CounterSpill

Six months after an earthquake and tsunami caused one of the largest nuclear disasters in Japan's history, the nation remains divided on what level of progress has been achieved.

A federal investigation of last year's oil spill by a British Petroleum well in the Gulf of Mexico revealed much of the disaster could be attributed to poor management by the oil company and its contractors.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the report said BP focused more on cost-cutting than safety during the operation of the well, causing a lax atmosphere that culminated in last year's disaster. 

Around the heartland of America, thousands are participating in a national conversation about the Keystone XL Pipeline. 

The State Department has set public meetings in Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and South Dakota this week for citizens to contribute their opinions before deciding the fate of TransCanada's controversial oil pipeline. 

Meetings have already occurred in Kansas, Nebraska and Texas, revealing key themes as well as special regional considerations regarding the pipeline's potential effects. 

As the State Department wraps up its week-long community meeting blitz around the country, supporters and opponents of the Keystone XL pipeline continue to primarily debate two issues: jobs and the environment. 

Just like the meetings in Kansas, Nebraska and Texas earlier this week, advocates of the Keystone XL pipeline often outnumbered those against it.

On Nov. 17, Energy Secretary Steven Chu appeared before congress to discuss his approval of a half-million dollar loan guarantee to now-bankrupt solar power company Solyndra. 

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Rep. Cliff Stearns, who is leading the investigation along with Rep. Fred Upton, said Chu's actions make it "readily apparent that senior officials in the administration put politics before the stewardship of taxpayer dollars."

New policies on climate change continue to be tabled at the United Nations Climate Change Conference as the debate goes into overtime. 

Although the conference was set to end on Dec. 9, delegates from around the world are meeting today in an attempt to reach consensus. Both the Kyoto Protocol and the Green Climate Fund are at the center of the debate.  

Some headway has been made on the Kyoto Protocol. Delegates will decide whether to extend the protocol as-is on the condition that the United States, China and other large emitters agree to a binding deal after 2020. 

The U.N. Climate Change Conference concluded Sunday with delegates agreeing to set legally binding emissions caps by the year 2020. 

Officials have until 2015 to agree upon the specifics, however all participating countries will eventually be held legally accountable to those standards. 

Although it could be considered a groundbreaking agreement, it's not yet set in stone. NPR calls it a "deal to make a deal," as the deadline for accountability is still years down the road.