"The political ripples from the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster spread in the capital on Thursday as six West Coast senators proposed a permanent ban on drilling in the Pacific...."

"The Minerals Management Service has routinely issued drilling permits in the Gulf of Mexico since 2009 without obtaining other federal permits needed to account for the toll energy exploration would take on endangered species and marine mammals, according to documents obtained by the Washington Post."

"Transocean, owner of the drilling rig that caught fire and sank in the Gulf of Mexico three weeks ago, has asked a Houston federal court to limit its liability for the resulting oil spill to $26.8 million, a small fraction of the anticipated damages from the accident."

"A bill to increase the liability cap for oil spills from $75 million to $10 billion was defeated Thursday by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska."

"U.S. EPA [Thursday] issued its final 'tailoring' rule for greenhouse gas emissions, a contentious policy aimed at shielding small polluters from rigid Clean Air Act permitting requirements."

"There's at least 10 times as much oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico than official estimates suggest, according to an exclusive NPR analysis."

"The Gulf of Mexico oil spill could grow even more disastrous if the looming hurricane season churns up towering black waves and blasts beaches and crowded cities with oil-soaked gusts, experts warned."

"Forty years after grassy narrows First Nation’s mercury-drenched river system was proclaimed off limits, a recently released report on the health fallout in the community north of Kenora has arrived at a more ominous conclusion. It’s possible that even small amounts of mercury below Health Canada’s guidelines are continuing to poison people and causing health problems."

"EPA administrator is blazing trails, from regulating greenhouse gas emissions to reforming chemical management policies."

"Many who think they have food allergies actually do not. A new report, commissioned by the federal government, finds the field is rife with poorly done studies, misdiagnoses and tests that can give misleading results."