Environment

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In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrians gather at an alley destroyed by two cars bombs in the Jaramana neighborhood of Damascus, Syria, on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/SANA)

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Homes on the Rockaway Peninsula in the Queens borough of New York were ravaged by Superstorm Sandy. Building inspectors trained in Fairfax were sent to New York in recent weeks to assess damage. (Associated Press)

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Associated Press Iowa GOP Gov. Terry Branstad wrote an editorial in The Hill arguing that killing subsidies for wind power would leave it as “the only energy source without federal tax support.”

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The undated diagram that was given to the AP by officials of a country critical of Iran's atomic program allegedly calculates the explosive force of a nuclear weapon — a key step in developing such arms. The diagram shows a bell curve and has variables of time in microseconds and power and energy, both in kilotons, the traditional measurement of the energy output and hence the destructive power of nuclear weapons. The curve peaks at just above 50 kilotons at around 2 microseconds, reflecting the full force of the weapon being modeled. The Farsi writing at the bottom translates as "Changes in output and in energy released as a function of time through power pulse." (AP Photo)

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A protester holding a Greek national flag walks next to graffiti reading "Power at the peoples hands " during clashes in front of the Greek parliament in Athens, Wed. Nov.7 2012. (AP Photo/Kostas Tsironis)

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Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah speaks at the opening session of the United Nations Climate Change conference in Doha, Qatar, Monday, Nov. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Osama Faisal)

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The most notable instance in the ongoing public relations war centers on the upcoming Matt Damon movie “Promised Land,” which tells the story of small American towns ruined by fracking. (Associated Press)

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Actor Mark Ruffalo holds a bottle of well water from Dimock, Pa., during a rally in Albany, N.Y., last spring. The group is one of many calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to ban hydraulic fracturing, for gas in the Marcellus Shale region. (Associated Press)

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Organizers gather at the opening of the 18th United Nations climate change conference in Doha, Qatar, on Monday. (Associated Press)

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A 9,000-pound, 74-year-old, 73-foot Engelmann spruce, driven 5,500 miles from White River National Forest in Meeker, Colo., is moved into position on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol as this year's Capitol Christmas Tree, in Washington on Monday, Nov. 26, 2012. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

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Workers begin to unhook a 9,000-pound, 74-year-old, 73-foot Engelmann spruce, driven 5,500 miles from White River National Forest in Meeker, Colo., on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol as this year's Capitol Christmas Tree, in Washington on Monday, Nov. 26, 2012. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

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A 9,000-pound, 74-year-old, 73-foot Engelmann spruce, driven 5,500 miles from White River National Forest in Meeker, Colo., is moved into position on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol as this year's Capitol Christmas Tree, in Washington on Monday, Nov. 26, 2012. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

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A 9,000-pound, 74-year-old, 73-foot Engelmann spruce, driven 5,500 miles from White River National Forest in Meeker, Colo., is moved into position on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol as this year's Capitol Christmas Tree, in Washington on Monday, Nov. 26, 2012. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)