"A federal appeals court on Thursday rejected an effort by environmental and Native American groups to stop exploratory oil drilling off the coast of Alaska that could begin this summer."

"A seven-foot-tall Latin cross in the middle of both the Mojave Desert and a Supreme Court case on the separation of church and state has been stolen, federal officials said Tuesday."

Native Americans in Michigan are trying "to stop an international mining giant from destroying the site where Ojibwa ceremonies have taken place as long as elders can remember."

"The federal government is pressing forward with a policy that could require trees to be stripped from California levees, eliminating what shade and wildlife habitat remain along the state's rivers."

"Industry officials applauded the Obama administration plans to open East Coast waters to oil exploration Tuesday while coastal residents warned about dangers to wildlife, natural beauty and tourism."

"The famous Hollywood sign above Los Angeles, theatened by a development of luxury homes, has been saved and will become part of a public park."

"Political pressure continues to build on Interior Secretary Ken Salazar  as he prepares to announce his decision this week on the fate of a proposed wind farm off the coast of Cape Cod, Mass., that has been stalled for nine years."

An in-depth look at the Grand Canyon ecosystem reveals an unprecedented convergence of threats.

National Geographic takes a breathtaking look at Mount St. Helens, and the Washington ecosystem around it, both as it was before the devastating volcanic eruption of 30 years ago and as it is today after recovery.

"Seventy-five years have passed since the worst of the Dust Bowl, a relentless series of dust storms that ravaged farms and livelihoods in the southern Great Plains that carried a layer of silt as far east as New York City. Today, the lessons learned during that era are more relevant than ever as impending water shortages and more severe droughts threaten broad swaths of the nation."

"Federal government scientists say a 'growing body of evidence' shows that mountaintop removal coal mining is destroying Appalachian forests and dangerously polluting vital headwater streams."

"The drying up of the Aral Sea is one of the planet's most shocking environmental disasters, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Sunday as he urged Central Asian leaders to step up efforts to solve the problem."

"The Obama administration on Thursday imposed strict new environmental guidelines that are expected to sharply curtail 'mountaintop' coal mining, a controversial practice that has enriched Appalachia's economy while rearranging its topography."

"CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- The federal government cleared the way for the expansion of one of the nation's biggest coal mines Thursday over the concerns of environmentalists who said the coal could contribute to climate change."

"Shell Oil has crossed another hurdle in its plans to drill three exploratory petroleum wells in the Arctic Ocean. The Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday it had approved a clean air permit for Shell to operate its drilling ship in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska's northwest coast."