Watch for the National Academies to release more climate change and energy reports this month, on alternative liquid transportation fuels, energy efficiency, renewables and economic impacts of greenhouse gas mitigation.

On March 6 a coalition of major ethanol producers (Growth Energy) formally requested that EPA raise the cap on the amount of ethanol that can be blended into US gasoline. EPA has 270 days to respond.

Researchers with EPA's Office of Policy, Economics, and Innovation has found that residential development in some metro areas has moved from suburbs and exurbs to infill development within urban areas.

Recently released studies show that the problem of ever-increasing GHG emissions in the US could be even worse than the current data indicate, as additional substances are added to the list. A proposed EPA rule may help, if finalized.

After years of effort, and despite a last-minute gambit by the outgoing President Bush, US policy for offshore energy development is going back to the drawing board. DOI is extending by six months the public comment period on the country's 5-year plan.

USGS is scheduled to release on March 27, 2009, a report on the agency's analysis of 219 contaminants and physical and chemical properties that it investigated in 2,100 private drinking water wells in 48 states.

A new federal interagency effort, intended to improve and deliver topographic information from across the US, may end up yielding significant benefits to journalists and the communities they serve.

A recent CERES/Pacific Institute report identifies water-related risks specific to eight key industries, and offers good sources on calculating and using water footprints.

A new map and report by the Center for Public Integrity make it easier to pinpoint exact locations of coal-ash deposits, a waste product of coal-fired power plants.

At the request of Congress, the National Academy of Sciences is hosting the two-day "America's Climate Choices" in Washington, DC.