National (U.S.)

"U.S. gasoline pump prices are poised to drop below $2 a gallon for the first time in more than six years, which is sure to bring comfort and joy to drivers."

Environmental policy riders are one of the bones of contention stalling a massive omnibus funding deal in Congress as the December 11 government shutdown deadline looms.

"WASHINGTON — The bazaar is open on Capitol Hill as lawmakers rush through unfinished budget business.

Congress is trying to wrap up its work for the year and it's hoping to go out with a bang by passing a massive spending bill and a separate measure reviving a boatload of tax breaks that mostly reward business interests like high-tech firms and producers of renewable energy.

"The party is in talks with Republicans to lift a longtime ban on U.S. exports in exchange for clean-energy and other tax breaks."

"A particularly dangerous superbug, dubbed the "phantom menace" by scientists, is on the rise in the United States, according to a report Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

"LE BOURGET, France -- President Obama's top advisers have arrived in force here today to begin a final push toward a global climate accord, telling whoever will listen that U.S. carbon emissions reductions are here to stay."

"Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders released a climate and energy plan on Monday, calling for the U.S. to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050."

"U.S. EPA's landmark air standards for mercury appear likely to survive an effort by industry and states to kill the rules in court."

"About 600 scientists and engineers, including former employees of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), have signed on to letters urging the head of that agency, Kathryn Sullivan, to push back against political interference in science."

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has petitioned the federal agency that regulates hazardous materials transport to set limits on the volatility of oil shipped by rail -- a major factor in explosions.

"In recent years, efforts to develop the Next Big Thing — whether in medicine, computer technology, pollution prevention or high-performance materials — have turned to some really, really small things: nanomaterials."