"California has completed the highest number of goals to prepare for climate change, followed by Massachusetts and New York, according to a first-of-its-kind 50-state tracking tool unveiled Thursday."

"A surprising hot spot of the potent global-warming gas methane hovers over part of the southwestern U.S., according to satellite data."

"Senators Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) sounded the alarm Thursday in Miami Beach about the potentially crippling effects that climate change and rising sea levels could have on the city, accusing skeptics of 'avoiding reality.'"

"Soccer coach Amy Griffin was in a Seattle hospital visiting a young goalie who was receiving chemotherapy when a nurse said something that made the hair on Griffin’s neck stand up."

"President Barack Obama is planning to designate 346,000 acres within the San Gabriel Mountains northeast of Los Angeles as a national monument, a step supporters say will ensure better stewardship in one of the nation's most heavily visited forests but worries some local officials because of potential restrictions."

"The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent potential changes to the standard for ground-level ozone to the White House Office of Management and Budget on Wednesday."

"Lease programs are emerging as a safer, more environmentally friendly way to manage chemicals."

"The average fuel economy of new US cars and trucks hit a record 24.1 miles per gallon (mpg) last year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Overall fuel economy for new cars and trucks has risen almost 5 mpg since 2004."

"Pennsylvania environmental regulators are pursuing a record $4.5 million fine against a gas driller over what they describe as a major case of pollution from a leaking waste pit."

"The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) has launched a grassroots operation to mobilize its members as volunteers in nine Senate races that they say are crucial to environmental progress."