As Charles Fishman reports in our "One Decision" Briefcase (see "Cleaning Up"), Corning is investing heavily in diesel-filtration technology. In the teeth of the most recent recession, Corning dedicated itself to spending half a billion dollars on this technology -- even as it cut its overall R&D budget by half.

Regulations being implemented around the world spurred Corning's decision. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency will require that heavy-duty diesel trucks and buses made for model year 2007 use fuels that contain 97 percent less sulfur than is currently found in diesel fuel. The kind of filtration that Corning is developing will also be mandated for trucks and buses beginning in 2007 and for nonroad engines beginning in 2011.