"Huge proposed coal export terminals at Longview and Cherry Point, north of Bellingham, must get “exhaustive and independent review” of potential environmental, economic and climate change impacts, Washington’s four Catholic bishops said in a statement adopted Friday."

"The Obama administration may be about to hand the oil industry a major victory by reducing the federal requirement for blending ethanol into fuel — a decision with big implications for farm-state politics, food prices and the nation’s energy markets."

"The US will lead the world in oil production for two decades starting in 2015, according to a new report. After that, OPEC will reassert its dominance in oil production."

"CORYDON, Iowa -- The hills of southern Iowa bear the scars of America's push for green energy: The brown gashes where rain has washed away the soil. The polluted streams that dump fertilizer into the water supply."

"Winona will be the first U.S. city to monitor pollution from trucks hauling frac sand en route to fracking operations."

"GUN BARREL CITY — For nearly 83 years, Jim Howell was hardly one to cause a political ruckus. But this spring, he realized that a crude oil superhighway ran through his backyard — just two feet below his patchy lawn and seven feet beyond a newly built porch displaying a sign declaring 'cowpokes welcome.'"

"A World Bank-backed coal plant in South Africa is seeking to delay the implementation of pollution controls, a request that is raising new concerns about the bank's ability to enforce environmental standards on projects it supports."

"The second explosive oil-train derailment this year, which has finally burned out in rural Alabama, may raise new questions about the safety of the crude-by-rail boom, pointing to problems beyond those that surfaced following the earlier tragedy in Quebec."

"The North American energy industry's reputation for ironclad secrecy is starting to crack as producers discover a little transparency can help save millions of dollars."

"Dan Utech, a longtime Washington insider, has been named as President Barack Obama's new advisor on energy and climate change, a White House official said."