One of President Michele Bachmann's plans for beefing up American energy independence would be to drill the Everglades. Again, that's "drill the Everglades," as a supposed means of extracting mass quantities of fossil fuels. This idea may be just terrible enough to disgust some of her fellow Tea Partiers.

Oh, California. Why so uptight about everything? Whether it's a city or the entire state, someone's always trying to ban something. Now, the state's latest target is Styrofoam. From the AP:

A BP oil pipeline in Alaska leaked "a mixture of methanol and oily produced water" on Saturday during routine summer maintenance, but no more than 4,200 gallons spilled out (probably).

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is in the process of writing rules to protect manatees, the fat monsters who occasionally get lost and dominate media coverage for weeks, from boating and other "activities" that constantly kill them in Kings Bay, Florida. So, is the local Tea Party chapter okay with this? Ha ha, no,…

Recently a diver took pictures of a blackspot tuskfish who was smacking a clam off a rock to get at the delicious food inside. As Science reports, the fish "was clearly quite skilled at its task" and "landing absolutely pinpoint blows."

Scientists—like, actual scientists, with real degrees and a belief in the scientific method—agree that people do not choose their sexual orientation. Someone should tell Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty! Because he seems to think that "the science in that regard is in dispute."

Why is the White House tearing down a 50-foot-tall elm tree from the White House grounds today? Some might say it's because of a recent thunderstorm that twisted and bent the tree into a life-threatening position for passersby. A likely excuse.

What's worse for the environment than an air conditioner? Your goddamn cable box, that's what. Watching TV these days is basically like doing whippets around a styrofoam bonfire in Yellowstone National Park. From the Times:

Al Gore is calling out President Obama for his lack of leadership on the environment, saying the White House has failed to "make the case for bold action on climate change."

At Coal Cares — a new initiative from Peabody Energy, the world's largest coal company — you can order cool inhalers for your asthmatic kids, so long as you live within 200 miles of a coal plant. I'm partial to The Bieber, but there's an inhaler here for every taste — even one studded in fake Swarovski crystals! If it…

Geez, the federal government sure has made the last year so tough for struggling oil companies to get new offshore drilling leases. And if there's one sector that needs a helping hand these days, well, it's oil. But thanks to House Republicans those dark days will soon be over! Yesterday a bill was passed — creatively…

Yellow Pages. I cannot throw those things in the recycle bin fast enough. And yet they keep coming! When was the last time you actually used one, and what did you use it for? As makeshift booster seats for your child's third birthday party? Under-sweater bulletproofing for driving through rough neighborhoods?…

If a government shutdown happens, it'll be because Republicans are demanding policy restrictions in addition to spending cuts before agreeing to fund the government through September. These policy restrictions would target abortion providers and seek to limit the reach of the Environmental Protection Agency.

The Rush Limbaugh show is a sick affair, always and forever, but this is something special. Tens of thousands are already dead in the country, which is still facing the possibility of catastrophic meltdown in multiple nuclear reactors at any minute. Here's how Limbaugh, the same man who has the power to make or…

Republicans rarely miss a chance to go out of their way to stick it to the hippies and their twee environmental issues when they take power. When Ronald Reagan became president, for example, he stripped off the modest cluster of solar panels Jimmy Carter had installed on the White House roof, just to make the point…

Point Comfort, Texas is home to an Alcoa alumina plant, which spews clouds of red dust into the air, coating residents' clothes and and eating the paint off their cars. But don't worry because it's not harmful, says Alcoa. [AP]

"A lot of people talk about the romantic sound of pulling a cork," says wine-on-tap purveyor Hardy Wallace, as he shows NPR his bottle-free wine. The thought of "tasting" from a tap is just, dear lord, horrifying. But it's eco-friendly!