"A few miles off the coast of Block Island, part of Rhode Island, a small flotilla has been gathering: crane vessels, tugboats and barges that began this week installing the 1,500-ton foundations of the nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm."

"Conservationists are praising a rare bit of bipartisan cooperation in Congress to fund a program for public areas and historic and wilderness lands."

"More than $240 million worth of natural gas leaks from the country's interstate pipeline network each year, according to new research led by Colorado State University."

"The leaders of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee unveiled an energy reform package Wednesday that includes some major policy priorities from both Republicans and Democrats."

"It’s growing increasingly difficult to see a light at the end of the tunnel that the U.S. Chemical Safety Board finds itself in these days."

"The U.S. Department of Transportation warned railroads that they must continue to notify states of large crude oil shipments after several states reported not getting updated information for as long as a year."

"The U.S. House voted Wednesday to grant states the authority to regulate the disposal of ash from coal-fired power plants and to roll back some of the new federal safety standards scheduled to take effect later this year."

"The Obama administration cleared the way on Wednesday for Shell to start drilling in the Arctic Ocean this summer, but the safety restrictions it is imposing could slow the pace at which rigs strike oil."

"House Republicans have unveiled a package of bills aimed at bringing the country’s energy infrastructure, reliability and other energy matters into the modern era."

"The government has unveiled sweeping plans to cut subsidies to the renewable energy sector, saying costs are out of control and the consumer must be protected from soaring bills."