National (U.S.)

"Environmentalists began 2009 optimistic about prospects for swift passage of legislation mandating U.S. reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. ... But after the House passed a sweeping climate bill last June, the effort stalled in the Senate. And now environmentalists are being asked to agree to painful compromises that senators say are needed to get something -- anything, really -- across the finish line."

"The Environmental Protection Agency announced on Monday that it would overhaul drinking water regulations so that officials could police dozens of contaminants simultaneously and tighten rules on the chemicals used by industries."

"The National Organic Program's failure to promptly follow through on investigations has allowed some companies to continue falsely advertising products as organic for years and let one company off the hook entirely, according to an audit released yesterday by the inspector general of the U.S. Agriculture Department."

"A two-year study now provides evidence indicting one likely group of suspects [as a cause of beehive die-offs]: pesticides. It found 'unprecedented levels' of mite-killing chemicals and crop pesticides in hives across the United States and parts of Canada."

"Coastal states that agree to oil and gas drilling off their shores would be offered one-quarter of the revenue, under the latest draft of the new climate and energy bill, sources on and off the Hill say."

"With the cap-and-trade legislation aimed at curbing global warming stalled in Congress, there's an almost-complete collapse of the market for carbon credits. That means profits are drying up for people who are paid to create those carbon credits -- like farmers who manage their land in ways that capture carbon dioxide in the soil."

"The utility-scale solar industry is ready for what one executive today called 'explosive growth,' and new national polling data released today shows that 75 percent of those surveyed support the development of solar energy plants on public lands."

"Responding to reports of environmental contamination in gas drilling areas across the country, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will conduct a nationwide scientific study to determine if the problems are caused by the practice of injecting chemicals and water underground to fracture the gas-bearing rock."

"The federal government has 'significant gaps' in its strategy to cope with the increasing effects of climate change on the country, according to a White House report ... released Tuesday."

"Detroit's Big Three automakers, Toyota Motor Corp., and six other automakers urged Congress Wednesday not to bar the Environmental Protection Agency from setting the first-ever limits on tailpipe emissions."