http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/toyota-bus-train/

"A dual mode road/rail vehicle is being tested in Japan by Toyota and its truck-manufacturing division Hino Motors. The bus bridges the gap between road and rail with 4 rubber tires for road use and 4 steel wheels for riding on rails. It can hold 25 passengers and is based on the Toyota Microbus. [...]"

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/31/business/31hybrids.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

"Hybrid models of Detroit’s 5,500-pound S.U.V.’s get better mileage, but consumers have been slow to embrace them."

 

http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/1087495.html 


"The N.C. Utilities Commission approved rate increases Tuesday for natural gas utilities that serve more than 1 million households in the state. State law allows natural gas utilities to request rate adjustments once a month to account for changing fuel costs. PSNC Energy will raise rates by 16 percent and Piedmont Natural Gas by 18 percent June 1. Both sought increases to cover rising fuel costs."

http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/triac-affordable-electric-car/

 

http://www.newsobserver.com/print/wednesday/business/story/1087504.html 


"Half the coal burned by Progress Energy's and Duke Energy's power plants would become illegal in North Carolina under legislation proposed Tuesday by state Rep. Pricey Harrison. The Guilford County Democrat wants to outlaw importation of coal that has been extracted by a controversial form of strip mining known as mountaintop removal. The process involves blowing up several hundred feet of mountaintop to expose embedded veins of coal."
...
"Progress and Duke import nearly all their coal from Appalachian coal mines. About half the coal -- about 15 million tons a year -- comes from mountaintop removal, while the rest comes from underground coal mines. North Carolina is one of the nation's top users of mountaintop coal."
...
"But coal prices have doubled in the past year, and Progress and Duke are seeking rate increases to pass costs on to their customers. Progress recently asked for a 6 percent rate increase in South Carolina and will file a request soon with state regulators in North Carolina. Duke is seeking a 4 percent increase. Both companies say worldwide demand for coal is the main driver of the price increases."