Consumers get a temporary reprieve from pump prices as gasoline prices drop to a 14-week low. And can cow poop help meet world energy needs?

Gasoline prices fall to lowest level in 14 weeks: Good news for motorists and consumers — gasoline prices continue to decline. The U.S. Energy Information Administration says fuel prices slumped another 6.9 cents last week, driving the price of gasoline to an average price of $3.74 a gallon. That’s the lowest since last spring, though still about a dollar higher than in August, 2007. While the pain at the pump is decreasing, Americans still have still driven 53.2 billion fewer miles so far this year. (USA Today)

GM May Reveal the Production Chevy Volt on it Centennial Webcast, September 16th: General Motors may reveal production-ready prototypes of the eagerly awaited plug-in vehicle next month. Engineers are finalizing the car’s showroom spec, and company spokespeople say mule test vehicles have enjoyed a successful summer of testing. The Detroit Press reported Tuesday that the most likely occasion for an official unveiling of the Volt’s final look will be the company’s Centennial webcast, now set for September 16th. It will be broadcast on the GMNext website.

VIDEO: 225 mpg DIY diesel hybrid on the road, kit version coming: Tired of waiting for the auto industry to deliver an ultramileage car? Build your own! Designer Robert Q. Riley says he’s finished plans for his XR3 diesel hybrid, and plans to make it available as a faitly simple-to-construct kit. What do you get for the trouble of bolting together your own ride? A sleek, three-wheeled lithium batter-powered deisel hybrid which gets an astonishing 225 miles per gallom. Bonus points if you brew your own biofuel. (Autoblog Green)

Toyota Executive Calls for More Cooperation: Toyota spokesperson Bob Carter is calling for greater cooperation between automobile manufacturers. Speaking to an industry convention last week, Carter said both companies and consumers would profit from increased sharing and communication between carbuilding companies. Carter says the industry should work hard to establish better relations with OEM parts producers while sharing “best ideas” for the benefit of all participating companies. (Environmental Leader)

Poop power production poised to pick up : Environmentalists have right raised concerns about the vast impact of livestock farming on the environment. Of particular concern is manure runoff, which may contribute to the development of low-oxygen ocean “dead zones.” But now a group of reserachers at UT Austin say that cow manure could conceivably supply about 3 percent of the United States’ annual energy needs. The key is anaerobic digester systems, which convert manure into biogas. By 2015 , a German program is expected to produce about 4,000 megawatts of power annually from some 20,000 digesters. (Clean Break)

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