Public

EPA's "Documerica" photo archive, suppressed by the Reagan administration and forgotten for years, is being revived. It provides a stunning series of "before" pictures as a context in which to place the pollution control now under assault by Republicans. And it offers cash-strapped journalists a treasure-trove of copyright-free graphics.

"For the past 30 years, botanist Nicholas Money has studied the microorganisms that most people associate with bad smells, itchy toes, damp basements and rotten food. A renowned fungal researcher at Miami University in Ohio, Money has devoted his career to studying indoor molds, fungal movements and the mysterious world of mycology."

"Since falling to a low of 100 in 1999, the Catalina Island fox has rebounded to a number — 1,542 — above its previous level, thanks to conservationists' efforts."

"So much for embracing climate science as a Republican presidential candidate in 2012. The demise of Jon Huntsman's White House hopes leaves GOP climate moderates without a champion in the remaining Republican field, especially given front-runner Mitt Romney’s efforts to convince global warming skeptics that he’s one of them. And that raises questions about how the party’s eventual nominee will fare with science-minded voters against President Barack Obama in November."

"A review suggests that the Amazon rainforest may be changing, courtesy of human impacts on the region's weather."

"DETROIT — Writing new regulations that will require cars and trucks to have significantly higher fuel economy by 2025 prompted years of fighting among automakers, environmentalists, regulators and consumer groups. But now that the standards have been proposed, nearly everyone involved in the process is on board with the results, as a public hearing held Tuesday in Detroit showed."

"There's a solar trade war going on inside the U.S., sparked by an invasion of inexpensive imports from China. The U.S. solar industry is divided over these imports: Panel-makers say their business is suffering and want a tariff slapped on the imports. But other parts of the industry say these cheap panels are driving a solar boom in the U.S."

"Mem­bers of Penn­syl­va­nia Gov. Tom Corbett’s admin­is­tra­tion rou­tinely insist their Mar­cel­lus Shale drilling pol­icy is based on science. But doc­u­ments obtained by StateIm­pact Penn­syl­va­nia, as well as inter­views with more than a dozen peo­ple who work both inside and out of state gov­ern­ment, high­light top-level deci­sions to dimin­ish or defund drilling-related sci­en­tific research in the com­mon­wealth."

Changes in federal flood insurance policy, along with increased flood risks from global warming, may encourage development in the wrong places.