National (U.S.)

"The agency has needed Congress to approve extra disaster relief funds every year over roughly the past decade to handle mounting climate-related damage."

"WASHINGTON — From climate change to natural gas, energy issues have figured prominently in all of President Barack Obama’s annual State of the Union addresses. Expect the same on Tuesday night, when Obama goes before a joint session of Congress and a nationally televised audience to deliver his assessment of the United States’ health and pitch his policy priorities for the nation."

"This month's chemical spill in West Virginia reveals a weak web of rules on chemical use."

"Negotiators agreed Monday evening on a new five-year Farm Bill that slashes about $23 billion in federal spending by ending direct payments to farmers, consolidating dozens of Agriculture Department programs and by cutting about $8 billion in food stamp assistance."

"The Food and Drug Administration has continued to allow dozens of antibiotics to be used in livestock feed, despite findings from its researchers that the drugs could expose humans to antibiotic-resistant bacteria through the food supply, an environmental advocacy group said in a report Monday."

"The fact that a second contaminant in West Virginia's drinking water eluded detection for nearly two weeks — despite intense testing of the water — reveals an important truth about how companies test drinking water: In most cases, they only find the contaminants they're looking for." ...

"They are gaudy. They are hungry. And they are invading coral reefs and devouring native fish throughout the Caribbean. They are lionfish, and they are multiplying like crazy."

"CASSELTON, N.D. — Kerry’s Kitchen is where Casselton residents gather for gossip and comfort food, especially the caramel rolls baked fresh every morning. But a fiery rail accident last month only a half mile down the tracks, which prompted residents to evacuate the town, has shattered this calm, along with people’s confidence in the crude-oil convoys that rumble past Kerry’s seven times a day."

"SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — In conservative politics, solar power is often dismissed as an affectation, part of a liberal agenda to funnel money to 'solar cronies' of the Obama administration and further the 'global warming hoax.' So one would not expect to see Barry Goldwater Jr., the very picture of modern conservatism and son of the 1964 Republican nominee for president, arguing passionately on behalf of solar energy customers."

"The Volokh Conspiracy, a blog of climate conspiracy theorists, is now part of the Washington Post."