Federal ethanol subsidies are hardly dead. They are still a key controversy in climate change, air pollution, the automotive industry, agricultural markets, food prices, budget wars, and the 2012 presidential race. No wonder the media mob descending on Iowa for the Aug. 13 straw poll is getting a free banquet of PR pitches.

The battle over a coal export terminal near Bellingham, Washington, is a symptom of a profound shift in world economic roles.

"A key natural gas pipeline which crosses southern New York state is in danger of rupturing and could pose a safety threat, according to a recent report from regulators."

"The Environmental Protection Agency should order companies such as Schlumberger Ltd. and Halliburton Co. to disclose the hydraulic fracturing chemicals used in U.S. oil and gas drilling, advocacy groups said."

"Shell cleared a major hurdle Thursday in its effort to begin a two-year drilling program in the Arctic Ocean next summer, receiving a conditional exploration permit from the federal agency that oversees offshore oil development."

"The White House budget office raised flags about the first energy loan guarantee awarded under the Obama administration, adding another layer of questions to the taxpayer backed financing now at the center of a House investigation."

"Pine Tree facility in the Tehachapi Mountains faces scrutiny over the deaths of at least six golden eagles, which are protected under federal law. Prosecution would be a major blow to the booming industry."

"The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is concerned that hydraulic fracturing of natural-gas wells near its dams — such as the one at Joe Pool Lake in southwestern Dallas County — could threaten dam safety."

"Across Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, valuable goods are being transported daily. But the goods - crude oil, gasoline and other hazardous liquids, as well as natural gas - are shipped out of sight, through transmission pipelines under the land and waters of the region."