Articles by Mary Clare Jalonick and Matthew Daly

Budget Deal Called ‘Devastating’ to Crop Insurance

The two-year budget deal produces savings from one of the most popular programs in farm country — federally subsidized crop insurance — and farm state lawmakers are furious. Senators and House members said Tuesday they weren’t notified of the cut …

Local Leaders Planning for Climate Effects

When it comes to climate change, local officials have a message for Washington: Lead or get out of the way. Local governments have long acted as first responders in emergencies and now are working to plan for sea level rise, …

U.S. Safety Rule for Oil Trains Delayed for Year

The Obama administration has delayed by nearly a year a plan to boost safety standards for the type of rail car involved in a fiery explosion that killed at least 47 people in Canada this month. Officials began work on …

Gulf Oil Spill Commission Criticizes Congress for Inaction

A presidential commission that investigated the Gulf oil spill blasted Congress for inaction in its report card on industry and government response to the massive BP oil spill. “Across the board, we are disappointed with Congress’s lack of action. Two …

House Approves Oil Spill Clean-Up, Drilling Safety Bill

The House passed legislation this week that promotes new ways to clean up oil spills and aims to make deepwater drilling safer. The two measures responding to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico cleared the House by …

Obama Eyes Raising Oil Spill Liability Limit; BP Says It’s Not An Issue

The White House is pushing to lift the limit on how much BP pays for the Gulf Coast oil spill. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said the administration wants to work with Congress to change a law that caps at $75 …