Reserve two seats at the table: President Obama has apparently settled on two candidates to become the new heads of the EPA and the Department of Energy. Their creds: an air quality expert and a nuclear physicist. Their respective names: Gina McCarthy and Ernest Moniz. Memorize them, because if the rumors are true, they'll be showing up in these blurbs a lot in the years to come. Reuters

Kerry on Keystone: In his very first speech as Secretary of State, John Kerry used the podium to call for immediate action on climate change. In related news: Canadian oil barons are freaking out about the fact that Kerry holds the pen that will seal the fate of the Keystone XL pipeline. Let's hope they have good reason to. Montreal Gazette

Supreme soy: Monsanto’s patented genetics had their day in the highest of courts this week, taking on a small Indiana farmer who stored his genetically modified seeds for a few years before planting them as crops -- which apparently breaks all kinds of contracts between farmers and the AgriBiz Giant. The ruling isn't expected until June, but the justices seem to be siding with the big guys. Reuters

Ugly duckling: It's smaller, blemished, and not quite spherical. But that organic tomato is likely way more tastier, and according to a new study, more nutritious than its pesticide-juiced cousins, too. The Salt

Fiscal canyons: The fiscal cliff may keep Americans from seeing and cherishing some of our actual cliffs. With a slashed budget, the National Park Service is going to have to close visitor centers, shut down roads, and postpone seasonal access to some of our most storied parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite. E&E News

More than all the carbon in China: The very serious people in Washington tell us that China is not serious about climate change. Except, what if it is? Pay no attention to the billions upon billions of dollars that China is spending on clean energy, or ... that new national carbon tax proposal out of Beijing, which could implode some of those nationalistic arguments against climate legislation here in the U.S. Grist

That’s Vanuatu, not Van Gogh: It's about that time to change your wallpaper and screensavers! The satellite images from NASA’s Landsat program now appear in a fancy new iPad app and, for you old-fashioned types, a book (with paper pages and everything). The Big Picture - NPR

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Image: NASA Landsat