Welcome to Science Saturday, where the Overnight News Digest crew informs and entertains you with this week's news about science, space, and the environment. In keeping with the theme of the past five months, Overnight News Digest: Science Saturday is featuring science and other news from the major public research universities in the midwestern states where Republican governors and legislatures are threatening the collective bargaining rights of public employees.
This week's featured stories come from Reuters.
Obama unveils sharp increase in auto fuel economy
By Ayesha Rascoe and Deepa Seetharaman
WASHINGTON/DETROIT
Fri Jul 29, 2011 6:43pm EDT
Several major auto makers on Friday embraced the Obama administration's proposal to push the industry further away from once-dominant gas guzzlers to more lean and efficient vehicles.The proposal, which is the result of months of negotiations between the Obama administration and auto makers, would require the companies to reach an average fuel efficiency across their U.S. fleets of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.
"This agreement on fuel standards represents the single most important step we've ever taken as a nation to reduce our dependence on foreign oil," Obama said at an event announcing the new standards.
Flanked by top auto maker executives, Obama said the new rules would lower the country's oil use by 2.2 million barrels a day over the next 15 years.
U.S. nuclear fund for waste, not deficit: panel
By Roberta Rampton
WASHINGTON
Fri Jul 29, 2011 3:34pm EDT
The U.S. government should start using the $25 billion it has collected for dealing with nuclear waste for its intended use rather than hoarding it to reduce the deficit, a bipartisan panel said on Friday.The Nuclear Waste Fund is currently used to "reduce the apparent deficit," the report said. It acknowledged that freeing up the money would be politically difficult.
President Barack Obama and Congressional leaders face an August 2 deadline to reach an agreement to raise the U.S. borrowing limit and cut spending.
More science, space, and environment stories after the jump.