Greenwire

A federal judge has dismissed a major lawsuit from a southeast Louisiana flood protection board against more than 80 oil and gas companies that could have left industry on the hook for billions of dollars in coastal erosion repairs.

The Bureau of Land Management late Friday gave final approval to ConocoPhillips Co.'s plan to become the first company to produce oil in the National Petroleum Reserve in northwest Alaska (NPR-A), a decision that was attacked by a handful of environmental groups.

Even though Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) will resign from office Wednesday -- triggering an automatic promotion for Secretary of State Kate Brown (D) -- questions over whether his fiancée, Cylvia Hayes, used her position as an adviser on energy issues for personal gain could drag on for months as the U.S. Justice Department investigates the allegations.

Pope Francis' scheduled address to a joint session of Congress this fall could put Republican lawmakers who reject a human role in global warming in the hot seat.

Following the release of a controversial paper by the World Resources Institute's Timothy Searchinger on the land-use and climate change impacts of bioenergy production, the renewable fuels industry is pushing back against the research. During today's OnPoint, Bob Dinneen, president of the Renewable Fuels Association, gives his take on the efficiency of feedstock production and the impact of biofuels on food costs. He also talks about the ongoing efforts in Congress to reform the renewable fuel standard.

Australian ecologists are recommending altering the world's longest fence to reintroduce dingos into a national park to test a theory that the long-reviled predator could help save native wildlife species.

While most E.U. nations are set to meet the goal of receiving one-fifth of their energy from renewable sources by 2020, Britain, the Netherlands and Luxembourg are failing to meet the target, according to the European Environment Agency.

Alaska's fishing commission may get an overhaul as the state looks to trim its budget.

Colorado lawmakers have advanced a bill to ban plastic particles known as microbeads, which can accumulate in lakes and rivers.

Hawaiian authorities are considering discontinuing the state's net metering program in order to help utilities that have taken a hit from the solar boom there.

Two state bills under consideration in Ohio may not do enough to reduce phosphorous levels in Lake Erie, local activists warn.

Environmental contaminants may be responsible for beak deformities in birds, according to new research.

While pesticides can impose a number of negative health effects on managed honeybees and native bees, there's little evidence that use of the chemicals is the main cause of recent population losses, a Congressional Research Service report finds.

The Federal Highway Administration is adding a month to the public comment period for a proposed framework for gauging and improving the condition of major roads and bridges.

U.S. EPA and the State Department tomorrow will launch an initiative aimed at improving data on overseas air quality.

Businesses shifting to "Web-friendly cloud services" often order too much computing power, which wastes energy and runs up the cost of computing.

Three New Jersey brothers convicted of oyster trafficking have received federal sentences for their role in an overharvesting cover-up.

Maine lobsters have found a new market in Beijing, where eating the whole crustacean is both a sign of good luck and prosperity for China's growing middle class.