National (U.S.)

"Scientists say this year that the 'dead zone' area that forms every summer in the Gulf of Mexico is one of the largest ever measured."

"The BP spill is by far the world's largest accidental release of oil  into marine waters, according to the most precise estimates yet of the well's flow rate, announced by federal scientists on Monday."

"A new split over climate policy is brewing within the ranks of the US Chamber of Commerce  as a breakaway group of local chambers is getting ready to publicly split with the business lobby's hardline stance against climate legislation."

"Under current laws, the government has little or no information about the health risks posed by most of the 80,000 chemicals on the U.S. market today."

"BP  will begin its legal offensive this month to cap its liabilities from the Gulf of Mexico disaster by offering those affected one-off compensation payouts in return for them waiving the right to sue."

"The Coast Guard approved dozens of requests by BP to spread hundreds of thousands of gallons of surface oil dispersants in the Gulf of Mexico despite the Environmental Protection Agency’s directive on May 26 that they should be used only rarely, according to documents and correspondence analyzed by a Congressional subcommittee."

"A House energy panel is concerned that scientists hired to assess the oil spill may be muzzled. The company's research funding is also under scrutiny."

Bloomberg News is gamely standing by a story in which critics say it inaccurately interprets its own polling data -- to imply that most Americans oppose President Obama's temporary deepwater drilling ban.