Greenwire

An 11.5-ton fishing net was one of many pieces of ocean trash picked up by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coral Reef Ecosystem Marine Debris Project staff as part of a $1.2 million Pacific cleanup mission last October.

Revolution, embargo and numerous political spats haven't stopped scientific and environmental collaboration between the United States and Cuba during the last 50 years, and the future of that relationship should strengthen now that tensions between the two countries are starting to ebb, experts said during a panel discussion yesterday as part of Capitol Hill Ocean Week, an annual ocean policy forum in Washington, D.C.

Citing new research, an environmental group today urged the Fish and Wildlife Service to reclassify the African elephant as two separate species and add both to the federal endangered species list.

Mining and drilling companies are pressing the Fish and Wildlife Service to either scrap or put off new protections for two rare types of Appalachian crawfish.

Former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs has made an unconventional career move, joining McDonald's Corp. as its global communications chief and executive vice president.

Activists involved in protesting the proposed Keystone XL pipeline said they are still subject to hourslong detention at airports and home visits from a terrorism task force despite the FBI's abandoning its investigation of environmental groups more than 18 months ago.

U.S. EPA today opened a public comment period on its proposal setting renewable fuel mandates for 2014 through 2016, as well as the biodiesel target for 2017.

The Agriculture Department's acting chief economist supported the development of the booming wood pellet sector in a blog post yesterday, backing the findings in a recent study.

Georgia Sen. Johnny Isakson (R) revealed today that he suffers from Parkinson's disease but asserted the diagnosis has not affected his abilities to serve in the Senate and vowed to continue his bid for a third term.

A House Appropriations subcommittee today approved a fiscal 2016 spending plan for the Interior Department and U.S. EPA that would cut below current funding and contains about two dozen policy riders aimed at Obama administration regulations.

The system of levees and pumps that delivers water to much of California is in danger of collapse and must be reconfigured, Gov. Jerry Brown (D) said yesterday.

U.S. EPA will pay a conservative legal foundation $313,000 to resolve a lawsuit over the agency's handling of public records requests.

Despite fiery opposition from Democrats, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee this morning voted 11-9 along party lines to advance a measure to kill the Obama administration's controversial water rule.

U.S. EPA started work today on an effort to regulate greenhouse gases from aviation with the release of a finding that aircraft emissions endanger public health -- a prerequisite to Clean Air Act restrictions.

The tiny island nation of Palau is fighting back against illegal fishing, setting on fire four boats caught poaching sea cucumbers.

Japan has approved a new 30- to 40-year road map for cleanup of the severely damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, though many questions remain about how the site will be remediated.

The first day of a landmark pollution trial in China proved a testy affair, as police had to shield a lawyer from angry families who sued a chemical plant over high levels of lead in the blood of their children.

Tootsie, the cockatoo companion of one Rhode Island man, inched closer to a camping trip yesterday after state lawmakers approved a bill loosening restrictions on pets in state campsites.