Environment News

HOUSTON (AP) — Fire erupted at a petrochemical plant in the Houston area Friday, sending nine workers to a hospital and causing a huge plume of smoke visible for miles. Emergency responders were called to help around 3 p.m.

HONOLULU (AP) — An investigation found that a spill of about 1,300 gallons of fire suppressant at a fuel facility in Hawaii was caused by a maintenance contractor improperly installing an air vacuum valve, U.S. military officials said Friday.

Several scaleless fish with fanged jaws and huge eyes that can be found more than a mile deep in the ocean have washed up along a roughly 200-mile (322-kilometer) stretch of Oregon coastline, and it's unclear why, scientists and experts said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal agency that regulates pipelines announced new rules Friday aimed at reducing leaks of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from a network of nearly 3 million miles of natural gas pipelines that crisscross the country.

ST. PAUL. Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Legislature is toiling away with only two full weeks left in a productive 2023 session.

REGINA — Molly Herman says all she could do was cry as she and her three young children fled from La Loche, Sask., early Friday morning as a nearby wildfire threatens the northern community.

COLOMA, Calif. (AP) — Triple Threat. Deadman’s Drop. Satan’s Cesspool. After years of drought, the rapids along California's American River are truly living up to their names.

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — More than 100 people were killed in flooding and landslides brought on by torrential overnight rains in eastern Congo's South Kivu province, a local official said Friday.

BERLIN (AP) — Germany's energy minister announced plans Friday to ease bureaucratic hurdles for solar power as the country set a new record for photovoltaic installations during the first quarter. Europe's biggest economy added 2.

MADRID (AP) — Record-breaking April temperatures in Spain, Portugal and northern Africa were made 100 times more likely by human-caused climate change , a new flash study found, and would have been almost impossible in the past.