National (U.S.)

"A survey commissioned by an environmental group found that 6 in 10 voters support President Obama’s landmark climate rule for power plants."

"The legal and practical morass surrounding the Obama administration's controversial water rule became more muddied [Thursday] when a federal judge blocked its implementation in 13 states just hours before it was set to go into effect."

"President Obama will travel to Alaska on Monday to call for urgent and aggressive action to tackle climate change, capitalizing on a poignant tableau of melting glaciers, crumbling permafrost and rising sea levels to illustrate the immediacy of an issue he hopes to make a central element of his legacy."

"The Lacey Act, a 115-year-old law that seeks to protect threatened species, is still going strong."

The story of how a DuPont chemical called C8, or PFOA, harmed the health of people around Parkersburg, WV, is an epic one that resulted in a huge class-action settlement. "DuPont deceived as many people as they could deceive as for as long as they could," one resident said. Under the current regulatory system, the same thing could happen again.

"Long-term exposure to tiny amounts of Roundup—thousands of times lower than what is permitted in U.S. drinking water—may lead to serious problems in the liver and kidneys, according to a new study."

"U.S. officials responsible for the Aug. 5 spill of toxic mine waste in southwestern Colorado had no plan in place for dealing with a catastrophic breach of the kind that fouled a long stretch of the state’s Animas River, an internal inquiry has concluded."

"Even as Louisiana embarks on a multi-billion-dollar program to begin rebuilding its coast, evidence continues to mount that new coastal land will have to contend with a more rapid rise in sea level than projected in present state plans."

"A U.S. court on Thursday blocked a federal clean water rule from going into effect in certain states until a legal challenge has been resolved, handing a victory to states and business groups that have strongly opposed the regulation."

President Obama spent time in New Orleans talking with residents about Hurricane Katrina on its tenth anniversary -- the progress in recovery, and the work left to do.