National (U.S.)

"Equipment manufacturers and energy efficiency advocates agreed today on new standards aimed at dramatically reducing energy use in homes."

"A controversial e-mail message buried by the Bush administration because of its conclusions on global warming surfaced Tuesday, nearly two years after it was first sent to the White House and never opened."

"A congressional panel will hold a hearing Thursday into those forged letters urging lawmakers to oppose climate change legislation. The letters purported to come from minority, senior, and veterans' groups, but in fact were sent by Bonner & Associates, a GOP-aligned astroturf lobbying firm, on behalf of a coal industry client."

"Burmese pythons and other giant snakes imported as pets could endanger some of America's most important parks and wilderness areas if they are allowed to multiply, according to a report released on Tuesday."

"The Obama administration is taking on Cheerios. And popular cold remedies and swimming pool drains and rhinestones on children's clothing."

State lawmakers in some states are overriding local ordinances that ban drying laundry outdoors. While some people like clotheslines as an energy-saver, others think them an eyesore.

"Prisons probably aren't the first place you'd expect to find organic gardens or beekeeping. But in some prisons in western Washington, inmates are being taught new skills and getting involved in conservation work."

"A tidy village dedicated to the future of green, solar-powered living has taken over the heart of the National Mall, where 20 teams of college students are vying to see who can build the most appealing energy-efficient home."

Allegheny Energy's Hatfield's Ferry coal-burning electric power plant finally reduced its air pollution by installing scrubbers. But the scrubbers dump many tons of wastewater and pollutants into the Monongahela River, which provides drinking water for 350,000 people.

"Under rules to be proposed this week, the Department of Veterans Affairs plans to add Parkinson's disease, ischemic heart disease and hairy-cell leukemia to the growing list of illnesses presumed to have been caused by Agent Orange, the toxic defoliant used widely in Vietnam."