Mountaintop removal mining is just one facet of a debate that is gearing up to be as heated as health care reform, as lawmakers consider climate-inspired legislation that would fundamentally redefine the nation’s relationship with coal.

“The coal industry is under attack and West Virginia is ground zero for that attack,” an industry representative says.

The Beaufort Sea’s coastline is disintegrating at alarming speed.

Permafrost cliffs are tumbling into the ocean and melting away, and now the process is caught on a new video of time-lapse photographs.

“It could be related to some of the changes that are happening and that have been reported in the Arctic, like declining sea ice in the summer and increasing sea temperatures,” says a scientist studying the coast.

As the recession forces Americans to put off purchases, from shoes to electronics they are also asking more from what they already own.