Environmentalists have been alarmed at what they see as threatening actions by the Bush administration, which has sought relaxation of timber sales rules, revoked wetlands protections, asked Congress to exempt the Defense Department from a number of environmental laws and weakened clean air standards. These issues are at the center of a national struggle between the country's energy needs and its environmental values. Read about some of the latest developments in environmental policy and revisit some of NOW's past environmental coverage. TALK BACK on the NOW message boards

Read the latest news about coalbed methane development. Find out how drilling in the Powder River basin may be destroying one of our most precious resources: clean water. What does the future hold for mountaintop mining? Read facts and folklore about The Cost of Coal and learn all about mountaintop mining methods. Find out why environmentalists and loggers are fighting over the "Roadless Rule". What happens when smog is deadly? Learn about auto emissions and California's pollution challenge. Plus, energy, development and air quality worldwide. Required for life: a safe water supply. Who wins worldwide at wasting water?