Thank you for not smoking.

Almost all public places in Thailand were declared non-smoking zones this month - Thailand already has some of the world’s toughest anti-smoking laws.

[News Source]

Sludge recycling on the horizon in Kingston. A sludge-to-fertilizer system that was supposed to be operational in September is not likely to be up and running until a month into the new year. [News Source]

Truckers face new increase in costs. Federal regulations that take effect Monday mandate cleaner diesel engines in new trucks and school buses, dramatically cutting pollution but raising costs. [News Source]

Eco-activists rue cut in public info. Thousands of Americans are criticizing new regulations by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to cut back on the data companies must submit for the annual Toxics Release Inventory. [News Source]

Eco-conscious consumers pay to ease global warming guilt. As anxiety over global climate change rises, a growing number of companies and nonprofit groups are offering eco-conscious consumers a chance to compensate the planet for the carbon emissions they generate when they drive, fly, use electricity or heat their homes. [News Source]

Pollution bills face inevitable enemies. Two of the most aggressive laws in the nation aimed at fighting global warming take effect in California on Monday. [News Source]

Snowpack good, but ‘06 keeps up warming trend. Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say that along with the continued warmer temperatures in 2006 came more drought and wildfire in the West, and heavy precipitation and flooding in other parts of the country. [News Source]

Experts getting a handle on concrete. As the planet becomes increasingly covered with concrete, Tarun Naik says at least some of it could be used to help the environment rather than hurt it. [News Source]

Truck sales racing to beat EPA deadline. The trucking industry, a heavyweight in Montana's economy, has thrived in recent years despite a number of challenges, including high fuel prices and a shortage of drivers. [News Source]

China chokes on a coal-fired boom. A great coal rush is under way across China on a scale not seen anywhere since the 19th century. [News Source]

Illinois and other states sue EPA to lower soot levels, save lives (WQAD Moline) ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Illinois and a dozen other states and the District of Columbia are suing the U-S government over air pollution from smokestacks and exhaust pipes. [News Source]