National Grid has released a statement warning its customers of a new utility bill scam where customers receive requests for payment over the phone. more

Oil traded near a four-month high as the U.S. House of Representatives neared a vote to temporarily suspend the country’s borrowing limit. more

On Wednesday night, the New England Fishery Management Council voted to cut the catch limit on Gulf of Maine cod by 77 percent, a move the opposition claims is tantamount to shutting down the industry, The Gloucester Times reported. more

For Rhode Islanders, marine debris is an environmental problem whose solution has been a long time coming. You may have heard the recent news that the Senate Commission to Study Producer Responsibility Models for Paper and Packaging has been meeting since November, and will soon make a recommendation. more

Non-thunderstorm wind gusts topping 60 miles per hour in some parts of the state left nearly 25,000 Rhode Islanders without power this morning. more

Rhode Island is among nine Northeastern states poised to revise regulations that will substantially lower allowable emissions of carbon dioxide, with the goal of putting the changes into effect by January 2014, said Frank Stevenson, supervising air-quality specialist for the R.I. Department of Environmental Management’s Office of Air Resources. more

The controversy that’s surrounded wind turbines on Aquideck Island this year isn’t stopping Naval Station Newport from moving ahead with plans for the largest wind-power project in the state. more

Weather isn’t a controllable thing. more

Ken Ayars, chief of the R.I. Department of Environmental Management’s Division of Agriculture, was recently honored with the Rhode Island Nursery and Landscape Association’s Award of Merit. The award was presented during the organization’s annual trade show and seminar held on Jan. 17 at the University of Rhode Island’s Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences. Ayars, who has worked for DEM’s Division of Agriculture since 1987, has collaborated with RINLA on policy issues and solutions for green-related industry issues and needs. He was also issued a citation from the Rhode Island House of Representatives in recognition of the RINLA merit award, and for providing outstanding service to the state’s horticultural, agricultural and landscape communities. Ayars holds bachelor’s degrees in zoology, agriculture and resource technology, in addition to a master’s degree in plant sciences from the University of Rhode Island. more

The R.I. Emergency Management Agency released a public advisory Thursday urging residents and businesses to make immediate preparations for tomorrow’s “historic” winter storm, and to expect snowfall of at least 12 inches along with high drifts and white-out conditions. more