Environment

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a move that conservationists and tribes called a potential breakthrough, President Joe Biden has directed federal agencies to use all available authorities and resources to restore “healthy and abundant” salmon runs in the Columbia River Basin. Biden's order... Read More

ALPINE, Ore. (AP) — The U.S. West Coast produces over 90% of America's wine, but the region is also prone to wildfires — a combustible combination that spelled disaster for the industry in 2020 and one that scientists are scrambling to neutralize.... Read More

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Monday rejected an attempt by the state of Utah to block the Environmental Protection Agency from enforcing a plan to protect downwind states from smog that blows from... Read More

LAKE CHARLES, La. — A federal judge has ordered the Interior Department to proceed with a pending oil and gas lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico without last-minute restrictions added to protect an endangered species of whale. U.S. District... Read More

WASHINGTON — In a bid to further kick-start the green economy that is key to both his climate and economic plan, President Joe Biden on Wednesday used his executive powers to create the American Climate Corps, the nation’s first large-scale... Read More

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A long stretch of hot, dry weather has left the Mississippi River so low that barge companies are reducing their loads just as Midwest farmers are preparing to harvest crops and send tons of corn and soybeans... Read More

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Two major offshore wind power projects are taking steps forward in New Jersey as the owners of one project agreed to bring the federal government in on their environmental monitoring plans at an earlier stage... Read More

WASHINGTON — People living in areas with high levels of particulate air pollution are likely to experience an increased incidence of breast cancer, according to a new study conducted by National Institutes of Health researchers. Their work, published in the... Read More

WASHINGTON — From the National Mall here in Washington to points far north and south of our region along the Eastern Seaboard, a sizzling, post-Labor Day heat wave has people scrambling for ways to stay cool and safe. All three... Read More

PENDLETON, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge has found that a Trump-era rule change that allowed for the logging of old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest violates several laws. U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew Hallman on Thursday found that the U.S.... Read More

NEW YORK (AP) — The Clinton Global Initiative 2023 will convene “leaders, innovators and dreamers” – ranging from World Bank President Ajay Banga and The Bahamas’ Prime Minister Philip E. Davis to Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, World Central Kitchen founder... Read More

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Nearly $3 billion in settlement money from the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster that devastated the Gulf Coast and killed hundreds of thousands of marine animals is now funding a massive ecosystem restoration in southeastern Louisiana’s Plaquemines Parish. The... Read More

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. — President Joe Biden will designate a new national monument near the Grand Canyon on Tuesday, permanently banning new uranium mining in the area while protecting land sacred to the Hopi and other Indigenous peoples.... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — At least two people died, thousands of U.S. flights were canceled or delayed, and more than 1.1 million homes and businesses lost power Monday as severe storms, including hail and lightning, moved through the eastern U.S. The... Read More

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking the public’s input on its plan to develop and update its Bison and Elk Management Plan on the 24,700-acre National Elk Refuge in west central Wyoming. The comment period is... Read More

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Waves are getting bigger and surf at least 13 feet (about 4 meters) tall is becoming more common off California’s coast as the planet warms, according to innovative new research that tracked the increasing height from... Read More

WASHINGTON — Three conservation groups sued the Biden administration Monday for declining to restrict lead ammunition and fishing tackle at a West Virginia wildlife refuge. They say the hunting and fishing gear could hurt wildlife, such as bald eagles and... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Friday proposed revisions to federal agencies’ environmental reviews that would require them to more closely consider climate change and environmental justice in any new projects. The proposed rule change would help fulfill President Joe... Read More

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The largest dam removal project in United States history is underway along the California-Oregon border — a process that won't conclude until the end of next year with the help of heavy machinery and explosives. But in some... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday tossed a lower court order blocking the construction of the final stretch of the $6.6 billion Mountain Valley natural-gas pipeline that will run from West Virginia’s northwestern border to southern Virginia.  In a... Read More

The last few years have shown us just how fragile our agriculture and food production systems can be. Whether driven by the war in Ukraine, extreme weather events or the COVID-19 disruption, we have seen how important continued access to... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration will hold the first-ever offshore wind energy lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico on Aug. 29. According to the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the areas to be auctioned have the potential... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency disregarded ethanol production's impact on endangered species and other aspects of the environment when it issued the latest iteration of its annual renewable fuel standards, a new lawsuit claims. The agency published its “final... Read More

WASHINGTON — The District of Columbia’s attorney general sued 25 chemical companies this week in a lawsuit that adds to a widening array of claims over the production and sale of materials that contain PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals.”... Read More

WASHINGTON — Climate change again became an impassioned topic during a congressional hearing Friday as lawmakers struggled to figure out who will pay for the costs floods, droughts, hurricanes and wildfires impose on consumers. “It’s clear losses are getting larger... Read More

DETROIT — Automotive giant General Motors is partnering with SunPower, a residential solar power provider, to develop a new residential energy system that will enable GM’s electric vehicles to provide backup energy to consumers’ homes. As part of the agreement,... Read More

MADISON, Wis. — Once a honey bee gives its heart to a flower patch it is far more faithful than the roving bumble bee. In fact, 76% of honey bees in a recent study revisited the same plot of alfalfa... Read More

From climate change to species loss and pollution, humans have etched their impact on the Earth with such strength and permanence since the middle of the 20th century that a special team of scientists says a new geologic epoch began... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Department of Agriculture is investing $188 million in the conservation of what the Biden administration has deemed some of the most economically and ecologically significant forestlands in the nation.   The funding will support 34 projects to conserve... Read More

HOUSTON — ExxonMobil has signed a carbon capture agreement with Nucor Corporation, one of North America’s largest steel producers. Under the terms of the agreement ExxonMobil’s Low Carbon Solutions division will capture, transport and store up to 800,000 metric tons... Read More