"With 360 days a year of pure, unclouded sun, California's Imperial Valley has the potential to become the Silicon Valley of renewable energy."

"A controversial e-mail message buried by the Bush administration because of its conclusions on global warming surfaced Tuesday, nearly two years after it was first sent to the White House and never opened."

"A powerful fall storm packing strong winds and rain drenched fire-scarred hillsides around California on Wednesday, and residents from north to south braced for possible mudslides and debris flows."

"A house capable of floating atop rising floodwaters made its debut [Oct. 6] in New Orleans."

"Prisons probably aren't the first place you'd expect to find organic gardens or beekeeping. But in some prisons in western Washington, inmates are being taught new skills and getting involved in conservation work."

A bipartisan op-ed in the New York Times, penned by Sens. John Kerry and Lindsay Graham, set off a new round of speculation about the prospects for a climate bill. GOP support may be attracted by fast-tracking new nuclear plants, more offshore drilling, and subsidies for fossil fuels.

State lawmakers in some states are overriding local ordinances that ban drying laundry outdoors. While some people like clotheslines as an energy-saver, others think them an eyesore.

"The shape of a broader climate pact is clearer after marathon talks in the Thai capital, the United Nations said on Friday, as rich nations were urged not to ditch the Kyoto Protocol or dodge tough emissions cuts."

"The Obama administration is taking on Cheerios. And popular cold remedies and swimming pool drains and rhinestones on children's clothing."

"Under rules to be proposed this week, the Department of Veterans Affairs plans to add Parkinson's disease, ischemic heart disease and hairy-cell leukemia to the growing list of illnesses presumed to have been caused by Agent Orange, the toxic defoliant used widely in Vietnam."

Allegheny Energy's Hatfield's Ferry coal-burning electric power plant finally reduced its air pollution by installing scrubbers. But the scrubbers dump many tons of wastewater and pollutants into the Monongahela River, which provides drinking water for 350,000 people.

"In a sign that a deal addressing California's longstanding water supply problems may be near, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger convened a special session of the Legislature on Monday to revisit a package of water bills."

"A tidy village dedicated to the future of green, solar-powered living has taken over the heart of the National Mall, where 20 teams of college students are vying to see who can build the most appealing energy-efficient home."

"The Obama administration’s new plan to show that salmon and hydroelectric dams can coexist along the Columbia and Snake Rivers is not all that different from the Bush administration’s old plan, according to critics who want a federal judge to rule against it."

"Citing danger to marine life, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration opposes opening large tracts of coast to drilling and recommends buffer zones off Santa Barbara."