National (U.S.)

"Efforts to come up with a new chemical regulation bill face an uphill battle in the Senate."

Oysters have been the foundation of a booming business for the Hog Island Oyster Company in Northern California. But ocean acidification as a result of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide is threatening that.

"Carpetbagger Scott Brown is discovering that his newfound refusal to accept climate science may hurt him in November’s New Hampshire Senate election. According to a new poll commissioned by the League of Conservation Voters, 48 percent of New Hampshire voters say they would be less likely to support a candidate who does not acknowledge the reality of climate change, versus only 21 percent who say they would be more likely."

"BILLINGS, Mont. -- Canada lynx gained federal protections in New Mexico on Thursday, but U.S. wildlife officials again declined to designate critical habitat for the elusive animal in the Southern Rockies, parts of New England and other areas considered non-essential to their survival."

"The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Thursday easily approved Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall’s nomination to be second in command at the Energy Department."

After an outbreak of drug-resistant salmonella in 2013 was traced to Foster Farms chickens, the Natural Resources Defense Council used the Freedom of Information Act to get records of the firm's food-safety violations. As a result of the pressure, Foster Farms says it has cleaned up its act and is using less antibiotics.

"Some workers at oil and gas sites where fracking occurs are routinely exposed to high levels of benzene, a colorless gas that can cause cancer, according to a study by the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety."

"Some of the more than 500 million pounds (220 million kg) of pesticides used yearly in the United States are concentrated at levels that pose a concern for fish and water-dwelling insects, the U.S. Geological Survey report on pesticides from 1992 to 2011 said. The levels seldom topped human health standards."

"The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Wednesday rejected a senior federal expert's recommendation to shut down California's last operating nuclear power plant until the agency can determine whether its twin reactors can withstand powerful shaking from nearby earthquake faults."

"The Department of Energy Wednesday granted approval for two facilities in Louisiana and Florida to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) to nearly any country."