"Last night, Michael Bromwich, the new director of the Interior Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (formerly known as the Minerals Management Service), circulated an email to staffers outlining new ethics policies for employees who deal with offshore drilling, an attempt to reform his run amuck division's rep for being too cozy with oil and gas interests."

"Tourists on a North Carolina vacation destination island were preparing to board the ferries and head for the mainland early Wednesday and more evacuations could be on the way as powerful Hurricane Earl threatened to sideswipe the East Coast."

"Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) conceded her primary race Tuesday night after she failed to close the gap on attorney Joe Miller in the ongoing vote-counting process." That means Murkowski will be replaced as ranking Republican member of the Senate Energy Committee.

"The Department of Interior issued a new draft policy on scientific integrity on Tuesday, a long overdue addition to the agency's manual outlining the rules and regulations for employees when it comes to ensuring that their decisions are based on sound science."

"They say the ballot initiative to suspend the state's climate change law would hurt low-income communities already suffering the most from pollution."

"The company that runs the trans-Alaska pipeline remains under federal investigation and is in the middle of major changes after an internal probe this summer raised serious concerns about how it handled a major pipeline leak and emergency shutdown in May."

"An Albemarle County [Va.] Circuit Court judge has set aside  a subpoena issued by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to the University of Virginia seeking documents related to the work of climate scientist and former university professor Michael Mann."

EPA and the Transportation Department are considering an overhaul of the mileage stickers you see on the windows of cars in your local dealership.

"Pinpointing the amount of oil lingering in the Gulf of Mexico continues to be a source of frustration for journalists and scientists alike, with multiple, contradictory — if not necessarily 'dueling' —research reports having been published on the subject over the last few weeks."

The algae mats floating in a stretch of California's Bear River look pretty disgusting. The "didymo" -- short for its scientific name, Didymosphenia geminata -- looks something like shredded toilet paper. It also resembles another of its nicknames: "rock snot." Its behavior has changed in recent years, and it is spreading. It appears in trout streams and threatens trout. New Zealand has banned felt-soled wading boots (often used by fly fishers), which can spread it.