In Washington, the U.S. EPA, whose reputation has plummeted in this administration, is venturing into the realm of propaganda. The New York Times reported this week that the EPA is spending $5 million for a PR firm to ghostwrite pro-administration articles in scholarly journals and magazines. Documents obtained by the paper said that among its duties, the PR firm will be “creating slant.” …

In Annapolis, Mayor Ellen Moyer was among 50 or so mayors from across the country to take part in a summit on climate protection at Robert Redford’s Sundance resort in Utah. Among the highlights, the mayors heard Mayor Richard M. Daley tell how Chicago, a city that knows its quid pro quos, deals with the Wal-Marts of the world: “All of our major big boxes have to do green roofs.” …

In Virginia, wind energy fans won a big victory when the Highland County Board of Supervisors voted 2-1 to allow the project to move forward. It would be Virginia’s first wind farm, and would generate enough power to supply 15,000 to 20,000 homes …
Also in  Virginia, wildlife officials are trying to unravel the mystery of why hundreds of sea birds are washing ashore along the Atlantic coast. They included about a dozen greater shearwaters discovered at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia Beach. Authorities are trying to learn if the birds were felled by pollution, infection or something else …

Our Creature Feature comes from Reedville, Va., where the plight of Chespeake Bay menhaden is drawing wide concerns and a new combatant: Greenpeace. The global environmental group that made its reputation for high-seas confrontations plans a Chesapeake action offshore this weekend to protest the continuing plunder of Bay baitfish by a Texas company.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is considering a proposal to slap a limit on how many menhaden that the company, Omega Protein, will be allowed to harvest with its spotter planes and factory ships. Greenpeace wants to go a step further: halting the industrial harvests along the coast until the health of the menhaden population is properly studied.