"BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has designated the Ozark hellbender as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act. Hellbenders are among the world's largest salamanders. The Ozark hellbender inhabits the White River system in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas."

"DETROIT -- Transit providers across the United States will receive a share of $928.5 million in federal funds for more than 300 public transportation projects in urban, suburban, and rural areas, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced Monday."

"MIAMI -- Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is in South Florida to learn about the progress of the Tamiami Trail Bridge Project.

A press release says Salazar and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe on Thursday will be highlighting the Department's work to help preserve and protect America's great outdoors."

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel had the story October 20, 2011. [11]

"HELENA, Mont. -- BP lawyers are asking a judge to dismiss a Montana lawsuit that alleges the oil giant took millions of dollars in insurance money and then left the state with the bill for cleaning contamination from leaky underground storage tanks."

Matt Volz reports for the Associated Press October 19, 2011. [14]

"WASHINGTON, DC -- Hundreds of the world's largest investors, representing more than $20 trillion in assets, today encouraged governments and international policy makers to take new legally-enforceable steps to combat climate change at the upcoming UN climate summit in Durban, South Africa."

"ZANESVILLE -- Jonathan Merry said he was seven feet away from being attacked by a black bear. It was one of several harrowing encounters the 25-year-old Muskingum County sheriff's deputy faced as he and others were confronted by dozens of exotic animals escaping from a 73-acre farm in western Muskingum County."

"Seven American makers of solar panels filed a broad trade case in Washington against the Chinese solar industry on Wednesday, accusing it of using billions of dollars in government subsidies to help gain sales in the American market.

The companies also accused China of dumping solar panels in the United States for less than it costs to manufacture and ship them.

"Children's asthma-related emergency room visits rise in the San Joaquin Valley at a similar rate as fine particulate levels do -- even on days where air quality is considered in the moderate range.

That's a key finding of a yearlong study by the Central Valley Health Policy Institute at Fresno State, which examined the short-term impacts of air quality changes in Bakersfield, Fresno and Modesto.

"A breakthrough in oil cleanup technology allows crews to skim spilled oil off the water's surface at a much faster rate. The new device wasn't developed by Exxon, BP or any of the major oil companies — it's the work of Elastec/American Marine, based in Illinois. And the design won the company a rich prize from the X Prize Foundation.

Oil is attracted to plastic. And water is not. That, in essence, is the basis of Elastec's new skimmer.

"Gavin Schmidt, the climate modeler at NASA and Columbia University who has long endured the slings and arrows that come with blogging on climate, has now gained a laurel for his efforts — the inaugural $25,000 Climate Communications Prize of the American Geophysical Union. [The geophysical union release is now posted.]"