Washington, DC - My fascination with the microbial world began when I was around 7 years old and my mother bought me a book called “The Value of Believing in Yourself: The Story of Louis Pasteur”. Nearly four decades later, I still vividly remember the story about the little boy Joey and the “invisible enemy” that had invaded his body.

Washington, DC - Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized standards for methane pollution from new and modified sources in the oil and gas sector. These safeguards are the first-ever national standards for methane pollution, a greenhouse gas that is 87 times more potent than carbon dioxide in the near term.

Washington, DC - The Vice President spoke by phone with President Enrique Peña Ni‎eto of Mexico earlier today. The Vice President underscored the importance of Mexico to the United States as a bilateral partner and as a regional leader in Latin America.

Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of State, in collaboration with Chenega Decision Sciences, LLC, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Department’s Modular Data Center (MDC), located within the compound of the Beltsville Information Messaging Center. The ceremony brought together Department employees, State of Maryland Officials, and private sector employees who together have contributed to the success of the MDC.

Washington, DC - Today, the Navy announced that a SEAL killed in action last week will be posthumously advanced to chief petty officer.

New York - A new survey released by Consumer Reports today shows that the majority of consumers 73 percent seek out foods labeled as ‘natural’ when they make food-purchasing decisions. However, the term ‘natural’ on processed food labels has no clear meaning and is not regulated by any government agency. This is in contrast to 58 percent of consumers 15 percent less who seek out the organic label, which is actually meaningful and backed by hundreds of pages of standards.