"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved an aquifer exemption for a coal gasification pilot project in Campbell County [Wyoming] this week, drawing criticism from landowners worried that the facility could contaminate a potential source of drinking water."

Removal of two dams on the Elwha River on Washington's Olympic Peninsula is allowing years of sediment and debris to make its way downstream and salmon to make their way upstream. Here's a stunning firsthand look at the river then and now.

Oysters have been the foundation of a booming business for the Hog Island Oyster Company in Northern California. But ocean acidification as a result of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide is threatening that.

"The U.S. Coast Guard and other responders are not adequately equipped or prepared for a “heavy oil” spill on the Great Lakes, according to a Coast Guard commander who is pushing for action."

"Some of the more than 500 million pounds (220 million kg) of pesticides used yearly in the United States are concentrated at levels that pose a concern for fish and water-dwelling insects, the U.S. Geological Survey report on pesticides from 1992 to 2011 said. The levels seldom topped human health standards."

"Water pollution disasters in Mexico have turned into political battles as officials struggled Wednesday to blame each other for the problems."

"A day after the National Audubon Society released a report saying that about half of North America’s 650 bird species will be threatened by climate change, a report released Tuesday by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and other federal agencies concluded that nearly one-third of American birds are in trouble."

"PENN COVE, Wash. – Cookie tray in hand and lifejacket around chest, Laura Newcomb looks more like a confused baker than a marine biologist. But the University of Washington researcher is dressed for work."

"DINUBA — Growing up in Mexico, Maria Rodriguez remembers hauling water from a stream to the shack where her parents and their nine children lived. Indoor plumbing was not an option."