WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama appears one price-spike away from tapping crude from the U.S. emergency reserves, as political pressure drives him to assure Americans he will keep gasoline costs under control.

Obama reiterated comments from a host of his top officials on Friday, saying a plan to tap the reserve was “teed up,” and vowing to move quickly should conditions worsen.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A bill to stop the Environmental Protection Agency’s greenhouse gas rules passed a first step in the Republican-led House of Representatives on Thursday.

The House Energy and Commerce subcommittee passed the bill by voice vote that would block the EPA from regulating big carbon dioxide polluters such as oil refineries and power plants. The measure will next be sent to the full House Energy and Commerce Committee.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The lowly bus is getting a makeover that could one day help workers whiz past traffic to their jobs on time while saving fuel in the world’s thirstiest oil consumer.

For decades most commuters have maligned buses as noisy, dirty and much slower than cars in city traffic, since they make many stops.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republicans in the House of Representatives introduced a bill on Thursday that would permanently stop the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating emissions blamed for warming the planet.

President Barack Obama would veto a bill that permanently blocks the agency from tackling climate change, administration officials have said. Obama has pledged to the world the United States will cut greenhouse gases to about 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to protect citizens from premature death and other health problems would be gutted if Congress slashes funding as threatened by Republican lawmakers, its chief said on Wednesday.

Republicans in the House of Representatives have been trying to cut the EPA’s budget for this year, saying its regulations on clean air and water hurt businesses.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The energy-hungry U.S. military plans to help develop advanced power storage devices with the help of a branch of the Energy Department that fosters innovation in high-risk, but high-potential, technologies.

The Department of Defense, the single largest user of energy in the world, will work with the Energy Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, known as Arpa-E, to develop technologies that could also have civilian applications, officials said on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON, March 2 (Reuters) – The energy-hungry U.S.
military plans to help develop advanced power storage devices
with the help of a branch of the Energy Department that fosters
innovation in high-risk, but high-potential, technologies.

The Department of Defense, the single largest user of
energy in the world, will work with the Energy Department’s
Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, known as Arpa-E, to
develop technologies that could also have civilian
applications, officials said on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Obama administration scaled back on demands for heavy industrial boilers to cut toxic air emissions, a sign it may be willing to compromise with businesses and Republicans on future air pollution rules.

The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday issued final regulations on cutting air pollutants such as mercury and soot at boilers, which provide heat and power at factories, and incinerators.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Obama administration scaled back on demands for heavy industrial boilers to cut toxic air emissions, a sign it may be willing to compromise with businesses and Republicans on future air pollution rules.

The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday issued final regulations on cutting air pollutants such as mercury and soot at boilers, which are basically on-site power plants at factories, and incinerators.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A stronger economy helped push up U.S. power plant emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in 2010 by the highest annual rate on record, a report said on Friday.

The economy and air conditioning demand from a warm summer sent emissions up 5.56 percent to 2.42 billion metric tons in 2010, according to the report by the Environmental Integrity Project based on data by the Environmental Protection Agency.