Greener Growth

Robert Thomas wanted to keep his family's 14,000 acres a working ranch forever, but as subdivisions in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel crept closer, the Thomases relented.

Rainwater as a Cash Crop

Promoting rainwater catchment systems on homes and businesses in Kendall County -- the first major initiative by a new development agency here -- will make more and more economic sense as growth strains area aquifers, officials say.

Seeking a Sustainable Lode

The boom-and-bust cycle of resource addiction is old news in the Mother Lode. First gold, then timber built towns that later went into decline when each raw material started running out.

Wal-Mart Letting the Sun Shine Iin: The Sky's the Limit

Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, first tried out its bright idea -- skylights -- at a store in Oklahoma. The "early experiment" was in 1995, when the roof of a new Wal-Mart Supercenter in Moore was dotted with skylights.

Leaner Designs Fuel Race to Build Next Generation of Reactors

Jose Reyes' research lab looks like a three-story tangle of pipes and instruments. But to nuclear engineers like him, it's evidence that generating electricity by splitting atoms can cost less and be done more safely than in the past.

Interior Secretary Says North Slope Drilling Is Safe, Will Proceed

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne declared after a helicopter tour that drilling will proceed in a North Slope region that has become the focus of a new dispute over Alaska oil drilling.

EU Tells Carmakers to Do More to Cut Carbon Dioxide Emissions

The European Union warned carmakers Tuesday that it will introduce legislation to enforce cuts in carbon dioxide emissions, if the industry does not work harder to meet voluntary pollution-cutting targets.

Power Plants Seek Solutions to Mercury

Designed by power company researchers, a new system called Toxecon prevents gaseous mercury from escaping into the atmosphere by mixing it with carbon, creating ash that is collected in the fabric bags and trucked to landfills.

U.S. Government Wins Round in Power Struggle with Industrial Plants over Air Pollution

The government won a round Thursday in a long-running dispute over how much authority it has to force industrial plants to cut air pollution.

Decision Not to Rely on Alaska Crude Pays Off for Refiner

While most major refiners have suffered from the shutdown of a major Alaska pipeline, at least one is feeling good about its decision to avoid relying solely on the Alaskan North Slope for crude oil.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Urges Puerto Rico to Block Hotel Projects on Beach

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urged Puerto Rican legislators on Monday to block the construction of resorts on an undeveloped beach on the island's northeast coast.

BP Tries to Keep Part of Prudhoe Bay Oil Field Open

The nation's largest oil field got a reprieve of sorts as BP PLC announced it will try to keep part of its North Slope production running while replacing corroded pipes that have caused two spills this year.

BP Shutting Eight Percent of U.S. Oil Output Due to Spill

Oil producer BP Plc began shutting down on Sunday the biggest oilfield in the United States, Alaska's Prudhoe Bay, after discovering a small pipeline leak, cutting output by 400,000 barrels daily and sending oil prices up nearly 2 percent.

GM Shows Off New, Green Assembly Plant

General Motors Corp. on Thursday showed off its newest assembly plant, a "green" facility that collects rainwater from the roof to flush toilets and was built with one-fourth recycled materials.

Fuel Costs Drive Coin Laundry into Sun-Energy Vanguard

Perched atop the hangar-sized laundry facility in this working class Chicago suburb, of Berwyn, Ill. is one of the largest, most cost-effective solar systems in the country.

Brazil Soy Industry Boycotts Beans from the Amazon

Brazilian soy crushers and exporters will stop buying soybeans grown in the Amazon basin for the time being, industry groups said Monday, bowing to pressure from activist groups trying to preserve the rain forest.

Texas, Illinois Vie for Near-Zero-Emissions Coal Power Plant Project

Texas and Illinois will compete for the world's first near-zero-emissions coal power plant, a $1 billion project headed by the U.S. Department of Energy and a consortium of 10 energy companies from the United States, China and Australia.

To Move Trash Out, New York City Dumps Trucks for Barges

After years of squabbling over how to move mountains of trash out of New York, the city has dumped its system of trucks and approved a plan to ship it away on barges.