It’s not too difficult to spot the connection between Americans’ worsening obesity problem and an overreliance on automobiles. (No Impact Man — Colin Beavan)

Washington DC’s planning commission considers reducing or eliminating parking requirements in the city, giving people and businesses more options for using space in their neighborhoods. (Washington Post — Marc Fisher)

Shortly after being guaranteed a $25 billion loan from the government to make energy efficient vehicles, U.S. automakers announce some dismal news for the industry — sales have dropped 26.6 percent from a year ago, and September marked the first time since 1993 that fewer than one million new cars and trucks were sold in [...]

A new study from McKinsey and Company shows American consumers as having either direct or indirect control over 65 percent the country’s carbon emissions.

New numbers from the U.S DOT show a continued drop in vehicle miles traveled — Americans drove 3.6 percent less in July 2008 than they did in July 2007, and public transportation ridership has increased by 11 percent.

U.S. automakers are months away from being able to use $25 billion in low-interest loans from the federal government. (Associated Press — Ken Thomas)

Drivers in the South continue to wait in long lines and pay high prices at the gas pump as the region reels from aftereffects of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. (New York Times — Robbie Brown)

Like everyone else, college students are finding clever ways to avoid paying high gas prices — with extra help from various new policies being implemented across college campuses. (Christian Science Monitor — Andrew Clark)

Drivers in the Southeast face severe gas shortages after Hurricanes Ike and Gustav whomped the region’s oil refineries, bringing long lines, soaring prices, and rising tension at the pump. (Grist — Sara Barz)

California residents have suffered through some of the highest gas prices in the country. Unfortunately, they aren’t just paying for themselves — the state’s lawmakers have been given unrestricted use of gas cards, and racked up $220,000 in taxpayer-dollars through July. (Associated Press — Don Thompson)