U.S. Proposes Protections for Imperiled Right Whales

Some of the world's last Pacific right whales will get special protections in the Bering Sea to boost the animals' chances of avoiding extinction, the National Marine Fisheries Service said Tuesday. >> Read the Full Article

Vermont Adopts New Rules To Cut Car CO2 Emissions

Vermont on Wednesday approved stricter standards for vehicle emissions to reduce greenhouse gases, leading five other Northeastern states working on the same rules. >> Read the Full Article

Ruling Against New Land-Use Law Sows Uncertainty across Oregon

For decades, Jean Jesse has dreamed of building a home on the plot she owns near the Portland suburb of Hillsboro. She may have to dream a little longer. >> Read the Full Article

Climate Change Linked to Rise in Malaria, Asthma

Climate change may promote the spread of deadly diseases like malaria and asthma in both rich and poor countries by increasing the range of parasitic insects and whipping up dust from storms, a new report says. >> Read the Full Article

New Orleans' Toxic Soup Is Served Up All Over America -- A Guest Commentary

News of the "toxic soup" contained in the floodwaters of New Orleans has been making headlines around the world, but this recipe is served up daily in practically every city throughout the United States. While the recipes differ from state to state, the "backbone" ingredients -- pesticides, heavy metals, petroleum products and other industrial chemicals -- are virtually everywhere. >> Read the Full Article

Cape Verde's Fragile Paradise on the Brink

Loggerhead turtles flock to Cape Verde's quiet, white beaches to lay their eggs but the tranquillity that draws them may be under threat as the West African islands try to lure more sun-seekers. >> Read the Full Article

Parents Worried about Pesticides Turn to Organic Food

Erin O'Neal has two daughters and a fridge stocked with organic cheese, milk, fruits and vegetables in her Annapolis, Md., home. She is among the increasing number of parents who buy organic to keep their children's diets free of food grown with pesticides, hormones, antibiotics or genetic engineering. >> Read the Full Article

Caribbean Reefs Bleached by Warm Water

A bleaching phenomenon caused by unusually warm waters is whitening coral reefs throughout the Caribbean, raising fears of a large-scale die-off of the organisms, scientists said Wednesday. >> Read the Full Article

Environmentalists Blast New Policy on Off-Road Vehicles

Environmentalists and recreation groups decried a Forest Service plan to restrict off-road vehicles, saying the new policy could legitimize hundreds of illegal trails carved out by off-road enthusiasts. >> Read the Full Article

Two Public Relations Campaigns Pit Wal-Mart against Critics

Pat McCaughtry has felt the temptation to buy tires at Sam's Club for a much cheaper price than at her local tire shop, but she consistently has resisted the urge. That's particularly the case these days, now that she has signed up to host a mid-November screening of a new documentary critical of the warehouse club's owner, Wal-Mart. >> Read the Full Article