"Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives made manifest yesterday how much they dislike President Barack Obama's clean-energy agenda as a House spending panel voted for massive cuts in clean-energy research."

Maine's GOP Governor LePage is punishing a major state newspaper group that exposed his DEP Commissioner Patricia Aho as a shill for her former lobbying clients. He will give them "no comment" from now on.

"President Obama is preparing regulations limiting carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants, senior officials said Wednesday. The move would be the most consequential climate policy step he could take and one likely to provoke legal challenges from Republicans and some industries."

"Ever heard of the World Food Prize? It's sometimes called the "Nobel Prize for food and agriculture," but it has struggled to get people's attention. Prize winners tend to be agricultural insiders, and many are scientists. Last year's laureate, for instance, was Daniel Hillel, a pioneer of water-saving 'micro-irrigation.'"

PETA and other animal-welfare groups go undercover to document animal abuse in various agricultural and scientific facilities. Now, as state legislatures pass "Ag-Gag" laws at the urging of industry, the crime may be exposing it.

"As the Environmental Protection Agency seeks public comment on how to gauge the environmental impact of a proposed gold and copper mine in the Bristol Bay watershed, hundreds of thousands of Americans have weighed in on one side or another."

"An official with the Army Corps of Engineers told a Congressional committee Tuesday it doesn't plan a broad environmental study on exporting coal from the western United States."

"Few religious communities have gone as far in fighting climate change as a church in Queensland, Australia, which has 24 solar panels bolted to the roof in the shape of a Christian cross."

"The White House on Monday threatened to veto the farm bill coming to the House this week."

"The Senate Natural Resources Committee has approved a one-year extension of the Secure Rural Schools Act."

Part 1: "Whose Interests Is Maine’s DEP Commissioner Serving?"

"For two years, public servant Patricia Aho has overseen Maine's environmental protection. But whom does she really serve? A seven-month investigation by the Telegram points to her former corporate clients. ... Overseen by a former chemical industry lobbyist, Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection resists regulations on substances that may be harmful to children and fetuses."

"To protect profits threatened by a lawsuit over its controversial herbicide atrazine, Syngenta Crop Protection launched an aggressive multi-million dollar campaign that included hiring a detective agency to investigate scientists on a federal advisory panel, looking into the personal life of a judge and commissioning a psychological profile of a leading scientist critical of atrazine."

"President Barack Obama may be just a month away from releasing the second-term climate change strategy that activists and donors are waiting impatiently for, although the details and timing appear to still be in flux."

"Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn on Monday signed into law the nation's strictest regulations for high-volume oil and gas drilling."

"Are pro-mining forces trying to sway the Environmental Protection Agency on Pebble Mine?"