Today: Hydrogen and hybrid cars, public lands, and the college kid who took on the BLM

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GREENISH CAR NEWS FROM TOKYO VIA DETROIT: The Times’ Ken Bensinger reports from the big auto show in Detroit that Toyota finally unveiled its completely redesigned Prius this morning. The big news: 50 miles per gallon. Toyota’s Bob Carter said the third-generation Prius would beat its predecessor by 4 mpg, a 9% improvement in fuel economy, thanks to a more efficient engine and smaller, lighter components. Toyota is also saying it expects to sell a hydrogen-powered car to the general public in 2015. (GM has said it might have one by 2011.)

MORE PROTECTION FOR CALIFORNIA PUBLIC LANDS: Large swaths of California wildlands would gain federal wilderness protection under legislation that took a step toward approval in the U.S. Senate during a rare Sunday session. It would designate as wilderness -- the government’s highest protection -- about 190,000 acres in Riverside County, including parts of Joshua Tree National Park; about 450,000 acres in the Eastern Sierra and San Gabriel Mountains north of Los Angeles; and about 90,000 acres in Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks, including John Krebs Wilderness. The proposal is expected to win final Senate approval by the end of the week and then go to the House, where it is also expected to be approved. More from Rich Simon in the LAT.

HOW A COLLEGE KID TOOK ON THE BLM: University of Utah economics student Tim DeChristopher was upset with what he considered excessive drilling for oil and gas on public land. So rather than put up an angry rant on YouTube, or carry a sign out in the snow, he decided to do something about it. His weapon of choice? A bidding paddle. Now his stunt might bring federal charges. Read all about it.

MEANWHILE, CELEBS GO THE YOUTUBE ROUTE: Pierce Brosnan, Edward James Olmos and some other environmentally conscious celebrities have posted a video on YouTube congratulating President-elect Obama and nudging him on some key policy issues.

WHY NOT ASK JEEVES: A Harvard researcher says he has calculated the carbon dioxide emissions of a Google search. Google says he’s way too high.

-- Steve Clow