The American Issues Project (AIP) has aired an ad in several swing states questioning Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's ties to a controversial professor. The group claims a single $2.9 million donation for the ad does not violate federal campaign finance laws, but many legal experts have questioned this logic and AIP's claimed status as an issue advocacy organization.

With the support of special interest lobbyists, congressional Republicans are pushing legislation to hinder the federal government's ability to address climate change. Proposed legislation would halt early efforts by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to place new limits on greenhouse gas emissions.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) told a Senate oversight committee Sept. 16 that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ignored recommendations from an advisory committee established to assist the agency in creating policies to protect children's health. For example, in developing three recent air quality standards on particulate matter, ozone, and lead, EPA either rejected the committee's recommendations or treated them as one of many public comments, according to GAO.

A conservation organization has sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for failing to release information about a pesticide linked to dramatic declines in honeybee populations. The pesticide was approved on the condition that the manufacturer study the effects of the chemical on the bee species. The EPA has received the studies but refuses to release them to the public, even though a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was filed.