Congress abolished the 40-year ban on oil exports this past week, a victory for oil companies and conservatives that few thought conceivable until recently. [WSJ]

The Senate has passed a much-anticipated bill proposing broad reforms to an existing chemical safety law — one which environmentalists have long argued puts the American public at unnecessary risk of exposure to toxic substances. [The Washington Post]

The Costa Rican Electricity Institute said in a statement it achieved “99 percent renewable electricity generation” this year. [Yahoo News]