"A federal court ruled yesterday that U.S. EPA cannot require a West Virginia poultry operation to obtain a Clean Water Act permit for its stormwater in what farm groups are calling a major victory."

"Five years ago, a excoriated the animal agriculture industry's practices and laid out a road map for how it could do better. But in the years since, the problems are just as bad — and maybe even worse."

"Thousands of Australians were urged to evacuate their homes on Wednesday as dry winds threatened to fan a firestorm in mountainous bushland around Sydney, where firefighters battled to control blazes which have been raging for a week."

"ANCHORAGE, Alaska --  The eastern population of the Steller sea lion will be taken off the threatened species list, a federal agency announced Wednesday."

"Spider sightings may be up, but experts say it's due to a reaction to the media frenzy, not an explosion in their population."

"Exposure to the pesticide DDT could be playing a role in high rates of obesity three generations later, a new study says."

"Less than 1 percent of the world's oceans are set aside as protected areas, but diplomats meeting now in Australia could substantially increase that figure."

"The Food and Drug Administration has a mystery on its hands."

"Tesoro Logistics and North Dakota didn't quickly tell the public about an oil pipeline spill, and the firm doesn't know when it started."

"MOSCOW -- Russia's main investigative agency said Wednesday that it has dropped piracy charges against jailed Greenpeace activists and charged them instead with hooliganism, which means the detainees could still spend years in prison."