"Polar bears, whales, sharks, rays and gazelles were among 31 new species granted new protection status by a UN conservation body, following six days of intense talks by leading conservationists in Quito, Ecuador."

"Chinese officials and businesspeople used a state trip by President Xi Jinping and other high-level visits to smuggle ivory out of Tanzania, an environmental watchdog said Thursday, casting doubt over Beijing's efforts to end the illegal trade that has led to rampant elephant poaching throughout Africa."

"North Carolina regulators have ordered Duke Energy to resubmit its proposal for assessing the extent of groundwater contamination leaking from 33 coal ash dumps across the state after deeming the company's current plans 'inadequate.'"

"Promoters of the Yucca Mountain, Nev., nuclear waste repository left for dead by the Obama administration are celebrating Republicans' Senate takeover as a chance for resurrecting a project stymied by outgoing Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.)."

"Genuine General Tso’s chicken may soon be on the plate. The Department of Agriculture will allow Chinese poultry processing companies to ship fully cooked, frozen and refrigerated chicken to the United States."

"As cases of a worrisome respiratory virus continue to pop up in the Middle East, scientists who study it in the U.S. are struggling to understand how they'll be affected by a government moratorium on certain kinds of experiments."

"Potash Corp of Saskatchewan Inc agreed to spend more than $52 million on plant improvements and pay a $1.3 million civil penalty to resolve U.S. charges that it violated the Clean Air Act over the emission of harmful pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, U.S. authorities said."

"Bad news in the bug department: The emerald ash borer, a tiny, glitter-green insect from China expected to kill virtually all ash trees in the eastern U.S. - unless they are treated with expensive chemicals - may have a new target."

"More than 600 American service members since 2003 have reported to military medical staff members that they believe they were exposed to chemical warfare agents in Iraq, but the Pentagon failed to recognize the scope of the reported cases or offer adequate tracking and treatment to those who may have been injured, defense officials say."

"A group of environmental and public health groups sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday, seeking to set aside the agency's approvals for feed additives containing ractopamine that are used to boost the weight of cattle and pigs."