A NEW congestion charge sign is seen in west London in this February photo. Drivers will have to pay £8 ($15.65) a day to enter west London as Mayor Ken Livingstone extends a charge imposed four years ago in the traffic-snarled city center. The enlarged fee area will include Notting Hill, Kensington and Chelsea, the city’s wealthiest enclaves. Meanwhile, to cut the city’s smog, polluting cars will be taxed £25 ($51) a day to enter London. Bigger cars including 4x4s will be subject to the tariff, while smaller cars such as diesel hatchbacks and hybrid vehicles that emit 120 grams or less of carbon dioxide per kilometer will be exempt. --BLOOMBERG

LONDON—Polluting cars will be taxed £25 ($51) a day to enter London, a measure that will affect as many as a fifth of passenger vehicles, the Sunday Times reported last week.

Bigger cars including 4x4s will be subject to the tariff, while smaller cars such as diesel hatchbacks and hybrid vehicles that emit 120 grams or less of carbon dioxide per kilometer will be exempt. Vehicles that emit up to 225 grams per kilometer would face a charge of £8 per day, the newspaper reported.

London Mayor Ken Livingstone is expected to make the announcement this week ahead of the program’s implementation in February 2008, the newspaper said, adding that other major UK cities will be watching the program with a view to introducing versions of it across the country.

A spokesman for Transport for London said the charge will “encourage people to take into account the impact of their choice of car on climate change,’’ according to the Times. (Bloomberg)

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eBulb launched in Las Vegas 

RIVERSIDE, California—The neon lights of Las Vegas could shine brighter and longer if one eco-friendly product presented during the Las Vegas World Market catches on.

In the home furnishings fashion last week of what’s hot and what cool. The eBulb captured a big buzz because of its potential, organizers for the World Market said Monday.

Because it’s designed as an inductive lamp, the eBulb dims as it comes to the end of its 100,000 hours of light, rather than suddenly plunging the room in darkness.

The bulb’s future is bright: eBulb’s patent is pending and American Lighting expects to have its first supply ready for shipment by the end of August.

The eBulb is comparable to a compact fluorescent bulb in its efficient energy use but could save consumers 80 percent over CFLs, said Shawn Dunn, a representative for the Riverside, California, company.

“I know it sounds unbelievable,” Dunn said, “but if every home in the US replaced their standard incandescent bulbs with the eBulb, it could reduce the electricity used for lighting nationwide by 50 percent, cutting US carbon emissions by 125 billion pounds.” (Bloomberg)

Proposed US climate bill to cut economic growth

NEW YORK—A climate-change bill cosponsored by three presidential candidates would slow economic growth by about 0.4 percent by 2030, while reducing emissions linked to global warming by 33 percent, the Department of Energy said.

Hugo Chavez criticizes Bush’s biofuel initiative

CARACAS—Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez criticized on Sunday the use of agricultural products to produce biofuels, saying the United States’ policy of supporting the practice could lead to “disaster.”

YACHATS, Oregon—The revolution is here, and it’s green. But get packing—this movement is on vacation as travelers increasingly demand green lodging options.

LONDON—Polluting cars will be taxed £25 ($51) a day to enter London, a measure that will affect as many as a fifth of passenger vehicles, the Sunday Times reported last week.