"President Obama’s top climate and energy official said Friday that there was virtually no chance Congress would have a climate and energy bill ready for him to sign before negotiations on a global climate treaty begin in December in Copenhagen."

"U.S. Conference of Mayors President Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels says that by Friday, 1,000 mayors, representing 85 million Americans, will have signed the U.S. Conference of Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement."

"In 2004, CDC scientists published a reassuring report about lead contamination in Washington’s water even though they knew that thousands of blood lead measurements had been lost. Now Congress wants to know why."

"As kids, many of us come to see snakes as frightening, evil creatures. In some places, that ingrained fear has taken a toll on the snake population. ... Some folks ... are trying to improve one snake's image - before it disappears."

Missouri "allowed tourists at the Lake of the Ozarks to swim in waters that officials knew were infested with harmful E. coli bacteria for two weeks at the beginning of the summer tourist season, Gov. Jay Nixon said Wednesday."

"WEST PALM BEACH -- The city's sewage treatment plant has pumped untold millions of gallons of poorly treated wastewater onto wetlands adjacent to wells used to supplement the city's drinking water supply. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has cited the city with 117 pollution violations."

"The natural gas industry is moving to disclose information about chemicals used in controversial extraction technologies in the wake of spills at drilling sites in Pennsylvania and as New York is proposing new regulations."

"HONG KONG -- Companies that import solar panels to the United States are facing up to $70 million in unexpected tariffs."

General Electric is the latest company to complain about the policies of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in opposition to climate change legislation. “The Chamber does not speak for us on climate legislation, but we are still a member,” said GE spokesman Peter O'Toole.