National (U.S.)

"Pesticides bring major benefits to modern agriculture, keeping dangerous bugs and fungi and pathogens at bay while boosting yields and making farming more efficient. But what about risks? Like any chemicals — manmade or not — pesticides can be bad for human health and ecosystems if they’re toxic enough and the amount that ends up in the environment is high enough. It’s often tough, however, to get a clear picture of the full array of problems a pesticide may cause."

"At least nine oil workers have died since 2010 from inhaling toxic amounts of vapors while measuring crude oil in storage tanks at well sites, according to new findings by federal researchers."

"The top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee joined the Environmental Protection Agency Monday in criticizing the House GOP’s efforts to weaken the Obama administration’s climate rule for power plants."

"A group of Harvard University students are calling for the school to sell off its investments in fossil fuel companies. Protesters began blocking the entrance to the main administration building Sunday night."

"For years, coal supporters have been saying that a turnaround is just around the corner. China's demand is about to pick up, domestic environmental regulations will be struck down and we'll fire up coal plants again, or clean coal is here! Let's face it: Coal is dead, and it's been a long time coming."

"The Obama administration on Monday proposed a new regulation for offshore oil and gas rigs intended to improve equipment standards and well designs and avoid a catastrophic spill like the one in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010."

"The Obama administration will release a new rule as soon as Monday that aims to prevent offshore drilling disasters like the major Gulf of Mexico oil spill five years ago."

"FABENS, Tex. — On maps, the mighty Rio Grande meanders 1,900 miles, from southern Colorado’s San Juan Mountains to the Gulf of Mexico. But on the ground, farms and cities drink all but a trickle before it reaches the canal that irrigates Bobby Skov’s farm outside El Paso, hundreds of miles from the gulf."

In the first three months of this year, the number of active coal miners in West Virginia dropped from 18,200 to 15,604.

"Environmental groups are going to fight like hell against Republicans in the 2016 presidential election, but they have no intention of going easy on Hillary Clinton either."