Settlement reached: As a result of a deal worked out with the federal government, BP has announced that it will spend more than $400 million to curb air pollution at its giant Whiting refinery -- the nation's sixth largest -- in northwest Indiana near Chicago. The settlement "could set a precedent for oil companies nationwide." Chicago Tribune
Shell's game: Oil company Shell's, er, burning desire to drill in the Arctic Ocean has gone from an "untouchable" notion, politically speaking, to an "inevitable" one. The company "has consumed seven years and $4 billion over two presidential administrations, overcoming a raft of environmental concerns, the opposition of a wily and unpredictable Inupiat Eskimo leader and the fallout from the BP disaster." New York Times
Shifting sands: Just in time for Memorial Day weekend: Your beach is disappearing! The U.S. Geological Survey has found that nearly 70 percent of beaches in New England and the Mid-Atlantic are eroding, and rapidly. The jury's still out on beaches further south and along the Gulf of Mexico, but one scientist notes that "some barrier beaches in Louisiana are eroding by 20-plus meters [65 feet] per year." Climate Central
Paper or paper?: Over the next 16 months, the city of Los Angeles will impose a ban on plastic bags at retail check-out counters. No word as of yet on the status of plastic injected into Nicole Kidman's cheekbones. Los Angeles Times
Worse than they thought: The amount of jet fuel spilled from a decades-old accident at New Mexico's Kirtland Air Force Base, previously estimated at 8 million gallons, has been revised upward -- to as much as 24 million gallons, twice the amount of oil spilled during the Exxon Valdez disaster. And it's headed for Albuquerque's water supply. Huffington Post
Hopeful forecast: New radio stations in coastal Bangladesh, broadcasting in local dialects, are being enlisted to warn residents about erratic and severe weather patterns, such as cyclones and flooding, that are thought to be related to global climate change. Christian Science Monitor
Cats in the cradle: Veterinarians at the National Zoo thought that a cheetah mama who had just delivered a baby with great difficulty still looked a little pudgy about the middle -- as in, two-more-cheetah-babies-worth-
