"Screaming headlines this week threatened of a wild oyster 'apocalypse' and told foodies to eat up before these precious bivalves become extinct. ... But Julie Qiu, who writes an all-things-oyster blog called In A Half Shell, says, 'Stop panicking and get the facts.'"

"Tea party favorites on and off Capitol Hill have taken different approaches to EPA's future in recent weeks."

"Scientific research, environmental protection and other priorities of the Obama administration would face steep cuts under a congressional Republican spending plan released Wednesday."

"Ten whooping cranes, the most endangered species of crane in the world, will be reintroduced in a Louisiana conservation area more than 60 years after the birds' numbers dwindled to near zero, the U.S. Interior Department said on Tuesday."

"A majority, (62%) of House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton's constituents surveyed in a public opinion poll last week oppose his bill that would remove the U.S. EPA's power to regulate climate-warming greenhouse gases."

"To accelerate construction of a national high-speed intercity passenger rail network, the Obama administration plans to invest $53 billion over six years, Vice President Joe Biden announced Tuesday."

"The EPA has proposed examining every aspect of hydraulic fracturing, from water withdrawals to waste disposal, according to a draft plan the agency released Tuesday."

"The maker of bleach, Pine-Sol and other popular cleaning products announced Tuesday that it will disclose the specific preservatives, dyes and fragrances it uses in its cleaning, disinfecting and laundry products sold in the U.S. and Canada."

"Southern California's Imperial Valley produces about 80 percent of the nation's winter vegetables. But years of drought, and a population boom in the Southwest, now threaten the water supply in the desert region — and all those cheap winter greens."

"An extended study of the long-term effects of exposure to defective Chinese drywall on people whose homes contained it is not necessary, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control has determined."