California

"A 2015 explosion at the company's refinery near Los Angeles came frighteningly close to releasing a lethal gas into a neighborhood; a ban may result".

"Clambering through a snowy meadow with drifts up to the tree branches, California's water managers measured the state's vital Sierra Nevada snowpack Thursday at a drought-busting and welcome 173 percent of average."

"Oakland is one of several California cities still waiting on more than $1 billion to pay for the removal of lead paint, which is threatening children’s health in neighborhoods such as Fruitvale. Even though a judge ruled in favor of Oakland more than two years ago, the money remains tied up in in the courts."

"SANTA CRUZ — The hairiest creature on Earth — and perhaps the cutest — peacefully drifts through offshore currents with perpetual bedhead and an urchin in its hands. That is, until it’s in the toothy grasp of the world’s largest predatory fish — the great white shark."

"California released new measures to fight climate change within minutes of Donald Trump being sworn in as U.S. president on Friday, signaling the state's commitment to be the nation's environmental steward under an administration that has questioned the reality of global warming."

"It became clear Wednesday that far-reaching car pollution rules enforced by California and a handful of other states could be jeopardized if EPA nominee Scott Pruitt is confirmed by the Senate."

"The state’s biggest reservoirs are swelling. As of this date, the Sierra Nevada have seen as much snow, sleet, hail and rain as during the wettest years on record. Rainy Los Angeles feels more like London than Southern California. So is the great California drought finally calling it quits?"

"The historic Pioneer Cabin Tree, a former 'drive-through' giant sequoia in Calaveras Big Trees State Park in Calaveras County, was felled in California's weekend storms."

"Americans have had one primary reason for building dams over the past century: capturing water for growth, whether on farms or in cities. Now a new dam proposed on California’s Bear River offers another reason: adapting to climate change."