"As the cal­en­dar flips closer to Sept. 30, the talk on Cap­it­ol Hill is dom­in­ated by Planned Par­ent­hood and the loom­ing gov­ern­ment shut­down. But some fear that lost in the shuffle is an­oth­er, much smal­ler dead­line that could go un­ad­dressed."

"More than half the members of the U.S. Senate are urging chamber leadership to pass a bill reauthorizing a federal conservation program before it expires at the end of the month."

"A popular fund that has supported hundreds of parks around the country is set to go away in less than two weeks, and Congressional dithering is to blame."

"Land degradation, such as a spread of deserts in parts of Africa, costs the world economy trillions of dollars a year and may drive tens of millions of people from their homes, a U.N.-backed study said on Tuesday."

"Politicians, activists, tribes and media outlets have expressed shock at last month's abandoned mine spill in Colorado, which sent 3 million gallons of polluted water down the Animas River. But environmental advocates and groups that have for decades been trying to clean up the legacy of unregulated mining say the incident pales in comparison to the broader problem of tens of thousands of mines leaking across the country."

"QASSIARSUK, Greenland — Carl and Ellen Frederiksen gazed anxiously at a spot on the snow-flecked mountain behind their village. The sheepdogs had been running back and forth, and they feared a lamb was trapped on one of the slopes."

"Steering his Toyota 4Runner through a dirt path in the town of Cerrillos, Todd Brown points to one of the piles of waste rock that have been sitting for decades in one of the most mineral-rich mining districts in the state."

"After years of neglect, the site of the long-closed U.S. Steel Duluth Works may be be on the verge of revitalization."