National (U.S.)

"CORPUS CHRISTI -- A fire last month at a local Citgo refinery has focused attention on what is likely the most dangerous chemical used in the refining process."

"As fears were growing about the link between hormone therapy and breast cancer, a drug company paid the University of Wisconsin to sponsor ghostwritten medical education articles that downplayed the risks, records obtained by the Journal Sentinel show."

"Coal's well-funded lobbying group today launched a television ad campaign featuring ordinary people talking about the importance of low-cost electricity, a message analysts described as coal's effort to rebrand itself before the Senate tackles climate legislation."

An aging fleet of coal-fired power plants continue to pollute many urban areas. They were exempted from pollution-control requirements of the 1977 Clean Air Act. Companies rebuild them over and over to avoid installing pollution-control equipment. "The clunkers of the power-plant world" may once again escape new rules and modern technology.

Orange County Choppers has built a custom motorcycle that can go 100 mph without waking up a baby. It's electric.

"Some Senate Republicans want the climate change bill to focus on building new nuclear power plants. They're calling for as many as 100 new plants in 20 years. But the industry has been in decline for so many years now, there's concern there might not be enough nuclear engineers to do the job."

"A federal judge let stand a Bush administration rule that makes it easier for companies involved in mountaintop coal mining to dump debris near streams."

"Amaranth Advisors, a hedge fund that collapsed in 2006, agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle accusations from regulators that it tried to manipulate natural gas futures."

"Cleanup of the nation's biggest nuclear mess would take nearly two decades longer than planned under an agreement endorsed Tuesday by the governors of Washington and Oregon."