Water & Oceans

"ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Shell Oil Co. on Monday took a step closer to tapping vast petroleum reserves off Alaska's Arctic coasts when the federal Environmental Protection Agency approved an air quality permit for one of the company's drilling vessels."

"Federal agencies have changed the designation of loggerhead sea turtles from a single threatened species to nine distinct population segments; five are listed as endangered and four are listed as threatened.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the change will help scientists tailor conservation efforts to deal with threats faced by genetically distinct groups of the species in regions around the world.

"Nationwide, water is screened for lead by checking the first sample of water from homeowners' faucets. But results of recent federal testing in Chicago show that although all homes passed that first test, nearly 45 percent had lead levels spike when more water samples were taken directly afterward."

"BP Plc is looking to ramp up activity in the Gulf of Mexico in the coming months and is applying for new well permits there this quarter, an executive said on Tuesday, as the firm looks to move on from a huge oil spill last year."

On Washington's Olympic Peninsula, the nation's largest dam-removal project to day is poised to restore ancient salmon runs.

"South Florida’s lakes, marshes and rivers pump fresh, crystal clear water across the state like veins carry blood through the body. But cities along South Florida’s coast are running out of water as drinking wells are taken over by the sea."

Domestic drinking water wells in the region around Augusta, Maine, show levels of arsenic above EPA's new safety standards. Excess arsenic in drinking water can cause a range of serious health problems.