A few links as we head into Labor Day weekend.

Another Gulf oil rig was rocked by an explosion (NY Times).

Risks increase as oil rigs drill deeper and deeper (NY Times).

Banks are becoming concerned about financing projects with adverse environmental effects (NY Times).

This greener champagne bottle deserves a toast (NY Times).

Engineers this week will try to remove the failed blowout preventer from the BP well, with the goal of determining what caused the explosion (MSNBC). Meanwhile, behind the scenes, things were more acrimonious than previously disclosed (NY Times).

The panel investigating the explosion isn’t getting many good answers thus far (LA Times), and finding a smoking gun has proven difficult (NY Times).

In the wake of the salmonella outbreak, the FDA plans to inspect large egg farms, some of which haven’t been inspected in decades (LA Times).

The Obama administration sides with utilities in a Supreme Court case, angering environmentalists (Washington Post).

A map to zone the waters off of Rhode Island has so far been a letdown (Providence Journal).

Construction of a highway through a Russian forest is halted for now (LA Times).

A firm that makes blades for wind turbines plans to open a plant in Fall River (Boston Globe).

New federal regulations will prevent ships from discharging sewage within three miles of the California coast (LA Times).

Lightning as an energy source?  One researcher says yes (BBC).

Is whaling meat contaminated?  Activists want the World Health Organization to look into it (BBC).

The New Zealand Christmas tree wreaks havoc on San Francisco (NY Times).

What’s one of the biggest obstacles to wind energy? This New York Times article says it’s the military.

The Washington Post has a lengthy article about the ties between industry and the Minerals Management Service. It also reports that Obama’s plan for expanded drilling included little if any input from two top environmental advisers.

Here’s a look at some New York restaurants going green (NY Times).

This MSNBC article looks at the government-BP relationship (also see this from the Washington Post). Meanwhile, the mediator of the $20 billion compensation fund prepares to start work (LA Times, also see this from the NY Times).

China becomes the latest place to be hit by severe flooding (NY Times).

A new study measures the amount of plastic debris in the Atlantic Ocean (BBC).

Massachusetts orders NStar to rebid 3 wind farm contracts (Boston Globe). The AG’s office also released a report detailing the cost of Cape Wind power (Boston Globe). Meanwhile, pollution plagues Cape Cod waters (NY Times).

Technology has made people underestimate the risks in national parks (NY Times).

A few links as we head into the weekend.

A paper to be published in Science says a large plume of oil still exists in the Gulf of Mexico (NY Times, also see this from BBC). BP now plans to wait til after Labor Day to seal the well (NY Times).

The smog persists in Moscow, but it appears that the fears of radioactivity were overblown (MSNBC). The smog, along with other extreme weather, fits with climate change-related predictions say some scientists (MSNBC, also see this from the BBC and this from the NY Times).

And on that subject, 2010 has thus far been the warmest year on record (Washington Post).

The deepwater drilling ban may be lifted early (MSNBC).

The devastating floods continue in Pakistan. This article looks at the causes (BBC).

In West Virgina, some hope that a wind farm can save a mountain from mountaintop mining (NY Times).

The world’s largest tidal turbine is unveiled (BBC). Back in the U.S., much of the energy-related stimulus money has yet to be spent (Washington Post).

Still living in an apartment? Here are some ways to be an eco-friendly renter (LA Times). And here’s how peak energy demand periods have been controlled (NY Times).

Weak batteries are hurting the Honda Civic’s fuel efficiency (LA Times).

Watch out for those ladders and mirrors and black cats today. Here are a few links for the weekend.

The fires in Russia are raising fears that radioactive material could be released (NY Times).

This in-depth article offers a look at Portugal’s embrace of renewable energy (NY Times). And here’s a look at how butter can be turned into biodiesel (NY Times).

And finally, looking to save some energy? LED bulbs are now available for less than $20 (CNET).

The New York Times has a lengthy feature on the mandate for the Minerals Management Service to produce results.

The capping has prompted fears of abandonment along the Gulf (MSNBC). The FDA says the dispersants have not affected Gulf seafood (Washington Post), but some fishermen still prefer working for BP at this point (LA Times).

Climate talks in Bonn yielded no results (MSNBC); if anything, things regressed (BBC).

The U.S. changes plans for capturing coal emissions (NY Times).

The U.N. says Pakistan will need billions in flood aid (MSNBC). Smog from wildfires covers Moscow (BBC).

A consultant criticizes the Deepwater Wind project (Providence Journal).

The static kill operation seems to have succeeded (NY Times), and with no oil having leaked in 3 weeks, the spill part of the disaster may be finished. On Wednesday, the government reported that most of the remaining oil poses little additional risk (NY Times), although that report has been subject to a lot of criticism (NY Times).

And in other news, San Francisco considers expanding its plastic bag ban (LA Times).

BP received 74 waivers from the Coast Guard to use dispersants in the Gulf of Mexico (Washington Post), but the EPA says BP’s use of dispersants was appropriate (MSNBC). Meanwhile, optimism persists that the “static kill” will be successful (NY Times).

BP is scaling back its cleanup efforts, but many wetlands remain at risk (LA Times).

Here’s another article about conflicts at MMS (Washington Post).

Under pressure from the attorney general, Cape Wind cuts prices (Boston Globe).  In Oregon, one company offers residents money in exchange for silence (NY Times).

San Francisco approves development on a Superfund site (MSNBC).

A study finds mammal populations declining in Chernobyl’s exclusion zone (BBC). The Florida Everglades are back on Unesco’s danger list (BBC).