Voters set the stage Tuesday night for two more years of partisan divide on Capitol Hill, with Republicans poised to hold their House majority while Democrats kept their grip on the Senate in what was shaping up to be mostly a status-quo election.
President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney were locked in a razor-thin race nationally, with the swing states of Florida and Ohio hanging in the balance. Midway through the evening, Romney led in Florida while Obama led in Ohio, but several Democratic strongholds were still waiting to count votes in both states.
Preliminary results of an exit poll conducted for The Associated Press show that the presidential election hinges once again on the economy.
The survey of voters as they leave polling places Tuesday shows 6 in 10 voters say the economy is the top issue facing the nation, with unemployment and rising prices hitting voters hard.
POINT PLEASANT, N.J. (AP) — Election Day turnout was heavy Tuesday in several storm-ravaged areas in New York and New Jersey, a welcome change from crisis to catharsis for many who saw exercising their civic duty as a sign of normalcy amid lingering devastation.
Voters in New York and New Jersey are facing issues with voting on election day, as polling stations were among buildings damaged by Hurricane Sandy, Reuters reports.
As the fiscal cliff approaches, analysts say the future of federal investment in renewable energy could hinge on the re-election of President Barack Obama, Bloomberg reports.
After a robust campaign that offered voters a stark choice on the role of government, Election Day arrived Tuesday with no clear leader in the race for the White House.
About the only certainty is the victor -- Barack Obama or Mitt Romney -- will inherit a Congress poised to once again be sharply divided over energy and environmental policy.
Election forecasters predict Democrats are likely to keep control of the Senate, while Republicans hold their majority in the House. And that would mean two more years of partisan warfare that will leave the president to wield power frequently through executive authority.
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka criticized Mitt Romney at an event in Pittsburgh, arguing the candidate opposed coal as Massachusetts governor and would slash clean-coal-technology jobs, The Hill reports.
DENVER (AP) — An eerie quiet has settled over the Walker Components plant, which assembles custom cables for a global wind turbine company. Orders are down from earlier in the year and one-third of its employees have been laid off this year.
MANNING, N.D. (AP) —The oil boom that has transformed North Dakota's economy and reshaped the rolling prairie landscape has also added an element of mystery to next week's election by adding thousands of potential new voters to the region's tiny electorate. And the political suspense is tied to the national question of which party controls the Senate in January.
Liberal watchdog group Checks and Balances Project said the State Department inspector general is investigating potential conflicts of interests in the department's environmental review of the Keystone XL pipeline, The Hill reports.
West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and Attorney General Patrick Morrisey joined a push to have the Supreme Court rule to overturn EPA greenhouse gas regulations, The Charleston Gazette reports.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., voiced optimism that President Obama would not veto his bill to authorize oil and gas drilling off the coast of Virginia, The Hill reports.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said a key satellite tasked with tracking severe eastern weather failed and a spare has been activated, Reuters reports.
The new chemical safety compromise bill introduced by Sens. David Vitter, R-La., and Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., now has 20 co-sponsors, The Hill reports.
Participants in the Energy Department's Better Buildings Challenge, designed to reduce energy consumption at buildings, saved about $58 million in energy costs last year, The Journal Sentinel reports.
In a Q&A with State House News Service, Massachusetts Senate candidates Rep. Ed Markey, D, and Gabriel Gomez, R, give their take on the Senate battle to confirm EPA nominee Gina McCarthy.
In an interview with GreenBiz.com, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick discusses his vision for his state's energy policy, including his plans for offshore wind generation.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's plan to reform the Long Island Power Authority over flaws exposed by Hurricane Sandy is unpopular among municipal bond investors, Bloomberg reports.
