"Royal Dutch Shell said an oil sheen near two of its offshore Gulf of Mexico oil and natural gas platforms was dissipating Thursday, and it was 'very confident' its installations were not to blame."

"We spend lots of time these days focused on children bullied by their classmates at school, at play, and online. ... Bullying is the nicest word to use in describing the recent spate of irresponsible attacks on climate scientists."

"ASHEVILLE, North Carolina, April 10, 2012 (ENS) - Record-high temperatures prevailed across the eastern two-thirds of the nation in March, adding up to the warmest March for the lower 48 states since recordkeeping began in 1895, the National Climatic Data Center reports."

"Scientists find that all 93 strains of bacteria collected from deep inside Lechuguilla Cave at Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico are already resistant to at least one of the antibiotics we use to fight infections."

"YAKIMA -- The U.S. will pay more than $1 billion to settle a series of lawsuits brought by American Indian tribes over mismanagement of tribal money and trust lands, under a settlement announced Wednesday. The agreement resolves claims brought by 41 tribes -- including some in Washington state -- to reclaim money lost in mismanaged accounts and from royalties for oil, gas, grazing and timber rights on tribal lands."

"Myriad agencies have investigated BP's Gulf of Mexico oil spill, but the owner of the rig that exploded and sank wants to draw the line at the one designated by Congress to probe disasters involving deadly chemical blasts and releases."

T"he U.S. Chemical Safety Board, which investigates chemical explosions in the same manner the National Transportation Safety Board investigates airplane crashes, launched its first offshore investigation shortly after the 2010 explosion killed 11 workers and allowed more than 4 million barrels of crude to foul the gulf.

"Lloyd's of London, the world's biggest insurance market, has become the first major business organisation to raise its voice about huge potential environmental damage from oil drilling in the Arctic."

"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said [Wednesday] it is calling on the nation's pork, beef, and poultry producers to reduce their use of antibiotics. But some watchdog groups say this voluntary guidance doesn't go nearly far enough."

"News of Wisconsin's rare spring heat wave traveled far -- even black-necked stilts, blue-gray gnatcatchers and Savannah sparrows knew March felt like July. So they revised their travel plans."

After 18 months of resistance from the White House Office of Management and Budget, the US EPA has withdrawn proposed guidelines for cleaning up dioxin-contaminated soil at polluted sites. EPA says other guidelines issued in the meanwhile made them unnecessesary. Environmental groups condemned the move and the chemical industry applauded it.