• Nebraska Gov. Heineman OKs Keystone Pipeline
• Source: Nebraska Watchdog   |   Nebraska   |   January 23, 2013
• Gov. Dave Heineman has approved the rerouted Keystone XL oil pipeline path, which would move oil from Canada to Texas, putting the final decision squarely in the lap of President Barack Obama’s administration.

• Bringing a 'Green Tint' to Sacramento
• BY: Mark Funkhouser   |   January 23, 2013
• Mayor Kevin Johnson has big ideas for California's capital. Will the drive that made him an NBA star serve him as he tries to remake his city?
• 1 Comments

• Next State to Fight Feds for Land Control May Be Idaho
• Source: AP/Idaho Statesman   |   Idaho   |   January 22, 2013
• Idaho lawmakers, motivated by the potential for new revenue and the appeal of having more authority over how those lands are managed, are gearing up to follow the lead taken by Utah and Arizona in 2012.

• Wind Power in Washington State Still in Limbo Despite Renewed Federal Tax Break
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Washington state   |   January 21, 2013
• After much dithering, Congress earlier this month gave a lift to wind-power producers by renewing a tax credit worth more than $12 billion over the next decade.

• Agriculture Secretary Asks Mayors to Push Farm Bill
• BY: Dylan Scott   |   Nation   |   January 18, 2013
• Lost in the chaos of Congress's last-minute passage of legislation to avoid the fiscal cliff this month was the farm bill -- ever the undercard -- and the reality that the hodgepodge of food and agriculture provisions is still sitting on the U.S. House's proverbial desk, expired and needing reauthorization.

• Fracking Ban in New Jersey Expires
• Source: NorthJersey.com   |   New Jersey   |   January 18, 2013
• The state’s one-year moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, imposed last year by Gov. Christie, expired, and environmental groups lamented that the state is now exposed to the potential pollution that many critics say can be caused by the The controversial drilling practice.

• Engineers: U.S. Needs to Invest $1 Trillion More in Infrastructure
• BY: Ryan Holeywell   |   January 16, 2013
• A new report warns of governments' continued "failure to invest" in roads, airports, electrical grid and other critical forms of infrastructure.
• 3 Comments

• Environmental Issues High on Minnesota Legislature's Agenda
• Source: AP/Minneapolis Star Tribune   |   Minnesota   |   January 14, 2013
• The landscape for environmental and natural resource issues has shifted since the last session, when the GOP ran the Legislature.

• Texas-New Mexico Water Fight Goes to Supreme Court
• Source: AP/Houston Chronicle   |   Southwest   |   January 9, 2013
• Texas officials asked the U.S. Supreme Court to force New Mexico to abide by an agreement about sharing water from the Rio Grande. But New Mexico officials said the move is "tantamount to extortion."
• 2 Comments

• Judge: EPA Can't Treat Stormwater as Pollutant
• BY: Ryan Holeywell   |   January 8, 2013
• A federal court sided with Virginia in a debate over Clean Water Act powers.
• 2 Comments

• Colorado is 1st State to Require Post-Drilling Tests
• Source: Denver Post   |   Colorado   |   January 8, 2013
• Colorado's oil and gas commissioners set a rule Monday requiring companies to test groundwater before and after drilling — leaving environment and industry groups displeased.

• Should Parking Lots Be Taxed to Fund Bike Paths?
• BY: Ryan Holeywell   |   January 8, 2013
• One former state transportation director thinks so. The revenue would provide a steady stream of funding for public transit and bike path improvements.
• 10 Comments

• Report: Washington's Gregoire To Head EPA
• BY: Dylan Scott   |   Nation   |   January 4, 2013
• Outgoing Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire, a former Governing Public of the Year, will be named administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) soon, according to a report by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
• 2 Comments

• Wind Energy Tax Credit Extended in Fiscal Cliff Deal
• BY: J.B. Wogan   |   Nation   |   January 4, 2013
• Under last week’s fiscal cliff deal, states that depend on wind as part of their energy portfolio got the production tax credit renewed for another year.
• 1 Comments

• Tax Incentives Only Part of Picture for State Business Climates
• BY: Liz Farmer   |   January 4, 2013
• States each year dole out billions in incentives and tax breaks for businesses, but those that spend the most aren't necessarily winning the end game, some experts say.