Greenwire

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously today that an agency does not need to post a public notice and solicit comments when it revises one of its interpretive rules. The decision in Perez v. Mortgage Bankers Association and Nickols v. Mortgage Bankers Association has broad implications for all federal agencies, including U.S. EPA, which has increasingly relied on interpretive rules and informal guidance on water and air issues.

Speaking on the fourth anniversary of the 2011 tsunami, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe promised to redraw the country's plans to rebuild in an effort to speed recovery.

China's top economic planning commission has approved two new nuclear reactors, the country's first in more than two years.

U.K. officials said today a future Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement between Europe and the United States should not let U.S. companies sue European states to overturn environmental laws.

New York's Board of Health is expected to decide today whether to welcome ferrets into America's largest city.

Texas' comptroller named a renowned environmental law and mediation expert as the state's first director of economic growth and endangered species management.

A bill that would give the Minnesota Legislature the final say on a state plan to reduce carbon emissions passed a state House committee yesterday.

New Jersey lawmakers are calling on Gov. Chris Christie (R) to back out of a settlement reached with Exxon Mobil Corp. last week that has been sharply criticized by environmental groups and many in the Democrat-controlled Legislature.

The ongoing drought in California is forcing water suppliers to tap into water that fell to earth nearly 20,000 years ago.

Two 600-foot ships collided in the Houston Ship Channel yesterday, shutting down a portion of the channel and spilling a flammable liquid.

Texas air regulators yesterday said they would hold a three-day workshop on the national ozone standard next month.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said yesterday a federal cattle research center in Nebraska will not start any new experiments until beefing up internal oversight a day after a report found a panel was not adequately scrutinizing experiments to minimize pain and suffering.

U.S. EPA will focus its attention on the plight of honeybees and other pollinators this year more than ever, the agency's pesticide program chief said yesterday.

U.S. EPA received poor grades for its handling of the Freedom of Information Act on a scorecard released today by a government watchdog group.

Residents worried about a planned wind farm have sued the El Paso County commissioners alleging that the board abused its power in approving an above-ground transmission line for the project.

The Union of Concerned Scientists called out nuclear regulators and operators at the Calvert Cliffs power plant in Maryland for not properly protecting the plant from precipitation.

Iowa utility preps to advance lawsuit against farm counties

U.S. EPA yesterday made its final bid to federal judges to quash an early challenge to its proposed greenhouse gas standards for coal-fired power plants.

Conservation groups are warning the United Nations that without Australian government action to prevent pollution, the Great Barrier Reef should be officially listed as "in danger."

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