"More U.S. coal-fired power plants could retire due to environmental regulations and weaker-than-expected electric demand, costing the industry up to $144 billion, economists at consultancy Brattle Group said."

Murray Energy's CEO Robert Murray has raised money for GOP politicians all over the country. In August Presidential candidate Mitt Romney used Murray's Century Mine in the battleground state of Ohio for a speech attacking President Obama as "anti-coal." Century employees were forced to attend without pay, and later featured in Romney campaign ads. Now it appears that salaried Murray employees are being coerced to give money to the company's political action committee and to GOP candidates chosen by the company.

"In the worst wildfire season on record, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service ran out of money to pay for firefighters, fire trucks and aircraft that dump retardant on monstrous flames."

"The premiere of a Hollywood film featuring hydraulic fracturing is months away, but the energy industry already is preparing for battle."

"The U.S. federal budget fight might prevent a timely study of the country's new energy bonanza, a senior official said, and stands in the way of data that could help ease volatility that is costly to energy companies and traders alike."

"ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The group aiming to develop a giant copper and gold mine in the Bristol Bay area is vetting the scientific studies that underlay its work, turning to a Colorado-based non-profit with expertise in environmental conflict resolution. But critics of the proposed Pebble mine are having little of it."

"It is the issue most notable by its absence in the 2012 presidential race. But the environment may yet have an impact this election as campaign groups target the vulnerable congressional seats of Republicans who dismiss the dangers of climate change."

"DENVER -- The deep division between President Barack Obama’s green energy policies and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney’s preference for coal and tar sands oil were apparent in their first presidential debate tonight in Denver."

"Challenged by Obama to explain his plan for the country if he is elected on November 6, Romney replied, 'My plan has five basic parts. One, get us energy independent, North American energy independent. That creates about four million jobs.'

"At 9:30 a.m. on a warm day in March, eight men and two women stepped off Pennsylvania Avenue and into the northwest gate of the White House. They were top-level refining executives from the world's largest oil companies, Chevron Corp., Marathon Petroleum Corp. and BP PLC, escorted by Jack Gerard, the brash president of the American Petroleum Institute, the oil industry's top lobby."