Disasters

"The presidential panel investigating the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico recommended on Tuesday that Congress approve substantial new spending and sweeping new regulations for offshore oil operations at a time when the appetite for both is low."

"Thousands of residents of Australia's third-largest city evacuated homes on Wednesday as massive floods threatened to inundate the financial district, sparked panic buying of food and left authorities despairing for more than 90 people missing."

"Snow and ice carpeted much of the Deep South on Monday, leaving four people dead, cutting off power to thousands and closing countless roads, authorities said."

"Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was critically wounded Saturday in an asassination attempt at a mall parking lot in Tucson, was a longtime ally of the environmental movement and recipient of the Sierra Club's 2005 "Most Valuable Player" award from the Grand Canyon Chapter."

"The presidential commission looking into the Deepwater Horizon accident in the Gulf of Mexico concludes its work on Tuesday with the release of its final report at 10 a.m."

Is Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann's call on constituents to get "armed and dangerous" over the climate bill something to be concerned about?

"The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear a request to reopen a lawsuit that charged energy companies with contributing to the effects of Hurricane Katrina by emitting greenhouse gases."

The Tuesday recommendations of the presidential oil spill commission may include one that could help the offshore oil industry dodge tighter government safety regulation -- creation of a self-policing program like the one the chemical industry launched after Bhopal.

"A shutdown of the Trans Alaska Pipeline, which ships 12 percent of U.S. crude output, entered a third day on Monday, boosting prices and raising pressure on operators including BP to restore shipments."