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As Congress resumes its debate over whether to increase federal standards for fuel efficiency in passenger cars, some heavy hitters are weighing in against new regulations.

Steve Inskeep speaks with Anna Burger, head of Change to Win. The organization unites labor unions that recently broke off from the AFL-CIO. Burger says the group's strategy is to organize entire industries, rather than individual shops.

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing a short-term fix for a staggeringly expensive problem: Every year, more than 850 billion gallons of sewage flows into the nation's rivers, lakes and bays.

The Environmental Protection Agency announces a plan the Bush administration says will create the biggest reduction in air pollution since the 1990 Clean Air Act. The new rule will require coal-fired power plants in 28 states to reduce some emissions by 60 percent over the next 10 years.

The United States stopped making plutonium-238, one of the most toxic substances known to man, 15 years ago. But now, citing national security needs, the government is preparing to start making it again at a site in the Idaho desert.

An Environmental Protection Agency draft proposal would change the way pollution from power plants is measured -- changes that critics say would undermine clean air laws. The document could limit pollution on an hourly -- not yearly -- basis.

High energy prices have forced unlikely partnerships in the auto industry. Carmakers and environmentalists suddenly find themselves on the same side of the fuel-efficiency debate. Ashok Gupta, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council's Air and Energy Program, and Ford Motor Co.'s Neil Golightly discuss the turn of events with Steve Inskeep.

Owen the hippo and Mzee the giant tortoise are survivors. Owen braved a tsunami, and Mzee is 130 years old. They hang out at a sanctuary in Kenya. Dr. Paula Kahumbu tells a true tale of unlikely pals.

The Environmental Protection Agency says the floodwaters in New Orleans are full of sewage and dangerous bacteria. Initial testing has revealed not only bacteria but lead and other toxic elements.

Mayor Ray Nagin says 60 percent of New Orleans remains under water, down from 80 percent. However, he cautions that the city remains unsafe, and the toxicity of the floodwaters has caused concern.