National (U.S.)

"Two months ago, as the busy summer season was winding down at Yellowstone National Park, 3-year-old Ella Marie Tucker found her father's gun and shot herself."

"WASHINGTON -- The Keystone XL pipeline section from the oil transport hub of Cushing, Okla., to the Texas Gulf Coast is plagued by construction problems, code violations and improper inspection and shouldn't be allowed to operate until the government steps up oversight, the watchdog group Public Citizen argued in a report Tuesday."

"The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) on Thursday announced president Frances Beinecke will retire at the end of 2014.

"Environmental regulators are likely to unveil rules on Friday dictating how much ethanol and other renewable fuels must be blended into the U.S. gasoline supply in 2014, following weeks of lobbying by the oil and biofuels industries, industry sources who have been briefed on the process said on Thursday."

"WASHINGTON -– Walmart, the world's largest retailer, has received positive press in recent years for its promises to go green. The company began issuing an annual Global Responsibility Report in 2005. It announced plans to slash emissions in its supply chain in 2010. The company pledged this year to expand the use of renewable energy. But according to a report released Wednesday, Walmart's green pledges remain more hype than reality."

As science celebs praised Carl Sagan for the opening of a collection of his papers at the Library of Congress, they also lamented the mounting attacks on science by opponents of climate change controls.

"MIAMI -- A day before federal wildlife officials are set to send a message to poachers by destroying 6 tons of ivory, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced a $1 million reward program to combat the illegal wildlife trafficking trade."

"House lawmakers are expressing optimism about a landmark Senate compromise to reform the country’s chemical safety law."

"In the mountain streams of the American West, the trout rules. People don't just catch this fish; they honor it. And spend lots of money pursuing it. But some western trout may be in trouble. Rivers and streams are getting warmer and there's often less water in them. Scientists suspect a changing climate is threatening this iconic fish."