Jane Lubchenco

WASHINGTON - The Senate confirmed on Thursday two leading experts on climate change to represent top scientific positions in the government. John Holdren became the president's science adviser as director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Jane Lubchenco will lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Both have advocated sharp government action on climate change policy and are former presidents of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the nation's largest science organization.

U.S. Sen. John Kerry is asking the nation's ocean chief to support a federal disaster declaration for New England's fishing industry. The Massachusetts Democrat also asked National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration head Jane Lubchenco for money to improve fisheries science and to pay for required fishing catch monitors. The requests were among 11 Kerry made in a letter Wednesday to Lubchenco. The letter was a follow-up to Lubchenco's visit to Massachusetts this month to face questions about her agency's oversight of the local fishing industry.

U.S. Sen. John Kerry is asking the nation's ocean chief to support a federal disaster declaration for New England's fishing industry. The Massachusetts Democrat also asked National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration head Jane Lubchenco for money to improve fisheries science and to pay for required fishing catch monitors. The requests were among 11 Kerry made in a letter Wednesday to Lubchenco. The letter was a follow-up to Lubchenco's visit to Massachusetts this month to face questions about her agency's oversight of the local fishing industry.

NEW ORLEANS — The government’s point man on the Gulf oil spill said yesterday that he is no longer giving a timeline for completing the final stages of plugging BP’s runaway well. Retired Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen said he will give the order to complete the relief well when he is ready. Since nearly the start of the disaster in April, the plan had been to complete a relief well by mid-August. But stormy weather and now questions of how to mitigate risks have delayed that timeline.

COPENHAGEN - Denmark’s prime minister sent invitations yesterday asking 191 world leaders to attend next month’s UN climate conference in Copenhagen, saying their presence was pivotal to its success. Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen will chair the talks, which are aimed at reaching a new global pact to curb emissions of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. “Your personal attendance is a pivotal contribution to a successful outcome,’’ Loekke Rasmussen said in the letter, dispatched through diplomatic channels.

WASHINGTON - Harmful effects from global warming are already here and worsening, warns the first climate report from Barack Obama’s presidency in the strongest language on climate change ever to come out of the White House. Global warming has already caused more heavy downpours, the rise of temperatures and sea levels, rapidly retreating glaciers, and altered river flows, according to the document released yesterday by the White House science adviser and other top officials. “There are in some cases already serious consequences,’’ report coauthor Anthony Janetos of the...

NEW ORLEANS — The government’s point man on the Gulf oil spill said yesterday that he is no longer giving a timeline for completing the final stages of plugging BP’s runaway well. Retired Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen said he will give the order to complete the relief well when he is ready. Since nearly the start of the disaster in April, the plan had been to complete a relief well by mid-August. But stormy weather and now questions of how to mitigate risks have delayed that timeline.

The nation’s top fisheries official was replaced yesterday after a federal review detailed mismanagement at his agency and found that he ordered dozens of files destroyed during the investigation. Dale Jones was removed as director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s law enforcement office and was replaced on an interim basis by Alan Risenhoover, head of NOAA’s Sustainable Fisheries Office. In announcing the changes, NOAA Fisheries head Eric Schwabb said in an e-mail to employees, “Ensuring a fair and effective...

U.S. senators John Kerry and Scott Brown are hosting a field hearing in Boston on the state of the Massachusetts fishing industry. The hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday at the Massachusetts Statehouse. Kerry said the panel will examine the social and economic effects of the contentious new fishing system after its first year. Kerry said they will also discuss steps to improve the plan while providing an open forum for dialogue between the state's fishermen and regulators at state and federal agencies.

MIAMI — Federal forecasters announced yesterday that they expect three to six major hurricanes from an above average Atlantic storm season. No major hurricane has made a US landfall in five years, but forecasters warned Atlantic and Gulf coast residents their luck could run out this year. As many as 18 named tropical storms may develop during the six-month Atlantic hurricane season that begins June 1, according to forecasters at the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration.

The nation’s top fisheries official was replaced yesterday after a federal review detailed mismanagement at his agency and found that he ordered dozens of files destroyed during the investigation. Dale Jones was removed as director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s law enforcement office and was replaced on an interim basis by Alan Risenhoover, head of NOAA’s Sustainable Fisheries Office. In announcing the changes, NOAA Fisheries head Eric Schwabb said in an e-mail to employees, “Ensuring a fair and effective enforcement program is our...

COPENHAGEN - Denmark’s prime minister sent invitations yesterday asking 191 world leaders to attend next month’s UN climate conference in Copenhagen, saying their presence was pivotal to its success. Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen will chair the talks, which are aimed at reaching a new global pact to curb emissions of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. “Your personal attendance is a pivotal contribution to a successful outcome,’’ Loekke Rasmussen said in the letter, dispatched through diplomatic channels.

WASHINGTON - Harmful effects from global warming are already here and worsening, warns the first climate report from Barack Obama’s presidency in the strongest language on climate change ever to come out of the White House. Global warming has already caused more heavy downpours, the rise of temperatures and sea levels, rapidly retreating glaciers, and altered river flows, according to the document released yesterday by the White House science adviser and other top officials. “There are in some cases already serious consequences,’’ report coauthor Anthony Janetos of the...

WASHINGTON - The Senate confirmed on Thursday two leading experts on climate change to represent top scientific positions in the government. John Holdren became the president's science adviser as director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Jane Lubchenco will lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Both have advocated sharp government action on climate change policy and are former presidents of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the nation's largest science organization.

BOSTON - The best picture scientists can snap of the condition of important New England fish stocks can be blurry. But now US Senator John F. Kerry is asking the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to find out if a developing sonar technology can bring clarity. In a letter to Jane Lubchenco last month, Kerry asked her to designate $1 million for a system that can scan dozens of square miles of ocean in an instant. A fish stock's health is critical when regulators decide how much fishermen can catch.