Environmentalists

The State Department has concluded that the highly controversial proposal for the Keystone XL pipeline would not have “significant impacts” on the environment, removing a major barrier to the construction of a $7-billion project that would ship oil sands crude oil from Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast. The State Department's findings, part of the final environmental impact statement for Keystone XL, were hailed by the oil industry and sharply criticized by environmentalists. Though other pipelines from Canada have sailed through the government approval process with little reaction from industry or environmentalists, Keystone XL has become a fraught issue in Washington and the Midwest, and it threatens to become a significant political liability for President Obama, whatever the outcome.  The final environmental impact statement is not the last word on the project.

A bill to outlaw shark fin, the main ingredient in a traditional Chinese soup, now moves to the California Senate floor, where a vote is expected within the next few weeks. A bill to outlaw shark fin, the main ingredient in a traditional Chinese soup, cleared a key hurdle Thursday when it passed a state Senate committee. The bill, which would ban the sale, trade and possession of shark fins in the state, has been championed by conservation groups as a way to curb their harvest, a practice that has contributed to the sharp decline of shark populations worldwide.

The Obama administration, facing withering criticism from industry that environmental rules are behind the stalled economy, appears poised to miss another key deadline for new standards to clean up smog, lobbyists and environmentalists contend. After agreeing to work with environmentalists who had sued over the standards, the Environmental Protection Agency has delayed issuing rules on low-level ozone, the main ingredient in smog, four times since 2010. Most recently, it brushed aside a self-imposed July 29 deadline.

Set against the stalemate of the debt-ceiling debate, President Obama on Friday hailed agreement on an ambitious increase in auto fuel-economy standards as evidence that compromise and progress are still possible. The agreement, which Obama called "the single-most important step we've ever taken as a nation to reduce our dependence on foreign oil," was hammered out in weeks of negotiations involving automakers, environmentalists, unions, White House officials and the state of California.

Just as France's holiday season reaches its peak, the carcasses of wild boars are appearing on Brittany's celebrated coastline, raising fear that a potentially lethal algae is at work that could threaten the health of humans as well. The bodies of more than 30 of the animals have been found in the sea or on the slimy, seaweed-covered beaches around the bay of Saint Brieuc, where some coastal areas have been sealed off. Environmentalists believe the potentially fatal algae is the result of a buildup of nitrates from fertilizers used by the region's farmers, many of whom raise pigs, seeping into the sea. July and August are the busiest months for France's seaside resorts as the country's schools close for vacation.

Scrawled on the white board hung behind the bar at Noshi Sushi in Los Angeles, the word " otoro " (fatty tuna) beckons seafood lovers. For the connoisseur, this is the main attraction, the filet mignon of sushi. Atop a small mound of rice, a heavily marbled slice of fish sits precariously — so oily that it's on the verge of falling apart. With one bite, the exquisite cut of bluefin will melt into oblivion. Bluefin tuna may not be a household name, but its taste and texture are famous — and increasingly infamous — among sushi aficionados across the world.

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court killed a potentially enormous global-warming lawsuit against the nation's five largest electric power companies, ruling Monday that the regulation of greenhouse gases is entrusted to Congress and the Environmental Protection Agency. The 8-0 decision is a setback for environmentalists who hoped the lawsuit would spur action to limit carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants. The outcome puts more pressure on the Obama administration and the EPA to carry through with promises to issue new regulations for the power plants by the fall.

A proposal to replace 835 oak, sycamore and walnut trees with 199,000 new interment spaces at a prominent Hollywood Hills cemetery near Griffith Park is at the heart of a controversy over the future of what little remains of the Los Angeles area's undeveloped wildlife habitat. Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries wants to develop 120 acres of its grounds because its existing expanse of carefully manicured lawns has nearly run out of room for interments in grassy havens with names like "Ascending Dawn" and "Vale of Hope.

A contested plan to restore pollution-choked Malibu Lagoon by reshaping it with bulldozers won't be getting underway as scheduled on Wednesday after a major setback in court. San Francisco County Superior Court Judge Ernest Goldsmith issued a stay last week delaying the state Department of Parks and Recreation project until a lawsuit challenging it can be heard. He said the harm that would result from the plan going forward was "severe. " Most environmental groups back the restoration and contend that the stagnant wetland at the outlet of Malibu Creek is ecologically sick and must be drained, dredged and recontoured to meet basic quality standards.

Pacific Gas & Electric Co.'s plan to install 'smart meters' in this affluent Bay Area community of eco-friendly homes, yoga studios and organic restaurants has unleashed a torrent of anger among customers who fear the devices will expose them to hazardous pulses of electromagnetic radiation. Hundreds of Fairfax residents have posted red-and-white "Smart meter not here" signs beside their mechanical meters as a warning to PG&E technicians. A few have secured their spinning-dial meters with gates, cages and padlocks.