"Facing multiple investigations, including one from the U.S. attorney general, companies involved in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill have secured legal teams with deep Department of Justice and White House ties."

BP's efforts to cut off the riser pipe and install a collection cap over its blown out deepwater oil well hit complications Wednesday -- a stuck saw. But the effort continues. Meanwhile, the area of coastline affected expanded beyond Louisiana to Alabama and Mississippi and soon possibly Florida.

"The spill doesn't put a damper on the Plaquemines Parish Seafood Festival, where at least 1,000 people showed up for good eats and good times. A portion of the proceeds will go toward needy fishermen."

Some 30 energy companies are off the hook for now. "So many members of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals have recused themselves from a rehearing of a lawsuit that charges energy companies with contributing to the effects of Hurricane Katrina by emitting greenhouse gases that the court cannot conduct the rehearing."

California Republican Richard Pombo, who was ousted by voters in 2007 from the Congressional seat from which he championed extraction over environment, is trying to return. A tight four-way primary this week will be key.

Unable to discredit consensus climate science with evidence and arguments, the climate change deniers have launched a broad campaign of death threats and intimidation against top-level research scientists.

"The Obama administration said Tuesday that it had begun civil and criminal investigations into the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, as the deepening crisis threatened to define President Obama’s second year in office."

"Les Line, who as editor of the magazine of the National Audubon Society for 25 years expanded its mission beyond birds and beasts to environmental issues like oil spills, died on May 23 in Sharon, Conn. He was 74."

"Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today renewed for another year a policy giving himself sole power to approve logging or road projects on tens of millions of forested acres while the Obama administration decides how to handle the controversial Clinton-era roadless rule."

Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser has become the voice of Louisiana Gulf residents unhappy with the response to the Gulf oil spill.