National (U.S.)

"Companies with a financial interest in a weed-killer sometimes found in drinking water paid for thousands of studies federal regulators are using to assess the herbicide’s health risks, records  of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency show. Many of these industry-funded studies, which largely support atrazine’s safety, have never been published or subjected to an independent scientific peer review."

"A federal appeals court on Thursday turned down the Obama administration’s effort to enforce a six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico."

"In response to a challenge from environmentalists, U.S. EPA has agreed to examine its air pollution rules for 28 industry sectors within the next eight years, setting the stage for review of the emissions control technologies used by large sectors including the paper, furniture and aerospace industries."

"Congressional budget experts say a climate and energy bill now stalled in the Senate would reduce the federal deficit by about $19 billion over the next decade."

"New Orleans, which managed to escape the oil from the BP spill for more than two months, can't hide any longer. For the first time since the accident, oil from the ruptured well is seeping into Lake Pontchartrain."

"Oily beaches and lost livelihoods are the visible effects of the massive well leaking into the Gulf Coast. But consequences that are harder to spot are starting to get more attention now, like the need for mental health care."

"Waste Management on Wednesday began dumping oil-coated materials from Mississippi coast beaches into the Pecan Grove landfill, which it is permitted to do, but which is an activity local officials are against."

Workers on the massive project to clean oil from Prince William sound after the Exxon Valdez spill two decades ago are struggling with severe health problems. CNN investigates whether Gulf oil spill cleanup workers face the same fate.

"Where would Jesus drill? Religious leaders who consider environmental protection a godly mission are making the Gulf of Mexico oil spill a rallying cry, hoping it inspires people of faith to support cleaner energy while changing their personal lives to consume less and contemplate more."