ABOARD THE USS NIMITZ (AP) — Some 100 nautical miles northeast of Oahu in the Pacific Ocean, a fleet of U.S. Navy fighter jets slings from the deck of the U.S.S. Nimitz aircraft carrier, leaving thin trails of smoke on the tight runway.
The operation, part of maneuvers involving several thousand sailors as part of the world's largest naval exercises in waters off Hawaii, was at the center of a growing controversy involving defense spending and foreign oil.
A study by the U.S. Geological Survey finds that rising seas are claiming Hawaii's world-class beaches at a rate that ranges up to several feet a year, raising questions about how the state will deal with the threat to its economy and way of life, The New York Times reports.
Medical officials say patients affected by volcanic smog are taxing Oahu's emergency rooms after the recent closures of two hospitals .Volcanic gas emissions from the Big Island's Kilauea volcano create what's commonly known as vog. If the trade-winds stop or if wind blows in the opposite direction, other islands such as Oahu experience the condition, The Associated Press reports.
The Historic Hawaii Foundation has named the site of a proposed Lanai wind farm as one of this year's "most endangered historic places."
Historic preservation advocates say the Kaa ahupuaa is significant in Native Hawaiian cultural practices, stories and history.
Historic Hawaii Foundation Executive Director Kiersten Faulkner told The Maui News (http://bit.ly/rRrqOc ) community members are concerned a 170-turbine wind farm in the area would disrupt the "cultural landscape" and change the experience of being there.
The Environmental Protection Agency said it would not finish its study of hydraulic fracturing's impact on drinking water until 2016, the Akron Beacon Journal reports.
Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., is pressing Democrats on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to reject the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg's compromise chemical safety bill because she doesn't think the legislation is strong enough, Roll Call reports.
A draft Environmental Protection Agency report faults Washington state for failures in oversight at the contaminated Hanford Nuclear Reservation, The Associated Press reports.
A group of 21 states urged the Environmental Protection Agency not to allow lawsuit threats to force its hand on regulations for carbon emissions from new power plants, The Hill reports.
The link between natural gas prices and oil prices is increasingly eroding as new supplies of gas are discovered and competition increases, The New York Times reports.
Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Republican Gabriel Gomez were increasingly aggressive in the final Massachusetts Senate debate last night, Politico reports.
Duke Energy's selection of Lynn Good for CEO makes her the company's first female CEO and makes Duke the largest energy company led by a woman, Bloomberg reports.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. said it discovered dangerous levels of radioactivity in the groundwater surrounding the crippled Fukushima plant, Bloomberg reports.
