Greenwire

The House today passed a stopgap spending bill to keep the government running for the first 10 weeks of fiscal 2014 while defunding the president's health care law, setting up a showdown with the Senate in an effort to prevent a government shutdown at the end of the month.

U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy sought to rebuff criticism today that her agency's proposed carbon rule for new power plants would damage the economy, saying it would spur investments in clean technology.

U.S. EPA's just-released proposal that for the first time would require all future coal-fired power plants to capture and store a share of their carbon dioxide emissions has set off an immediate war of words between industry groups, which oppose it, and environmentalists and their political allies, who embrace it.

As stakeholders debate the availability and viability of carbon capture and storage technology as it relates to U.S. EPA's proposed New Source Performance Standards for new power plants, what are the key legal and economic questions facing the agency? During today's OnPoint, James Rubin, counsel in the global energy, transport and infrastructure sector at Dentons and a former Department of Justice representative to the White House Climate Change Task Force, discusses the next steps for EPA and industry after last week's announcement.

Ruth Patrick, a scientist known for her research on freshwater ecosystems, which led to groundbreaking ways to measure pollution in rivers and streams, died yesterday in Lafayette Hill, Pa. She was 105.

Air New Zealand plan to fly planes to Antarctica for scientists and support crews.

Five years after China's high-speed trains began operating, the system has changed how the country's population gets around.

The same idea that sparked growth in the solar industry may do the same for electric car charging stations, ChargePoint indicated yesterday as it revealed a new financing option.

California's oversight of pesticides is flawed in its evaluation of new chemicals, according to a new report by University of California scientists examining the state's approval of a toxic chemical for use in strawberry fields.

Pre-moistened towelettes, which have become increasingly popular bathroom wipes, are being blamed for backing up sewer systems and causing clogs across the nation.

In the wake of fallout on Capitol Hill and at the Agriculture Department over "Meatless Mondays," a study released yesterday to Hill staffers found that abstaining from meat once a week will have negligible impacts on the environment.

California's utility regulator in a draft decision has rejected part of two utilities' request to have customers immediately pay for power purchased because a nuclear plant was closed.

High levels of wind and solar power in the West would reduce fossil fuel costs by $7 billion and up to 34 percent of carbon emissions from power plants, while raising operation and maintenance costs by up to $157 million, according to a study released today by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

BP PLC yesterday again asked a federal judge to temporarily suspend settlement payments for residents and businesses affected by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster.

The British mining company that supplied the gold, silver and bronze for the London 2012 Olympic medals is being sued on allegations of "illegal air pollution" at the open-pit mine that produced the metal.

Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange (R) yesterday said seven people have pleaded guilty to stealing money from an oil spill settlement fund.

Russian investigators yesterday said they will prosecute environmental activists who protested at a Russian Arctic offshore oil platform last week. The activists could face up to 15 years in prison for piracy charges.

Environmental groups won the latest battle in the war over Mississippi River pollution when a federal judge ruled Friday that U.S. EPA must decide whether to set numeric standards for nutrient pollution in its 31-state basin.

Roughly 30 large dolphins beached themselves in northeastern Brazil over the weekend, and according to news reports yesterday, at least seven died.

Officials at Baltimore's National Aquarium yesterday said they are using illegally imported corals seized by federal agents in Florida as educational tools.

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