WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-controlled House moved toward approval Tuesday of a bill that would allow the Border Patrol to circumvent more than a dozen environmental laws on all federally managed lands within 100 miles of the borders with Mexico and Canada.
Supporters say the measure is needed to give border agents unfettered access to rugged lands now controlled by the Interior Department and Forest Service.
A report by the human rights group Global Witness concludes that one person is killed each week in the increasingly violent worldwide battles over conservation vs. exploitation of forests and other natural resources, Reuters reports.
LOVELAND, Colo. (AP) — A wildfire that has charred nearly 92 square miles in northern Colorado since it began 10 days ago is now 50 percent contained, authorities said.
Firefighters faced dangerous conditions across much of the Rocky Mountain region Monday, as they toiled in hot, dry weather to battle the blaze, which has now destroyed at least 189 homes — the most in the state's history.
A University of Virginia study finds that simply keeping track of trips in the car actually helps people to drive less,The Wall Street Journal reports. Students who recorded their trips online ended up driving less than those who didn't keep track.
BILOXI, Miss. (AP) — Officials in Mississippi took private property and spent tens of millions of dollars in Hurricane Katrina recovery money on sewage plants that may not be needed for decades, an Associated Press investigation shows.
In one case, a legal battle over a small strip of land between an 86-year-old woman, her family and a county utility board has prevented a $20 million sewage plant from connecting with part of its lines. The case raises questions about whether officials rushed to spend recovery money and used bruising tactics to obtain land to build projects that aren't needed now, and may prove to be a burden to taxpayers.
Scientists are going to bat for the lowly parasite, presenting evidence in a new book to counter its negative image by highlighting its important place in ecosystems, The New York Times reports.
The United Nations says it has signed up 45 companies, including Levi Strauss and Coca-Cola, to work on making water-management practices more efficient, Bloomberg reports. Some 800 million people worldwide lack safe drinking water.
A battle is shaping up this week over the Tongass National Forest as the House anticipates legislation that would cede a large chunk of the Alaska tract to a Native America corporation, Reuters reports. Environmentalists fear the switch would lead to clear-cutting of old-growth trees and other environmentally harmful actions.
NEW DELHI (AP) — What is a sip of clean water worth? Is there economic value in the shade of a tree? And how much would you pay for a breath of fresh air?
Putting a price on a natural bounty long taken for granted as free may sound impossible, even ridiculous. But after three decades on the fringes of serious policymaking, the idea is gaining traction, from the vividly clear waters of the Maldives to the sober, suited reaches of the World Bank.
Billionaire Louis Bacon is pledging to protect 90,000 acres of his land in Colorado as a section of an anticipated conservation are in the Sangre de Cristo region, MSNBC reports.
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., asked the Justice Department to join the European Union's probe of possible oil price manipulation, Reuters reports.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Allison Macfarlane said the NRC can't consider a public hearing on the San Onofre nuclear plant until June, when an appeal period of an Atomic Safety and Licensing Board ruling ends.
Sens. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and Joe Manchin, D-W.V., introduced a bill that would ensure that only domestically-made biofuels can be used to meet the Renewable Fuel Standard, The Chattanoogan reports.
A federal judge refused to reconsider a ruling that upheld the Interior Department's power to ban new hard rock mining projects on federal land, The Associated Press reports.
Tesla Motors increased the value of its stock and debt offerings 30 percent to $1.08 billion to gather reserves and pay back its Energy Department loans, Bloomberg reports.
Poland called on the European Union to end energy subsidies for fossil fuels and renewable sources and cut oil imports to better combat climate change, Bloomberg reports.
The first well reports from the Utica shale in Ohio show a significant supply of natural gas but not as much oil as some energy companies were expecting, Reuters reports.
