Feb 25 What Would Be the Energy Cost of Electric Cars? By Business Desk Question/Comment: Paul, I am wondering about the new restrictions that are being forced on the car manufacturers for bio-fuel/electric/ethanol cars. Why isn’t there any mention about the cost of producing the electricity for the car batteries and ethanol? In the… Continue reading
Feb 25 Are We Overreacting to Unemployment Numbers? Question/Comment: In the early ’80’s unemployment was over 10 percent. I’m old enough to remember what the economy was like at that time. It wasn’t pretty given interest rates, but on the other hand we weren’t considering massive government funding… Continue reading
Jan 05 Auto Sales Plunge in December By PBS News Hour December marked another dismal month for automakers with new figures showing overall sales declines of more than 30 percent as the U.S. auto industry continues to struggle amid the economic downturn. Continue reading
Jul 24 Ford Reports $8.7 Billion Second-Quarter Loss By PBS News Hour The Ford Motor Co. on Thursday posted a second-quarter loss of $8.7 billion, due mostly to the declining value of its SUV and pickup truck lines, and announced a plan to overhaul its North American production to focus on small… Continue reading
Jun 26 Why don't we hear government and private businesses pressuring to revitalize the U.S. rail system to help reduce the oil crisis? Question/Comment: Why don't we hear the government and private businesses pressuring to revitalize the US rail system to help reduce the oil crisis? I thought the rails were the most fuel-efficient form of transportation. Paul Solman: From a… Continue reading
Jan 28 Why don't auto-manufacturers sell cars built to the customers' needs? Question/Comment: As long as I can remember, automobile companies have always pushed their products, by, in one way or another, indicating that they are burdened by surplus inventory. So, given that all the auto-manufacturers now have Web sites where the… Continue reading
Apr 11 Watch Carbon Tax Aims to Cut Greenhouse Gases The NewsHour's series of conversations about approaches to deal with global climate change continues with a discussion of carbon taxes -- levies that would aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by taxing activities that burn fossil fuels. Continue watching
Apr 10 Watch Climate Change Experts Look to European Model for Curbing Emissions An international panel of scientists issued a report last week on the potential impacts of global warming. In the first part of a series on climate change, an advocate for an emissions cap-and-trade system used in Europe explains how it… Continue watching
Apr 02 Watch Supreme Court says EPA can regulate greenhouse gases In a defeat for the Bush administration, the Supreme Court ruled Monday that the Environmental Protection Agency can regulate carbon dioxide emissions from cars under the Clean Air Act. Continue watching
Jul 04 Watch The U.S. Interstate System Turns Fifty The U.S. interstate system began in 1956, fulfilling the dream of Dwight Eisenhower, who spoke of it to Congress a year earlier. The interstate has transformed the American landscape and U.S. commerce. An author discusses the role the nation's highways… Continue watching