LOS ANGELES — As California grapples with worsening cycles of drought, a proposal to create a new water district in Butte County has sparked fears of a profit-driven water grab by large-scale farmers and outside interests.

In the walnut and almond orchards along State Route 99 near Chico, agricultural landowners have led a yearslong campaign ...Read more

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Tom Hauge, a veteran wildlife biologist in Wisconsin, was told 21 years ago that a deadly disease had shown up in deer that roamed across the state’s southwest corner.

He knew what that meant. Chronic wasting disease one day could spread across Wisconsin and deplete the deer population that had made his state well known as ...Read more

Exxon Mobil Corp. CEO Darren Woods cuts a strange figure at the COP28 climate summit — an oil executive moving among thousands of government officials, business leaders and activists gathered in Dubai to limit global temperature rise.

After all, he’s the head of the largest American oil and gas company — villainized by some ...Read more

The U.S. will pledge $3 billion toward a United Nations fund meant to help developing countries slash greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change — an effort that could help rebuild trust in rich nations’ promises of aid amid pivotal climate talks in Dubai.

The pledge of support for the Green Climate Fund, described by State ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration moved Saturday to crack down on methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, by finalizing newly strengthened mandates forcing companies to replace leaky equipment and regularly search for escaping gas.

The final regulation announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Biden administration ...Read more

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Leaves rustled as Mike Cirone reached into a tree and gently picked an apple. The orchard was filled with a profusion of ripe fruit in shades from golden-green to pinkish red.

But unlike other crops that guzzle water from canals and wells, this bounty of apples grew on its own without irrigation.

Cirone specializes...Read more

After five straight years of troubling data on the population of young rockfish in the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland officials plan to enact emergency regulations canceling this spring’s trophy season for recreational anglers.

The rules would eliminate the once exciting two weeks each spring when anglers targeted large fish swimming up the bay to ...Read more

DETROIT — A new quarter-mile stretch of road in Detroit can charge electric vehicles as they zoom down the street — a first in the nation, according to project leaders.

The Michigan Transportation Department and city of Detroit on Wednesday opened the segment on 14th Street between Marantette and Dalzelle streets near Michigan Central ...Read more

World leaders are gearing up for COP28, an annual U.N. climate conference that will begin this week in Dubai, and California is expected to play a sizable role in the proceedings.

Representatives from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration will attend and speak on the Golden State’s progress toward clean energy goals, zero-emission vehicles and...Read more

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog is planning a quick visit to Dubai later this week to take part in COP28, the United Nations climate talks, several people familiar with the situation said.

It will be his first trip abroad since the war with Hamas erupted last month. The plans are subject to last-minute changes if there are significant ...Read more

Gov. Gavin Newsom has been positioning himself as a global climate leader this year, evangelizing California environmentalism in China and at the United Nations. But at home, he is increasingly at loggerheads with leading environmentalists.

Environmental groups and tribes say the governor’s plan to protect water supply from climate change ...Read more

From its sprawling, 1,500-worker studio headquarters in Chester County, Pennsylvania, QVC and its affiliates developed home-shopping TV, packing channels for more than 30 years with live hosts and celebrities pitching clothing, kitchen goods, electronics, jewelry, and many other products to millions of viewers and filling their orders from ...Read more

KENSINGTON, Minnesota — Just over 5 miles from where folklore has long claimed Vikings scribbled Scandinavian etchings on a runestone, Erica Sawatzke surveys thousands of chirping baby birds in her long barn.

Automatic feed and water lines hum. A monitoring system — hooked up to a landline — alerts Sawatzke's phone when barn temperatures,...Read more

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are over, but the holiday shopping season is still in full swing.

Here are three more gadgets I’ve been reviewing that I think would make nice gifts.

The prices listed here are manufacturers suggested retail pricing, and you may find them cheaper when you shop.

Laifen Swift High-Speed Hair Dryer

You probably ...Read more

Gamers love to gear up and snatch any piece of equipment that will help them beat a final boss or help with their stats in online competition. The problem gift buyers face is that there are a dizzying array of controllers, headsets and gadgets on the market.

Here’s a guide that helps you cut through those options in hopes of finding the ...Read more