Daily Roundup: August 11, 2009

Quite a Shocker: GM has announced that its new, electric Chevy Volt will be capable of getting 230 mpg while city driving. Washington Post

In Related News: Experts predict that U.S. carbon emissions will decrease 5 percent this year, thanks, in large part, to the shrunken economy. Reuters

Dirty Move: A federal court today rejected an attempt by the Interior Department to reverse a Bush-administration midnight ruling that significantly diminished protection for waterways near mountaintop-removal coal mines. Sierra Club

Protecting Pachyderms: The U.S. and Germany have contributed about $19 million to go toward reforesting a wildlife sanctuary in Bangladesh that serves as an important corridor for the endangered Asian elephant and other threatened species. Treehugger

Look Up: Today, stargazers can see the Perseid meteor shower at its peak. Though the show continues through late August, those in dark places tonight are likely to see 100 shooting stars an hour. National Geographic

--Avital Binshtock