"A longtime energy aide to Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) who spearheaded the state's climate change initiatives will become the new director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the agency that oversees oil and gas and renewable energy development on roughly 1.7 billion acres of federal waters."
"British Trust for Ornithology finds 99% of birds avoid wind turbines, easing fears over the impact of blades but cation still needed."
"Thick tar clogging 350 sq km of delicate mangrove forest and river delta, home to endangered Bengal tigers and rare dolphins."
"The Department of the Interior came out late yesterday with the 3.0 version of its scientific integrity policy, along with a new handbook that describes how the policy will be implemented. The new materials are simplified, streamlined, and more clear, bringing the department once again to the front of the pack in the Obama administration’s quest to create strong scientific integrity standards within federal agencies and departments. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell is expected to speak about the new policy in a keynote address today before the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco."
"Most coastal regions of the United States will see 30 or more days of flooding by 2050 thanks to sea level rise, according to new research the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released Thursday."
"The Obama administration proposed guidelines that require agencies to consider climate change in reviewing of government actions, the latest of a string of environmental directives after Democrats lost control of Congress."
"AUSTIN — In 2007, Texas regulators quietly relaxed the state’s long-term air pollution guideline for benzene, one of the world’s most toxic and thoroughly studied chemicals. The number they came up with, still in effect, was 40 percent weaker, or less health-protective, than the old one."
The claim that man-made climate change is a hoax won the "Lie of the Year" poll among readers of Politifact.
"Groundwater levels are declining in an aquifer that serves parts of Wyoming and seven other states, according to a new report by the U.S. Geological Survey."
"The latest word from scientists studying the Arctic is that the polar region is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet. And researchers say the trend isn't letting up. That's the latest from the 2014 Arctic Report Card — a compilation of recent research from more than 60 scientists in 13 countries. The report was released Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration."
