WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Environmental Protection Agency said on Thursday it will begin to take a closer look at the environmental and human health impact of shale gas drilling, which could mean new regulations on a booming area of the energy sector. The drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking", is not subject to the federal safe drinking water law ...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California's drought-baked cities and farms will get considerably more water this year than last from federal officials, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said on Tuesday, making good on forecasts issued in February after a series of strong winter storms. Irrigation districts south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, which represent farmers on the west side of the ...

A series of drenching storms have replenished many of California's reservoirs, freeing up more water for parched farms and cities throughout the state, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced Tuesday. Just in time for planting season, growers in the dry south-western part of the Central Valley will get ...

Climate change is pushing some bird species "towards extinction," US Interior Secretary Ken Salazar warned as a new report on the threats facing North American birds was released. "For well over a century, migratory birds have faced stresses," Salazar said on Thursday. "Now they are facing a new threat -- climate change -- that could dramatically alter their habitat and food supply ...