"Leaked documents indicate that the US Chamber of Commerce hired a private firm to gather information about the families and children of its progressive political opponents."
"In an unusual scenario that raises questions of conflict of interest, a company that conducts research on behalf of the pesticide industry has paid a U.S. government agency to help prove some controversial chemicals are safe."
"President Obama’s budget, released Monday, essentially treads water on energy and the environment, trying to maintain momentum for alternative energy research even as it cuts deeply into some environmental protection programs."
"Thawing permafrost is triggering mudslides onto a key road traveled by busloads of sightseers. Tall bushes newly sprouted on the tundra are blocking panoramic views. And glaciers are receding from convenient viewing areas, while their rapid summer melt poses new flood risks. These are just a few of the ways that a rapidly warming climate is reshaping Denali, Kenai Fjords and other national parks comprising the crown jewels of Alaska's heritage as America's last frontier."
Three House Republicans have asked newly installed Appropriations chairmen to zero out NASA climate research. This would effectively end scientists' ability to measure changes in climate.
"An Indiana County [PA] power plant deemed one of the nation's biggest polluters operated without federally mandated permits even though it was inspected more than 1,100 times by state officials during the past 25 years, according to state records."
"As Thursday dawned, the extent of the explosion and fire in central Allentown became starkly visible: half a block reduced to cinders by a catastrophe that killed five people, displaced scores from their homes and raised fears about the soundness of the aged gas pipelines beneath the city."
The Keystone XL pipeline, awaiting President Obama's decision on a permit, would import heavy oil from Canada's oil sands to the U.S. It could also mean big bucks for the billionaire Koch brothers, who have avowed themselves Obama's political enemies.
The insurance industry has been battered financially by extreme weather events in recent years. Now it is seeking ways to reduce losses -- including research into hurricane-resistant houses.
"Screaming headlines this week threatened of a wild oyster 'apocalypse' and told foodies to eat up before these precious bivalves become extinct. ... But Julie Qiu, who writes an all-things-oyster blog called In A Half Shell, says, 'Stop panicking and get the facts.'"
