"Regulators in the United States knew they had to act fast. A train hauling 2 million gallons of crude oil from North Dakota had exploded in the Canadian town of Lac-Megantic, killing 47 people. Now they had to assure Americans a similar disaster wouldn’t happen south of the border, where the U.S. oil boom is sending highly volatile crude oil every day over aging, often defective rails in vulnerable railcars."

"A ProPublica analysis of federal government data adds new details to what’s known about the routes taken by trains carrying crude oil. Local governments are often unaware of the potential dangers they face."

"If you're heading to the airport to fly to the East Coast for Thanksgiving, expect delays of three to six hours."

"The United States used only 34 percent of its total coal export capacity and does not need additional terminals, according to a new report that casts doubt on plans to develop new ports on the Columbia River."

"Local activists try to halt the shipment of explosive Bakken crude oil through their neighborhoods."

"A disabled Russian cargo ship was en route to port in British Columbia for repairs and the rescue operation was declared officially over Sunday. Now the debate begins."

"Mountain lions in Southern California are under growing pressure from a shrinking gene pool, fragmented by highways and urban sprawl that has left the cats' territories increasingly isolated from each other, a study published on Wednesday showed."