News stories tagged with "diesel"

(03/14/11) With oil prices skyrocketing, transportation companies around the country are struggling to cope with higher fuel costs. But as the Innovation Trail's Zack Seward reports, a Rochester company is using nanotechnology to help ease the pain.

(07/16/08) The price of gasoline and diesel fuel from foreign oil is making people think about other ways to fill up. Lester Graham reports the coal industry is pushing the idea of making diesel out of coal from the U-S.

(09/19/06) Biofuel. You hear a lot about it these days. And how the growing industry means new opportunities for farmers and foresters and other businesses in the North Country. Over the next few days we're going to take a closer look at what the biofuel economy might mean for the North Country. We'll look at big plans and small solutions.

First, what is biofuel? Biofuel means using biological material for energy. Like burning wood in a woodstove for heat. There are two kinds of biofuel used for transportation: ethanol and biodiesel. Ethanol is a gasoline additive made from vegetable crops - mostly corn. We'll talk more about ethanol tomorrow.

Today we'll look at biodiesel. Biodiesel is basically vegetable oil with the glycerin removed. It can run in diesel engines. It's mostly made from soybean oil. As fuel prices rise, It's becoming more cost-competitive. But as Gregory Warner reports, many consumers and farmers are still wary.

(04/17/06) When you think of diesel engines, you might think of big, noisy, stinky trucks. But that's changing. And a domestic automaker has plans to bring a cleaner, higher performing diesel engine to passenger cars. The company insists: it's not your father's diesel. The GLRC's Julie Halpert has the story.

(03/04/05) A new report says the Midwest is one of the most polluted areas in the country when it comes to soot pollution from diesel exhaust. The environmental research and advocacy group The Clean Air Task Force says much of this pollution could be cut using available technology. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium's Elizabeth Braun reports.

(06/28/04) The Environmental Protection Agency has picked school districts in the Great Lakes region as the first to receive its so-called "Clean School Bus" grants this year. The money will be used to help diesel-fueled school buses pollute less. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium's Michael Leland has more.

(12/26/03) In the last few years, researchers have discovered links between the exhaust fumes from diesel buses and rising asthma rates in children. Scientists and environmentalists have called on the government to crack down on diesel emissions from school buses. But as parents learn about the risk to their kids, they're not waiting around for the government. They're doing something right now to help reduce their kids' exposure to the exhaust fumes. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium's Erika Johnson reports.

(01/10/02) The company that fueled the innovation for cleaner auto exhaust is looking to do the same for diesel-powered trucks and buses. David Sommerstein reports.