Environment

December 3, 2012 - High-profile disasters like the BP spill aren't the only way the oil industry is harming the health of Louisiana residents. A new report finds that toxic pollution from refinery accidents is increasing and urges action by companies and regulators.

November 29, 2012 - The government's decision to at least temporarily ban BP from federal contracts is a result of not just the Deepwater Horizon explosion and spill, but years of safety problems at the oil giant.

November 28, 2012 - Conservative groups whose clout grew in the recent N.C. elections want to repeal a groundbreaking state law requiring utilities to generate a small percentage of energy from renewable sources. Incoming Republican Gov. Pat McCrory has close ties to renewable energy foes -- and to renewable energy proponents. If forced to choose, which side would he be on?

November 26, 2012 - The producer of a lighthearted documentary film about a Houma Indian Christmas tradition hopes it will draw attention to the Louisiana tribe's struggle for federal recognition, which has become especially critical in the aftermath of the BP disaster.

November 21, 2012 - A new report finds that U.S. coal-fired power plants are disproportionately located in low-income communities and communities of color -- and many of the worst plants and power companies from an environmental justice perspective are located in the South.

November 16, 2012 - The oil giant has agreed to pay the largest criminal fine in U.S. history, and three of its managers were indicted on charges including felony manslaughter. But the company says it plans to "vigorously defend" itself against pending civil claims, even while its spilled oil still washes ashore and people and sea life continue to suffer.

November 13, 2012 - Properties that draw their drinking water from wells lose as much as a quarter of their value when natural gas drilling takes place within a mile. The finding has important implications for North Carolina, where fracking may be coming soon to rural communities that rely on well water.