JUNEAU, Alaska -- (AP) The lawyers aren't clearing their calendars just yet, but the oil industry is bracing for some courtroom battles to maintain its stake in Alaska's oil-rich fields now that the Interior Department has listed polar bears as a threatened species.  Full version available to lexis.com subscribers.

PICHER, Okla. -- (AP) Preliminary tests show that a tornado that struck a Superfund site in northeastern Oklahoma did not raise airborne lead levels enough to create a health risk.  Full version available to lexis.com subscribers.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- (AP) The Interior Department has decided to protect the polar bear as a threatened species because of the decline in Arctic sea ice from global warming, officials said Wednesday.  Continue reading >>

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- (AP) The Bush administration on Wednesday disputed the International Monetary Fund's claim that their push to increase biofuel production has been the biggest factor in rising food prices.  Full version available to lexis.com subscribers.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- (AP) Renowned rain forest defender Marina Silva resigned as Brazil's environment minister on Tuesday, saying she lacked the necessary political support to protect the Amazon.  Full Continue reading >>

DEERFIELD, Mo. -- (AP) Pumpjacks, the oil rigs that resemble those thirsty bird toys, are going up in Missouri for the first time in two decades, the latest region to revive a long-faded industry as crude nears $130 a barrel.  Full version available to lexis.com subscribers.

LUBBOCK, Texas -- (AP) Sweet sorghum is grown in the U.S. for cooking and livestock feed. But the tall plant also might help at the gas pump.  Full version available to lexis.com subscribers.

TOKYO -- (AP) The world's top industrialized countries should develop environmentally friendly workplaces and help workers move to nonpolluting industries, their labor ministers said Tuesday.  Continue reading >>

OSLO, Norway -- (AP) Norway's greenhouse gas emissions rose nearly 3 percent last year to record levels due to extraordinary pollution from the startup phase of a new natural gas plant in the Arctic, Statistics Norway said Tuesday.  Continue reading >>

TOKYO -- (AP) Honda's new hydrogen-powered vehicle, set for leasing within a few months, radically reduced the sizes of its fuel cell and motor for a superclean car with the same interior space as a regular car, engineers said Tuesday.  Full version available to lex

PICHER, Okla. -- (AP) The reason most residents of Picher won't be able to rebuild their homes following a massive tornado is plainly visible from most parts of town.  Massive piles of lead and zinc mining waste known as chat piles tower above the landscape in far northeastern Oklahoma. 

(AP) A new generation of nuclear power plants is on the drawing boards in the U.S., but the projected cost is causing some sticker shock: $5 billion to $12 billion a plant, double to quadruple earlier rough estimates.  Full version available to lexis.com subscribers.

PICHER, Okla. -- (AP) The Environmental Protection Agency was preparing to conduct air and soil tests to check for high lead levels Monday after a deadly tornado blew through Picher, a town so polluted with lead-filled mining waste that it's a Superfund si

PHOENIX -- (AP) Republican John McCain, reaching out to both independents and green-minded social conservatives, argues that global warming is undeniable and the country must take steps to bring it under control while adhering to free-market principles.  Continue reading >>

BRASILIA, Brazil -- (AP) Brazil's government unveiled new eco-friendly development plans for the Amazon rain forest Thursday, including low-cost loans to farmers and emergency measures to combat illegal logging.  Full version available for lexis.com subscribers.

CARACAS, Venezuela -- (AP) Mining company Gold Reserve Inc. says its permit to develop a gold and copper deposit in Venezuela's biologically diverse Imataca Forest has been formally rescinded.  Full version available to lexis.com subscribers.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- (AP) Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Thursday that pressure from the auto industry will not deter California from attempting to impose strict emission rules for vehicles sold in the state.  Full version available to lexis.com subscribers.

BOISE, Idaho -- (AP) Eight Western states on Thursday rejected a company's plan to ship tons of radioactive waste from Italy for disposal in Utah, saying importing foreign loads would violate the group's rules.  Full version available to lexis.com subscribers.

HOUSTON -- (AP) Federal prosecutors violated the rights of victims of a deadly 2005 explosion at a BP PLC plant when they didn't consult them about a plea agreement to settle criminal conduct in connection with the blast, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.  Continue reading >>

NEW YORK -- (AP) At least two major oil companies said late Wednesday they have agreed to settle lawsuits over the use of the gasoline additive MTBE, a potential carcinogen that has been found in drinking water.   Continue reading >>

LEBEC, Calif. -- (AP) A group of environmentalists and the owners of a large stretch of wilderness have reached a deal that would set aside the largest parcel of land for conservation in California history.  Full version available to lexis.com subscribers.

BROOKVILLE, Ohio -- (AP) When he was laid up in the hospital recovering from knee surgery, farmer Ralph Dull picked up a thick notebook dropped off by a friend that detailed how wind generators produce electricity.  Full version available to lexis.com subscribers.

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- (AP) The world's largest population of wild orangutans on Indonesia's Borneo island faces extinction within three years due to rapidly expanding oil palm plantations, a conservationist group said Wednesday.  Full version available to lexis.com subscribe

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- (AP) European Union lawmakers are seeking more restrictions on carbon emissions permits for airlines flying to and from the EU.  Full version available to lexis.com subscribers.

HELENA, Mont. -- (AP) Three states are defending their ability to sustain a gray wolf population in the Northern Rockies, asking to be heard in a federal lawsuit that seeks to return the wolves to the endangered species list.  Continue reading >>

CANBERRA, Australia -- (AP) Koalas are threatened by the rising level of carbon dioxide pollution in the atmosphere because it saps nutrients from the eucalyptus leaves they feed on, a researcher said Wednesday.  Full version available to lexis.com s

GRANTS PASS, Ore. -- (AP) The Bush administration Monday issued its final court-ordered plans for making Columbia Basin hydroelectric dams and irrigation projects safe for endangered salmon.  Full version available to lexis.com subscribers.

IN THE EVERGLADES, Fla. -- (AP) Around South Florida's vast sugar cane fields, where turtles grow to the size of basketballs and alligators own the marsh, the silence of the swamp is broken by the sound of rumbling trucks and explosions.  Full version available to lexis.com subs

MOSCOW -- (AP) Russian and U.S. officials signed a key agreement on civilian nuclear power Tuesday that could give Washington access to Russian technology and potentially hand Moscow lucrative deals on storing spent fuel.  Full version available to lexis.com subscribers.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- (AP) Alaska Native and environmental groups sued Monday to stop exploration by oil companies this summer in Arctic waters frequented by whales, seals and other marine species.  Full story available to lexis.com subscribers.

BEIJING -- (AP) About 200 people demonstrated in southwestern China against the building of a petrochemical plant they say will pollute their city, state media reported Monday.  Continue reading >>