Disasters

"Western New York state braced for a fresh wave of heavy snow on Wednesday after a freakish storm swept off the Great Lakes and deposited 5 feet (1.5 meters) of powder in parts of the region, killing at least six people and stranding motorists overnight."

"As sea levels rise, as much as $1.4 trillion worth of coastal property could be threatened with flooding by 2100, by one estimate. But what will it cost to protect those properties? Now comes a hint at the enormous pricetag."

"A winter storm that has brought freezing temperatures to most of the continental U.S. has also dumped several feet of snow on Buffalo and the western parts of New York state and may break local and national records."

"Reversing oil and natural gas pipelines or switching the product they're carrying can have a 'significant impact' on the line's safety and integrity—and 'may not be advisable' in some cases, federal regulators told pipeline companies in a recent advisory."

"As eastside families mourn the deaths of four workers at DuPont's La Porte chemical plant in a toxic gas release early Saturday morning, federal investigators are gathering to begin probing for answers."

"Two years ago, in a preemptive move, Shell sued a host of environmental and advocacy groups to prevent them from suing Shell over its plans to drill for oil in the Arctic. On Wednesday, a federal appeals court called Shell's legal strategy 'novel' and ruled it unconstitutional."

"Don Blankenship, the longtime chief executive officer of Massey Energy, was indicted Thursday on charges that he orchestrated the routine violation of key federal mine safety rules at the company’s Upper Big Branch Mine prior to an April 2010 explosion that killed 29 miners."