Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency declared the asbestos contamination in Libby, Montana, a federal public health emergency, pledging an additional $125 million to expedite the cleanup of the 2,600-resident town, the Associated Press reports.

On Friday, responding to the 2007 Supreme Court decision which required a scientific review, the EPA issued a proposed finding statement citing greenhouse gases (GHG) as a health threat.

Following up earlier decisions by the Interior Department to withdraw oil and natural gas drilling leases near two national parks in Utah and to suspend a draft plan to open much of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to drilling, the EPA agreed to review whether it should regulate carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from coal-fired power plants.

A milestone law regulating California's greenhouse gas emissions could soon be implemented, much to the disapproval of car manufacturers, following today's ruling by a federal judge.