"They dribble out regularly — Energy Department rules or 'standards' that require ever improving levels of energy efficiency for dishwashers, refrigerators, and much more. On Thursday, though, the Department dumped what it is describing as the 'largest energy-saving standard in history' and one that 'will save more energy than any other standard issued by the Department to date' — a standard governing commercial air conditioners and furnaces."

"These days in Congress, not even strong bipartisan support seems to guarantee a bill’s success. But the Republicans and Democrats who backed a U.S. Senate bill to overhaul the nation’s environmental safety law for industrial chemicals refused to give up. Overcoming a thicket of procedural barriers, they won a signature victory [Thursday night] as the Senate unanimously approved, on a voice vote, an overhaul of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)."

"MPs have voted to allow fracking under Britain’s national parks, drawing accusations that the government has sneaked the measure through parliament without a proper debate."

In a complex legal settlement with the Sierra Club, Ohio's American Electric Power Company would eventually convert three coal-burning plants totalling 1,500 megawatts to natural gas and bring online 900 megawatts of wind and solar.

"A U.S. appeals court said on Tuesday Obama administration regulations limiting emissions of mercury and other toxic pollutants can remain in effect while the government revises the rules in response to a recent Supreme Court ruling."

"The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) finalized a new rule Monday that will require all producers of raw ground beef to keep records of where the meat has come from."

"Food companies are mounting an aggressive year-end push to head off mandatory labeling of genetically modified foods."

"CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A federal judge is set to hear the state's request to dismiss a lawsuit filed by groups challenging Wyoming laws enacted this year that restrict data collection on open land."

"State and city regulators need to do a better job enforcing laws meant to protect children from lead poisoning if the longtime health scourge is ever to be eliminated, key lawmakers and community leaders said Monday."

"The US is set to ban personal care products that contain microbeads after the House of Representatives approved a bill that would phase out the environmentally-harmful items."