air quality "are woefully inadequate," making it hard to establish clear connections between health complaints and cabin air. Areas of concern for passengers and flight crews include cabin pressure, ozone and carbon monoxide levels, and possible exposure to pesticides and fumes …

U.S. Senate Democrats unveiled an energy bill yesterday that would place more emphasis on conservation and efficiency than the GOP alternative, while keeping the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge drill-free. Currently, about 2 percent of the country's electricity comes from renewable sources; the new bill would require the number to jump to 12 percent by 2020. Democrats also called for higher miles-per-gallon fuel standards for SUVs, but gave no details. Enviros said the bill was a vast improvement over the GOP one, though they worried that it was too light on specifics. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) is scheduled to …

A British supermarket chain said today that it would begin fueling its delivery trucks with chicken waste and used cooking oils. The Asda chain, which includes 258 stores in the U.K and is a part of the Wal-Mart company, generates about 36,500 gallons per year of chicken waste and cooking fat that currently winds up in landfills. But starting in April, the gunk will be transformed into biodiesel to power the company's trucks. For fact-happy readers: According to Asda, the U.K. produces as much as 23 million gallons per year of used cooking oil.