"U.S. Senate Republicans on Wednesday said Congress would not approve the Obama administration's $500 million request for its first payment into a United Nations climate fund, a move they said would undermine the upcoming climate change summit in Paris."

"The Energy Department has proposed a 17-year delay in building a complex waste treatment plant at its radioactively contaminated Hanford site in Washington state, pushing back the full start-up for processing nuclear bomb waste to 2039."

"The United States and Cuba signed an agreement Wednesday to join forces and protect the vast array of fish and corals they share as countries separated by just 90 miles (140 kilometers), the first environmental accord since announcing plans to renew diplomatic relations."

"House committee unanimously approves proposed legislation to phase out such personal care products, whose exfoliants can end up in rivers and lakes".

"The political network helmed by Charles and David Koch has quietly built a secretive operation that conducts surveillance and intelligence gathering on its liberal opponents, viewing it as a key strategic tool in its efforts to reshape American public life."

"The clash between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) over a global warming study continued this week, with Smith accusing the agency of 'publicizing' his demand for the internal emails of agency scientists and officials."

"The Senate voted on Tuesday to block President Obama’s tough new climate change regulations, hoping to undermine his negotiating authority before a major international climate summit meeting in Paris this month."

"Environment and food safety groups are pushing the Obama administration to overhaul the nation’s regulations for genetically engineered (GE) plants and animals."

"Fields along the Mississippi River Delta once gleamed white in the autumn with acre upon acre of cotton ready to be picked. But to see the decline of a cash crop once nicknamed 'King Cotton' one need look no further than the 300 acres (121 hectares) that Michael Shelton farms in Clarksdale, Mississippi, about 75 miles (1201 km) down river from Memphis."

"The Senate will vote as early as this week to block President Obama’s climate change rules for power plants."