Environment

EPA Says Volkswagen Dodged Clean Air Rules With Emissions Software

6:14am October 20, 2015

by Tracy Samilton

The Environmental Protection Agency is accusing Volkswagen of intentionally dodging clean air rules on nearly half a million vehicles in the U.S. The EPA says Volkswagen installed software called a "defeat device" that only runs full pollution controls during official emissions testing. Under normal driving conditions, the vehicles emit nitrogen oxides at up to 40 times allowable levels, according to the EPA.

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Gary Matli, a field supervisor with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, inspects a disposal well located east of Guthrie, Okla.

Faced With Spate Of Tremors, Oklahoma Looks To Shake Up Its Oil Regulations

6:10am October 20, 2015

by Joe Wertz

Oklahoma set a state record last year with more than 5,000 earthquakes. This year, the state is poised to have even more. Now oil and gas regulators have taken notice and are working to curb them.

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Drought-Stricken California Prepares For Strong El Niño Winter

6:56pm October 19, 2015

by Kirk Siegler

In parched California, water managers and emergency management officials are preparing to move from one extreme to another with predictions of a "too big to fail" El Niño winter ahead.

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Rare Yellow-Bellied Sea Snake Washes Ashore In Southern California

6:37pm October 19, 2015

A yellow-bellied sea snake washed ashore in Ventura County, Calif., Friday. It's the first reported sighting of the species in Southern California since 1983. Now it's joining the collection at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

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A coal-bed methane well sits abandoned in a pool of water outside Gillette, Wyo. It's more expensive than it looks to clean up.

With Abandoned Gas Wells, States Are Left With The Cleanup Bill

6:34pm October 19, 2015

by Stephanie Joyce

The bust of the coal-bed methane industry has left Wyoming responsible for the exorbitant cost of plugging thousands of wells. The price tag for dealing with deep oil and gas wells may be even higher.

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Environment

Conservationists Push For A National Undersea Monument

12:40pm October 18, 2015

by Heather Goldstone

Conservationists want a large swath of ocean off of Cape Cod to be declared a national monument. Fishing groups oppose the plan, which would make Cashes Ledge and other fishing areas off limits.

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Vacationers lie on the beach, as well as their vehicle, as they sunbathe in Daytona during spring break. Only 17 miles of beach are currently open for car use and that number may soon be reduced.

Who 'Owns' The Beach? In Daytona, Cars, Turtles And Hotels Duke It Out

10:20am October 17, 2015

by Greg Allen

Residents in Florida's Daytona Beach are going to court to protect what they consider a fundamental right: the freedom to drive their cars and trucks on the beach.

A Royal Dutch Shell oil drilling rig is towed toward a dock in Elliott Bay, Seattle, in May. Three weeks after Royal Dutch Shell announced it was walking away from exploratory drilling in U.S. Arctic waters, the Obama administration has taken steps to kee

U.S. Backs Away From Offshore Arctic Drilling

8:09pm October 16, 2015

by Laura Wagner

The Department of the Interior announced that it is canceling scheduled lease sales of land in the Arctic Ocean. It also won't extend existing leases held by Shell and Statoil.

University Of Vermont's Ban On Bottled Water Backfires

6:27pm October 16, 2015

by Taylor Dobbs

The University of Vermont banned the sale of bottled water on its campus in 2013 to cut down on single-use bottles in the waste stream. But the number of plastic, single-use bottles being shipped to campus went up, and students ended up using more single-use bottles and drinking less healthy beverages out of them. Now the university is trying to figure out how to balance sustainability and nutrition in on-campus beverage sales.

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A cover crop of rye grass comes up in a field in eastern Nebraska. Cover crops help hold moisture and nitrogen in the soil. They can reduce nitrate runoff and erosion.

Environment

Interest Builds In Giving Farmers Credit For Growing Green

6:08pm October 16, 2015

by Grant Gerlock

Plans in the works would give farmers environmental credits for farming in ways that store carbon, filter out water pollution or preserve animal habitats. The credits could be bought, sold and traded.